After an Oscar-fueled dip last year, the NBA All-Star Game bounced back on TNT Sunday.
Sunday’s NBA All-Star Game earned a 4.6 U.S. rating and 8.0 million viewers on TNT, according to Nielsen fast-nationals — up 5% in ratings and 13% in viewership from last year (4.4, 7.1M), but down 12% in both measures compared to 2011 (5.2, 9.1M).
The game ranks as the second-most viewed NBA All-Star Game since 2005, and the fifth-most viewed since TNT began airing the exhibition a decade ago (11 telecasts).
Despite the increase, Sunday’s game still finished well behind January’s NFL Pro Bowl (7.1, 12.2M) and last year’s MLB All-Star Game (6.8, 10.9M). The NBA All-Star Game did outdraw its MLB counterpart among adults 18-49 (3.6 to 3.2).
Miami-Ft. Lauderdale led all markets for the All-Star Game with a 12.6 rating — up 20% from last year (10.5). San Antonio (9.9), Memphis (9.7), Los Angeles (9.4, +13%), and Oklahoma City (8.9, -12%) rounded out the top five.
Host market Houston averaged an 8.3 for the game, down 14% from Orlando last year (9.7), and down 28% from Los Angeles in 2011 (11.6).
5 Most-Viewed NBA All-Star Game Telecasts on TNT
| # | Date | Site | MVP | Rating | Viewers |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sun., 2/9/03 | Atlanta | Garnett |
6.6
|
10.8M
|
| 2 | Sun., 2/20/11 | Los Angeles | Bryant |
5.2
|
9.1M
|
| 3 | Sun., 2/15/04 | Los Angeles | O’Neal |
5.1
|
8.2M
|
| 4 | Sun., 2/20/05 | Denver | Iverson |
4.9
|
8.1M
|
| 5 | Sun., 2/17/13 | Houston | Paul |
4.6
|
8.0M
|
(Sunday’s numbers from Turner Sports press release)
