NBA TV scored one of its largest regular season audiences for the Warriors’ latest win. In other news, the Cavaliers and Pelicans delivered the NBA’s top non-Warriors audience in a month, and the annual Jimmy V Classic had a decline in viewership.
Warriors/Pacers Among Top Games on NBA TV
- Tuesday’s Warriors/Pacers NBA regular season game had 823,000 viewers on NBA TV, up 131% from Mavericks/Grizzlies last year (356K) but down 11% from Heat/Pacers in 2013 (920K). The Warriors’ win ranks fourth among regular season games on NBA TV since it became Nielsen rated in 2010 — behind Cavaliers/Blazers last year (836K), Lakers/Blazers in 2012 (868K) and Heat/Pacers in ’13. Keep in mind NBA TV’s coverage was blacked out locally. While CSN Bay Area did not formally announce its figures, Fox Sports Indiana scored its top Pacers rating since April 2014 (6.4). (via ShowBuzz Daily, Pacers.com)
Cavaliers/Pelicans Top Non-Warriors Game in Month
- In other NBA action, Cavaliers/Pelicans drew a 1.3 final rating and 2.1 million viewers on ESPN Friday night — the largest audience for a game that did not involve the Warriors since Knicks/Cavaliers exactly one month earlier (2.2M). It ranks ninth for the season overall, with eight of the nine most-watched games involving either Golden State (five) or Cleveland (three). Earlier in the night, Nets/Knicks drew a 0.7 and 1.1 million. There were no comparable games last year. (via TV Media Insights)
Jimmy V Classic Viewership Down
- The Maryland/Connecticut Jimmy V Classic college basketball game earned a 0.7 final rating and 1.0 million viewers on ESPN, down 22% in ratings and 26% in viewership from Indiana/Louisville last year (0.9, 1.4M) and flat and up 4%, respectively, from Memphis/Florida in 2013 (from 1.01M to 1.04M). West Virginia/Virginia had 762,000 earlier in the night, down 17% from Villanova/Illinois last year (914K) and down 10% from Cincinnati/Pittsburgh in 2013 (845K). (via TVMI, ShowBuzz Daily)
