A pair of ugly games delivered ugly numbers for TNT.
Game 2 of the Celtics/Hawks NBA playoff series scored a 1.2 final rating and 1.9 million viewers on TNT Tuesday night, down 43% in ratings and viewership from Celtics/Cavaliers last year (2.1, 3.3M) and down 37% and 29%, respectively, from Hawks/Pacers in 2014 (1.9, 2.7M).
Not including NBA TV and ESPN2, the Hawks’ blowout win had the third-smallest audience for a primetime playoff game in the past four years. Over that span, Tuesday’s game exceeded only last year’s Nets/Hawks Game 5 (1.92M to 1.87M) and Bulls/Bucks Game 6 (1.7M).
Grizzlies/Spurs Game 2 drew a 1.9 and 3.0 million later in the night, down 24% in ratings and 18% in viewership from Mavericks/Rockets last year (2.5, 3.7M) and down 24% and 20%, respectively, from 2014 (2.5, 3.8M).
Both games faced coverage of the New York presidential primaries on cable news, which combined for 7.3 million viewers on the three major cable news networks in primetime.
(Tue. numbers via Programming Insider; cable news numbers from TVNewser)
