The second weekend of the NBA Playoffs brought mixed results to ABC.
Sunday’s Rockets-Thunder NBA Playoffs Game 4 earned a 4.5 overnight rating on ABC, down 15% from Warriors-Rockets last year (5.3), down 10% from Clippers-Spurs in 2015 (5.0), and the network’s lowest late game on the second weekend of the postseason since 2009 (DET-CLE: 4.4).
Despite the drop, Houston’s win was still the top sporting event of the weekend on any network.
In the early window, Cavaliers-Pacers Game 4 had a 3.6 — up a third from Spurs-Grizzlies last year (3.6) but down 14% from Cavaliers-Celtics in 2015 (4.2). Compared to last year’s Cavaliers-Pistons Game 4, which also aired on a Sunday but in primetime on TNT, overnights rose 6% from a 3.4.
Shifting to cable, Saturday’s Warriors-Blazers Game 3 had a 3.1 overnight on ESPN — up 48% from Clippers-Blazers last year (2.1), up 55% from Grizzlies-Blazers in 2015 (2.0), and ESPN’s top first round overnight since 2014. Spurs-Grizzlies Game 4 had a 2.5 overnight earlier in the evening, up 19% from Thunder-Mavericks last year (2.1) and up 9% from Warriors-Pelicans in ’15 (2.3).
Including Friday’s games, final figures for which will be available this afternoon, ESPN/ABC averaged a 2.7 overnight for seven NBA playoff games over the weekend (+13%). Figures for TNT were not available.
(Wknd. numbers from ESPN, Sports Business Daily 4.24)
