A rare second round Game 7 on cable boosted TNT to a five-year viewership high.
Monday’s Wizards-Celtics NBA Playoffs Game 7 earned 6.8 million viewers on TNT, up 18% from Heat-Raptors last year (5.8M) but down 2% from Clippers-Rockets in 2015 (6.9M), the two most-recent second round Game 7s. Keep in mind those were Sunday afternoon games on ABC.
Ratings increased 15% over last year’s Heat-Raptors game (from 3.61 to 4.15).
The Celtics’ win delivered the largest audience for a first or second round game on cable since Heat-Pacers Game 6 in 2012 (6.9M) and the second-largest audience of the playoffs regardless of network — behind Spurs-Warriors Game 1 the previous day (8.1M).
It ranks ninth out of the 15 second round Game 7s since 2002, but a more respectable third out of the seven to air on cable. Mavericks-Spurs in 2006 had 7.1 million and Magic-Celtics in 2009 8.4 million, also on TNT.
Locally, Game 7 earned an 18.1 rating in Boston — up 14% from the Celtics’ previous second round Game 7 against Orlando in 2009, also on TNT (16.1). Washington D.C. turned in a 10.9. In both markets, it was the highest rated NBA game ever on TNT.
The NBA easily won the night on television in adults 18-49, its 2.7 rating comfortably topping second-place finisher NBC’s The Voice (1.8). It won by an even bigger margin in adults 18-34 (2.5 to 1.0) and also took the crown in adults 25-54 (2.8 to 2.5). An NBA game has at least tied for first place in 18-49 on 18 of 29 nights this postseason (excluding two nights in which there were no NBA games).
Through Monday, TNT has averaged 3.8 million viewers for NBA playoff coverage (+6%), a three-year high.
(Mon. numbers ShowBuzz Daily 5.16, with additional info from Son of the Bronx, Turner Sports PR/Twitter 5.16a, 5.16b)
