The NBA Finals got off to its best start in 14 years.
Game 1 of the Cavaliers/Warriors NBA Finals earned a 10.6 final rating and 17.8 million viewers on ABC Thursday night, up 18% in ratings and 20% in viewership from Heat/Spurs last year (9.0, 14.8M) and up 20% and 25%, respectively, from Spurs/Heat in 2013 (8.8, 14.2M). Ratings and viewership peaked at a 13.0 and 21.9 million from 11:30-11:45 PM ET.
The Warriors’ overtime win ranks as the highest rated and most-watched Game 1 of the NBA Finals since Sixers/Lakers on NBC in 2001 (12.4, 18.6M), tying Nets/Lakers in 2002 in the former category. Coincidentally, Sixers/Lakers was also the most recent Game 1 to go to overtime. The previous highs over that span were a 9.9 and 16.2 million for Heat/Thunder in 2012.
Overall, Game 1 earned the sixth-highest rating and viewership for any non-clinching NBA Finals telecast since ABC resumed airing the event in 2003 (58 telecasts). It drew a higher rating than every game of last year’s Spurs/Heat NBA Finals and a larger audience than four of the five, trailing only the Game 5 clincher (17.9M to 17.8M).
Among adults 18-49, the game drew a 6.9 rating — up 15% from last year (6.0) and up 21% from 2013 (5.7). The 6.9 is tied as the highest for Game 1 of the NBA Finals since Pistons/Lakers in 2004 (7.0), matching 2012. It also had a 6.8 rating among adults 18-34, up 13% from last year (6.0), up 17% from 2013 (5.7) and the highest in the demo since 2012 (7.0).
In each of the major adult demographics, Game 1 of the NBA Finals was television’s top program since the Duke/Wisconsin NCAA Tournament championship game in April.
(Wed. numbers from ESPN Media Zone, ABC via TV By the Numbers)
