For the second straight night, TNT had double-digit growth for a playoff game that did not involve the Cavaliers.
Game 4 of the Warriors/Grizzlies NBA playoff series drew just under 5.0 million viewers on TNT Monday night, up 15% from Spurs/Blazers last year (4.3M) and down 1% from Thunder/Grizzlies in 2013 (5.0M). The Warriors’ blowout win ranks as the most-watched game of the series and the first to have a year-over-year increase in viewership.
Monday’s game gave TNT back-to-back nights with double-digit increases. Game 4 of Rockets/Clippers the previous night was up 12% over last year.
Viewership has now increased for four of the past seven NBA playoff games, and that does not include Sunday’s Cavaliers/Bulls Game 4 on ABC — which will almost certainly finish up from last year when the final numbers are released. By comparison, viewership increased for just eight of the previous 49.
The league’s slump is not quite over, however. Game 4 of Hawks/Wizards drew 3.1 million earlier in the night, down 43% from Heat/Nets last year (5.5M), down 35% from Heat/Bulls in 2013 (4.9M), and the fifth-smallest second round audience since 2010. The Hawks/Wizards series accounts for four of the five least-watched second round games over that span, with Saturday’s Game 3 bringing up the rear (2.4M).
(Mon. numbers via ShowBuzz Daily)
