A snoozer start to the NBA Finals did well for ABC, though not as well as the previous two years.
Thursday’s Cavaliers-Warriors NBA Finals Game 1 had a 12.4 overnight rating on ABC, down 5% from last year (13.1) and down 4% from 2015 (12.9), both of which featured the same two teams.
Despite the decline, the 12.4 is the third-highest Game 1 overnight since Nets-Lakers on NBC in 2002 (13.0), behind last year and ’15. All three Cavaliers-Warriors finals have opened with at least a 12+ overnight, while no other Game 1 on ABC has exceeded an 11.8 (Heat-Thunder in 2012).
The Warriors’ easy win peaked with a 13.9 from 10:15-10:30 PM ET, down 6% from last year’s peak of 14.8 from 10:45-11, and down 11% from the 2015 peak of 15.6 from 11:30-11:45.
Game 1 earned a 33.4 rating in Cleveland, down 7% from last year (36.0) and down 19% from 2015 (41.4). It was the market’s lowest rating for a Game 1 involving the Cavaliers, falling below the previous mark of 34.3 for Cavaliers-Spurs ten years ago. The game had a 30.9 in the Bay Area, down 6% from last year (32.8) but up 7% from 2015 (28.8).
Columbus, Ohio (17.3, -8%), Memphis (16.3) and Miami-Ft. Lauderdale (15.8, -16%) rounded out the top five.
[Thu. numbers from ESPN]
