As the Raptors have rebounded, so has the viewership for the NBA’s Eastern Conference Finals.
Game 4 of the Cavaliers/Raptors NBA East finals had 6.1 million viewers on ESPN Monday night, down 26% from Warriors/Rockets last year (8.3M) and down 13% from Pacers/Heat in 2014 (7.0M). Ratings were not immediately available.
Compared to Game 4 of last year’s Hawks/Cavaliers ECF on TNT, which was the series-clincher, viewership dipped just 2% from 6.2 million.
The Raptors’ win ranks as the least-watched Game 4 of the Eastern Conference Finals since Celtics/Pistons in 2008 (6.1M) and the least-watched regardless of conference since Spurs/Grizzlies in 2013 (5.2M). Every game of the series has hit a multi-year low.
With that said, it was the most-watched game of the series, and the first to crack the six million mark. It was also the second-most watched pro sporting event to involve a Canadian team in the past five years, behind Game 1 of last year’s Blue Jays/Royals American League Championship Series (6.5M).
Among adults 18-49, Game 4 was the night’s highest rated program on any network with a 2.5. NBC’s The Voice and ABC’s The Bachelorette tied for second with a 2.0. The past series’ past two games have won their respective nights, after Games 1 and 2 finished second.
(Mon. numbers via ShowBuzz Daily)
