The Warriors and Cavaliers boosted midweek NBA viewership. In other news, NBCSN posted mixed numbers for a slew of NHL games, and bull riding scored an increase in ratings on CBS.
Warriors, Cavaliers, Boost NBA on Nat’l TV
- Wednesday’s Warriors/Bulls NBA regular season game drew a 1.4 final rating and 2.0 million viewers on ESPN, up 27% in ratings and 36% in viewership from Thunder/Wizards last year (1.1, 1.5M) and up 17% and 11%, respectively, from Thunder/Spurs in 2014 (1.2, 1.9M). Later, Hawks/Blazers had 1.2 million (-29%). Thursday, TNT had a 1.3 and 2.0 million for Clippers/Cavaliers — flat in ratings and up 10% in viewership from Spurs/Bulls last year (1.3, 1.9M) but off 24% and 23%, respectively, from Lakers/Heat in ’14 (1.7, 2.7M). Spurs/Suns had a 0.9 (+13%) and 1.4 million (+25%). (via Programming Insider [1], [2])
Mixed Numbers For Packed NHL Week on NBCSN
- The Blues/Red Wings NHL regular season game had 411,000 viewers on NBCSN Wednesday, off 44% from Blackhawks/Penguins last year (735K) and down 18% from Capitals/Penguins in 2014 (503K). Wild/Ducks drew 191,000 in the nightcap (-25%). In other action, Blackhawks/Predators had 224,000 on Tuesday (-46%), Penguins/Blues 286,000 on Monday (+16%), Flyers/Red Wings 510,000 on Sunday (+56%) and Blackhawks/Canadiens 257,000 back on the 14th (via ShowBuzz Daily [1], [2], [3], [4], [5])
PBR on CBS Up Double-Digits
- The Pro Bull Riders series Buck Off at the Garden drew a 0.9 final rating on CBS last Saturday, according to Sports Business Daily, up 29% from last year. The telecast was the highest rated sporting event of the weekend on broadcast outside of the NFL. (via Sports Business Daily)
