NBA opening week ratings rose once again Thursday night. In other news, NASCAR’s secondary series hit lows in recent weeks, and Premier Boxing Champions bounced back in its return to FOX.
NBA Opening Week Ratings Keep Rising
Thursday’s Clippers-Lakers NBA regular season game, which marked the debut of Lakers G Lonzo Ball, had a 1.3 rating and 2.3 million viewers on TNT — up 18% in ratings and 34% in viewership from Clippers-Blazers last year (1.1, 1.7M) and up 30% and 61% respectively from Mavericks-Clippers in 2015 (1.0, 1.4M).
The early Knicks-Thunder game was a stronger draw with a 1.4 (+17%) and 2.3 million (+16%). The double-digit increases came despite tougher competition than last year. Both games aired opposite Game 5 of the Cubs-Dodgers MLB NLCS (5.2M), while last year’s games took place on a World Series off day.
Overall, TNT’s opening week NBA coverage was the most-watched since 2012 with 3.1 million viewers. All six nationally televised games through Thursday have increased over last year, and five of six have increased over 2015.
NASCAR Trucks Down at Talladega
Last Saturday’s NASCAR Truck Series race from Talladega (Ala.) earned a 0.7 rating and 1.1 million viewers on FOX, down 15% in ratings and 17% in viewership from last year (0.85, 1.3M) and down 22% and 19% respectively from 2015 (0.9, 1.4M). Going back to the previous weekend, the most recent Xfinity Series race at Charlotte had a 0.38 and 601,000 on October 7 — the series’ smallest audience in at least three years (excluding rainouts).
Premier Boxing Bounces Back in Return to FOX
The return of Premier Boxing Champions on FOX pulled a 1.0 rating and 1.5 million viewers last Saturday, up 67% in ratings and viewership from the network’s previous card in July, which was the least-watched PBC card ever on primetime broadcast television (0.6, 886K). Last week’s telecast had a direct lead-in from Game 2 of the Yankees-Astros MLB ALCS (3.8, 6.2M).
[Numbers via Programming Insider 10.20, ShowBuzz Daily 10.17]
