As was the case in the overnights, final numbers for the NBA Draft Lottery were the best in a dozen years.
The NBA Draft Lottery earned a 2.4 final rating and 3.5 million viewers on ESPN Tuesday night, up a tick in ratings and 6% in viewership from last year (2.3, 3.4M), up 26% and 23%, respectively, from 2013 (1.9, 2.9M) and the highest rated and most-watched edition of the event on ESPN (12 telecasts dating back to 2004).
Overall, it was the highest rated and most-watched NBA Draft Lottery since 2003 — the first year the event aired as a standalone show. That year, coverage aired on ABC in primetime, earning a 4.3 final rating and 6.0 million viewers.
The Draft Lottery, it should be noted, earned a larger audience than every actual NBA Draft since 1995 (3.6M).
For the night, the Draft Lottery was cable’s second-largest draw in both viewership and the adults 18-49 demographic (1.5). Only Game 1 of the Rockets/Warriors Western Conference Finals generated better numbers.
(Tue. numbers from ESPN Media Zone, TV By the Numbers)
