The Celtics-Bulls series continues to draw.
Wednesday’s Bulls-Celtics NBA Playoffs Game 5 earned a 2.7 final rating and 4.3 million viewers on TNT, up 29% in rating and 37% in viewership from Hornets-Heat in a similar window last year (2.1, 3.1M) and up 35% and 46% respectively from Blazers-Grizzlies in 2015 (2.0, 2.9M).
The Celtics’ win delivered the largest weeknight audience of the postseason (30 telecasts), topping Thunder-Rockets Game 5 the previous night (4.1M). Regardless of day, the Boston-Chicago series accounts for three of the top eight audiences thus far, more than any other series.
Ratings and viewership have increased double-digits for four of the series’ five games, the lone exception being last Friday’s Game 3.
For the night, Bulls-Celtics tied for second place in adults 18-49 (1.8), matching Survivor on CBS and behind Empire on FOX (2.1). It won the night in adults 18-34, its 1.75 topping Empire (1.6).
Earlier Wednesday, Hawks-Wizards Game 5 had 1.8 million viewers — the smallest audience of the postseason, not counting NBA TV or ESPN2. The Wizards’ win had a 6 PM ET start, rare for a weeknight. Compared to the last weeknight game to start so early, last year’s Pacers-Raptors Game 5, viewership increased 4% (from 1.75M to 1.83M).
(Wed. numbers via Programming Insider 4.27, ShowBuzz Daily 4.27)
