Airing a Game 7 doubleheader for the first time since acquiring rights to the league, ABC drew virtually even for NBA playoff action Sunday.
Game 7 of the Mavericks/Spurs first round NBA playoff series earned a 4.9 overnight rating on ABC Sunday afternoon, even with Pacers/Knicks Game 1 last year and down 6% from Pacers/Heat Game 1 in 2012 (5.2). The 4.9 overnight is only a tick shy of Clippers/Warriors in the same window a week earlier (5.0), especially impressive considering the lopsided nature of the game.
Locally, the game drew a whopping 31.1 rating in San Antonio, the market’s highest for a first round game on any network since the current television deal began in the 2002-03 season. The game drew a 12.0 rating in Dallas, the market’s second-best for a first round game dating back to 2003.
Earlier in the day, Game 7 of the Nets/Raptors series earned a 3.9 overnight — up a tick from both Grizzlies/Thunder Game 1 last year and Clippers/Grizzlies Game 7 in 2012 (3.8). The 3.9 overnight is the highest for any non-Olympic U.S. sportscast involving a Canadian team since the 2011 Stanley Cup Final, although the sample size is obviously quite small. Game 7 drew a 5.7 rating in New York, the fifth-highest for a first round game in N.Y. dating back to 2003.
Overall, Mavericks/Spurs and Nets/Raptors rank second and fourth among first round Game 7s on ABC (seven telecasts dating back to 2003).
TNT has already released fast-national ratings for its three games this weekend, which were all Game 7s. For posterity, the network earned a 2.8 overnight for Hawks/Pacers, a 4.1 for Grizzlies/Thunder, and a 4.3 for Warriors/Clippers. Four of the five Game 7 telecasts had a higher overnight than last year’s lone game, which pitted the Bulls against the Nets (3.2).
Shifting to ESPN, Game 6 of the Rockets/Blazers series earned a 3.2 overnight on Friday night — even with Thunder/Rockets Game 6 last year, which aired opposite other playoff action on ESPN2, and up 10% from Grizzlies/Clippers in 2012. The game earned an 8.25 rating in Houston and a 4.85 in Portland, with both games airing concurrently on local RSNs.
Spurs/Mavericks Game 6 drew a 2.4 overnight, down 17% from Knicks/Celtics last year (2.9). The ESPN telecast earned a 12.9 in San Antonio and a mere 2.0 in Dallas — with the charitable interpretation being that most Mavericks fans watched the game on Fox Sports Southwest. Over on ESPN2, Raptors/Nets Game 6 drew a 1.0 overnight — doubling Pacers/Hawks last year (0.5). The game earned a 1.6 in New York.
(Weekend overnights from ESPN, ShowBuzz Daily)
