NBA ratings continue to surge early in the season.
NBA regular season games have averaged 1.9 million viewers on ESPN and TNT through Thursday, up 18% from last year (1.6M) and up 13% from 2015 (1.7M). ESPN’s averages now include streaming viewership on television, but that would only account for a small portion of the gains.
Entering Friday, six of the past eight NBA windows have posted an increase in ratings and/or viewership, led by last night’s Lakers-Cavaliers game. The first meeting between Lakers rookie Lonzo Ball and LeBron James scored a 1.1 rating and 1.8 million viewers on TNT, up 94% in viewership from Bulls-Bucks last year (922K, rating n/a) but down 31% and 26% respectively from Thunder-Cavaliers in 2015 (1.6, 2.4M). The numbers are even more impressive given TNT’s broadcast was blacked out in Cleveland.
Shifting to ESPN, Thunder-Pacers — Paul George‘s return to Indiana — had a 1.0 (+43%) and 1.5 million (+54%) Wednesday night. The Hornets-Rockets nightcap drew a 1.0 (+11%) and 1.5 million (+8%).
On Tuesday, the network scored a 1.2 and 1.8 million (+31%) for Lakers-Knicks and a 1.1 and 1.7 million (+10%) for Sixers-Timberwolves.
Rounding out the run of increases, ESPN drew a 1.4 (+36%) and 2.1 million (+31%) for last Friday’s Celtics-Spurs thriller.
The week’s only games to decline involved, of all teams, the Warriors. Mavericks-Warriors had a 0.9 and 1.4 million (-3%) on TNT last night and Warriors-Pistons a 1.1 (-4%) and 1.6 million (-12%) on ESPN last Friday. There is an easy explanation — both telecasts were blacked out in the Bay Area.
[Averages compiled by SMW; numbers from Programming Insider 12.11, 12.14, 12.15a, 12.15b]
