Cavaliers/Hawks delivered the weakest performance in several years for the NBA’s Eastern Conference Finals.
Game 2 of the Cavaliers/Hawks NBA Eastern Conference Finals earned a 3.6 rating and 5.9 million viewers on TNT Friday night, according to Nielsen fast-nationals — down a tick in ratings and up 3% in viewership from Thunder/Spurs last year (3.7, 5.7M) and down 18% and 15%, respectively, from Pacers/Heat in 2013 (4.4, 7.0M).
Compared to Heat/Pacers Game 2 on ESPN last year, ratings and viewership declined 27% and 21%, respectively, from a 4.9 and 7.5 million.
The Cavaliers’ win ranks as the lowest rated Eastern Conference Finals game since Pistons/Cavaliers Game 4 in 2007 (3.2) and the least-watched since Celtics/Pistons Game 3 in 2008 (5.5M). It ended a streak of 29 straight telecasts — dating back to Magic/Celtics Game 4 in 2010 — to earn at least a 4.0 rating and six million viewers.
It also ranks as the lowest rated conference final telecast on TNT since the aforementioned Pistons/Cavaliers game and the least-watched since Lakers/Spurs Game 3 in 2008 (5.7M).
Game 2 was just the second Cavaliers game of the postseason to have a decline in ratings. The other was Cavaliers/Celtics Game 3 in the first round, which had a 19% decline. Overall, nine of the Cavaliers’ 11 playoff games have had an increase in ratings and ten have had an increase in viewership.
Through two games, Cavaliers/Hawks has averaged a 4.0 rating and 6.4 million viewers on TNT — up 6% in ratings and 3% in viewership from Thunder/Spurs last year.
(Fri. numbers from Turner Sports)
