An offseason of hype led to modest increases in viewership for Clippers/Mavericks. In other news, NBA TV’s Fan Night selection was less of a draw than last year, and NBCSN had mixed numbers for NHL coverage this week.
Modest Bump For Clippers/Mavericks on ESPN
- Wednesday’s Clippers/Mavericks NBA regular season game drew a 1.2 final rating and 1.7 million viewers on ESPN, flat in ratings and up 9% in viewership from both Pacers/Heat last year and Knicks/Hawks in 2013 (1.1, 1.6M). The Spurs/Blazers nightcap also had 1.7 million viewers, up 6% from Rockets/T’Wolves last year (1.6M) and down 2% from Thunder/Clippers in 2013 (1.75M to 1.72M). (via TV Media Insights)
Thunder/Wizards Down From Last Year’s Fan Night Pick
- Tuesday’s Thunder/Wizards NBA Fan Night game had 329,000 viewers on NBA TV, down 29% from Spurs/Warriors last year (466K) but up 26% from Pistons/Warriors in 2013 (262K). Both of those Fan Night selections aired in a later window. Compared to Magic/Raptors in the comparable timeslot last year, viewership increased 14% from 289,000. (via Sports TV Ratings)
Mixed Numbers For NHL on NBCSN
- The Canadiens/Penguins NHL regular season game scored 496,000 viewers on NBCSN Wednesday night, up 64% from Bruins/Maple Leafs last year (303K) but down 7% from Penguins/Rangers in 2013 (531K). The previous night, Sabres/Lightning earned 230,000 — down 3% from Sabres/Blues last year (236K) but up 47% from Flyers/Hurricanes in 2013 (157K). (via ShowBuzz/Sports TV Ratings)
