Better numbers could have been expected, but ABC still carved out increases for NBA playoff action last weekend.
Game 4 of the Thunder/Clippers second round NBA playoff series drew a 3.8 final rating and 6.0 million viewers on ABC last Sunday, up 12% in ratings and viewership from Spurs/Warriors last year (3.4, 5.3M) and down 21% in both measures from Heat/Pacers in 2012 (4.8, 7.6M).
Thunder/Clippers fell below the previous two games in the late Sunday afternoon window — Clippers/Warriors Game 4 on April 27 (4.2, 6.5M) and Mavericks/Spurs Game 7 the following week (4.2, 6.5M).
Heat/Nets Game 3 the previous night earned a 3.5 and 5.5 million, flat in ratings and up 5% in viewership from Knicks/Pacers last year (3.5, 5.3M), and up 52% and 76%, respectively, from a Spurs/Clippers afternoon game in 2012 (2.3, 3.2M).
(Last week’s numbers from Sports Business Daily, ESPN)
