Competition from the U.S. Open cooled off the hot start for the 2012 NBA Finals.
Game 3 of the Thunder/Heat NBA Finals drew an 8.8 final rating and 15.452 million viewers on ABC Sunday night, down 3% in ratings and up 1% in viewership from Heat/Mavericks Game 3 last year (9.1, 15.338M), and down 8% and 3%, respectively, from Lakers/Celtics Game 3 in 2010 (9.6, 15.959M).
The 8.8 rating for Sunday’s game is the lowest for any NBA Finals game since Celtics/Lakers Game 1 in 2010 (8.6), and the lowest for a Game 3 since Lakers/Magic Game 3 in 2009 (8.6).
Sunday’s game aired directly opposite coverage of the final round of the U.S. Open on NBC. While the NBA attracted a much larger audience, golf clearly lured away some viewers. Games 1 and 2 drew ratings of 9.9 and 10.4, respectively, and each topped sixteen million viewers.
Even with the lower numbers, Sunday’s game ranks as the third-most viewed Game 3 of the NBA Finals on ABC since the network resumed airing games in the 2002-03 season. Only Lakers/Celtics in 2010 and Lakers/Pistons in 2004 (16.213M) drew more viewers.
Among adults 18-49, Sunday’s game drew a 6.5 rating — up 6% from last year (6.1), but down 3% from 2010 (6.7). The 6.5 is the third-highest in the demo for a Game 3 on ABC.
The lower numbers for Game 3 dragged the overall average for the NBA Finals back into the single-digits. Through three games, the series has averaged a 9.7 rating and 16.099 million viewers on ABC, up 7% in ratings and 5% in viewership from last year (9.1, 15.345M), and up 7% and 6%, respectively, from 2010 (9.1, 15.252M). The series ranks as the most-viewed NBA Finals ever through three games on ABC.
Outside of Oklahoma and Florida, the top five markets for this series are Cleveland (17.8), Memphis (15.6), New Orleans (14.0), San Antonio (14.0) and Atlanta (13.6). Seattle, home of the SuperSonics franchise for four decades before the team relocated to Oklahoma City, ranks 39th out of the 56 metered markets (8.7).
Boston, as usual, ranks among the lowest rated markets. The series has averaged a 7.1 rating in the market, ranking 50th out of 56 markets.
Ratings/Viewership For Game 3 of the NBA Finals
Past decade
| Year | Date | Away | Home | Net | Rating | Viewers (000) | A18-49 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2012 | Sun., 6/17/12 | Thunder | Heat | ABC |
8.8
|
15,452
|
6.5
|
| 2011 | Sun., 6/5/12 | Heat | Mavs | ABC |
9.1
|
15,338
|
6.1
|
| 2010 | Tue., 6/8/10 | Lakers | Celtics | ABC |
9.6
|
15,959
|
6.7
|
| 2009 | Tue., 6/9/09 | Lakers | Magic | ABC |
8.6
|
14,196
|
5.9
|
| 2008 | Tue., 6/10/08 | Celtics | Lakers | ABC |
9.2
|
14,509
|
6.0
|
| 2007 | Tue., 6/12/07 | Spurs | Cavs | ABC |
6.4
|
9,492
|
3.8
|
| 2006 | Tue., 6/13/06 | Mavs | Heat | ABC |
8.0
|
12,246
|
5.1
|
| 2005 | Tue., 6/14/05 | Spurs | Pistons | ABC |
7.2
|
10,633
|
4.5
|
| 2004 | Thu., 6/10/04 | Lakers | Pistons | ABC |
10.5
|
16,213
|
7.0
|
| 2003 | Sun., 6/8/03 | Spurs | Nets | ABC |
7.0
|
10,756
|
4.4
|
| 2002 | Sun., 6/9/02 | Lakers | Nets | NBC |
10.2
|
16,209
|
n/a
|
(Sunday’s numbers from ESPN Media Zone; local averages from Atlanta Journal-Constitution, ESPN; demo numbers from TV By the Numbers)
