The Golden State Warriors have set numerous records in their run to back-to-back titles, the latest being the largest cable television audience in NBA history.
Game 7 of the Thunder/Warriors NBA Western Conference Finals earned an 8.9 final rating and 16.0 million viewers on TNT Monday night, up 25% in ratings and 38% in viewership from Pacers/Heat in 2013 (7.1, 11.6M) and up 16% and 20%, respectively, from Celtics/Heat on ESPN in 2012, which aired on a Saturday night (7.7, 13.3M).
Golden State’s series-clinching win, which peaked at a 10.9 and 19.8 million in the fast-nationals, ranks as the highest rated and most-watched NBA game ever on cable, topping the previous highs set by Celtics/Heat in ’12. Regardless of network, it was the highest rated and most-watched NBA game outside of the finals in 14 years — since Game 7 of the Lakers/Kings WCF on NBC in 2002 (14.4, 23.8M).
Monday’s game also earned the third-highest rating and viewership for a Game 7 in the conference finals since Pacers/Bulls in 1998 (19.1, 30.5M), trailing only Blazers/Lakers in 2000 (12.4, 19.1M) and the previously mentioned Lakers/Kings game over that span.
It was additionally the most-watched program in the history of TNT, topping Pacers/Heat in ’13, though not in the history of Turner Broadcasting. That distinction still belongs to Wisconsin/Kentucky in the 2015 NCAA Tournament Final Four, which had a 12.4 and 22.6 million across TBS, TNT and TruTV.
Outside of football, only five sporting events in cable history have ever earned a higher rating or viewership. The NCAA Tournament accounts for three of those five, with Wisconsin/Kentucky holding the top spot, this year’s Villanova/North Carolina national championship ranking second (10.6, 17.8M) and Kentucky/Wisconsin in the 2014 Final Four fifth (9.2, 16.3M). The United States’ 2014 World Cup run rounds out the top five, with games against Portugal (9.6, 18.2M) and Belgium (9.8, 16.5M) ranking third and fourth.*
Compared to other sporting events this year, Game 7 earned a larger audience than both NCAA Final Four semifinals (12.9M and 10.5M), the final round of The Masters (12.4M), NASCAR’s Daytona 500 (11.4M) and the Kentucky Derby (15.5M). Among adults 18-49, its 6.4 rating topped topping the NCAA title game (5.9) to rank as television’s highest rating in the demo since the finale of The Walking Dead in April (6.9).
The full Warriors/Thunder series averaged a 5.9 rating and 9.9 million viewers on TNT, trailing only Heat/Celtics in 2012 (6.2, 10.1M) and Heat/Bulls in 2011 (6.2, 10.4M) as the top conference final since 2002. While the result of the series was widely expected, the Warriors took the difficult route to their victory — spotting the Thunder a 3-1 lead before turning things around in Game 5. Golden State facing elimination in three straight games, but pulling out the victory anyway, was perhaps the best-case scenario from a ratings perspective.
Most-Watched NBA Games, Excluding NBA Finals
Since NBC lost rights in 2002
| # | Year | Game | Net | Rtg. | Vwrs. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2016 | Thunder/Warriors West Finals, Game 7 |
TNT | 8.9 | 16.00M |
| 2 | 2012 | Celtics/Heat East Finals, Game 7 |
ESPN | 7.7 | 13.35M |
| 3 | 2004 | Heat/Lakers Christmas Day game |
ABC | 7.3 | 13.18M |
| 4 | 2010 | Heat/Lakers Christmas Day game |
ABC | 6.4 | 13.11M |
| 5 | 2013 | Pacers/Heat East Finals, Game 7 |
TNT | 7.1 | 11.57M |
| 6 | 2015 | Cavaliers/Warriors Christmas Day game |
ABC | 5.7 | 11.17M |
| 7 | 2011 | Heat/Bulls East Finals, Game 1 |
TNT | 6.2 | 11.11M |
| 8 | 2012 | Heat/Celtics East Finals, Game 6 |
ESPN | 6.8 | 11.07M |
| 9 | 2012 | Heat/Celtics East Finals, Game 4 |
ESPN | 6.8 | 11.07M |
| 10 | 2011 | Bulls/Lakers Christmas Day game |
ABC | 5.6 | 11.01M |
* The 2014 World Cup matches also aired on broadcast network Univision. The figures listed are only for the cable audience on ESPN.
(Mon. numbers from Turner Sports, additional info from Programming Insider)
