With ratings down a tick nationally, it should be no surprise that the NBA Finals slipped in several big markets.
Cleveland led all markets for the NBA Finals, averaging a 34.7 rating for the Cavaliers’ five-game defeat — down 11% from the team’s seven-game victory last year (38.8) and down 21% from their six-game loss in 2015 (43.7).
It was the second-lowest rated of the Cavaliers’ four trips to the NBA Finals, ahead of their four-game loss to the Spurs ten years ago (31.3).
The Bay Area ranked second, averaging a 33.3 rating for the series — down 2% from last year (34.1) but up 2% from 2015 (32.8). Cavaliers secondary market Columbus was third at a 19.9 (-2%).
Memphis was the top neutral market with an 18.0 rating, up 9% from last year (16.5), with Atlanta (17.7, even), Miami-Ft. Lauderdale (17.5, -5%), Sacramento (17.4, -9%) and San Antonio (15.3, -15%) rounding out the top five. With the caveat that the Heat and Spurs made multiple trips to the finals this decade, it was the lowest rated finals in Miami since at least 2010 and the lowest rated in San Antonio since 2012.
Also cracking the top ten were Richmond and Los Angeles (14.9).
On the other end of the spectrum, Pittsburgh was the lowest rated metered market again, averaging a 6.0 rating (-3%). Providence, R.I. (7.1, +3%) Minneapolis-St. Paul (7.4, -9%), Boston (7.5, -9%) and St. Louis (7.6, even) rounded out the bottom five. Buffalo ranked 50th of the 56 metered markets with an 8.6 rating, but that was up 5% from last year (8.2) and just three-tenths behind the hockey hotbed’s 8.9 for the Stanley Cup Final.
| HIGHEST/LOWEST RATED MARKETS FOR NBA FINALS National average: 11.3 |
|||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| # | Highest Markets | Rtg. | # | Lowest Markets | Rtg. |
| 1 | Cleveland-Akron | 34.7 | 56 | Pittsburgh | 6.0 |
| 2 | S.F.-Oakland-S.J. | 33.3 | 55 | Providence | 7.1 |
| 3 | Columbus (Ohio) | 19.9 | 54 | Minneapolis-St. Paul | 7.4 |
| 4 | Memphis | 18.0 | 53 | Boston | 7.5 |
| 5 | Atlanta | 17.7 | 52 | St. Louis | 7.6 |
| 6 | Miami-Ft. Lauderdale | 17.5 | 51 | Hartford-New Haven | 8.2 |
| 7 | Sacramento | 17.4 | 50 | Buffalo | 8.6 |
| 8 | San Antonio | 15.3 | 49 | Denver | 8.9 |
| 9 | Richmond (Va.) | 15.1 | T47 | Baltimore | 9.0 |
| 10 | Los Angeles | 14.9 | T47 | Knoxville (Tenn.) | 9.0 |
[Top ten from Crain’s Cleveland 6.14; bottom ten from ESPN]
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