After a rough season last year, ABC’s NBA Saturday Primetime ratings got off to a stronger start in 2018.
Warriors-Rockets scored a 2.6 rating and 4.5 million viewers on the season premiere of ABC’s NBA Saturday Primetime, up 18% in ratings and 24% in viewership from last year (Spurs-Cavs: 2.2, 3.6M) and up 8% and 14% respectively from 2016 (Bulls-Cavs: 2.4, 3.9M).
The Rockets’ narrow win delivered the fourth-largest audience in the short history of NBA Saturday Primetime (18 telecasts dating back to 2016). Golden State has played in the top four games. Last year’s matchup with Oklahoma City holds the top spot (3.4, 6.0M), followed by 2016 games against Oklahoma City (3.2, 5.3M) and San Antonio (3.1, 5.2M).
For the season, Saturday’s game ranks sixth in viewership behind ABC’s three Christmas Day games, Celtics-Cavaliers on TNT Opening Night (3.3, 5.6M) and Warriors-Cavaliers on TNT Martin Luther King Day (2.8, 4.7M). Golden State has played in four of the season’s top seven games — two against Cleveland, and two against Houston.
Earlier Saturday, Thunder-Cavaliers scored a 1.75 rating and 2.8 million viewers. Compared to the teams’ meeting on ABC last season, which aired on a Sunday afternoon, ratings fell 14% (from 2.03) and viewership 12% (from 3.2M). Not counting Christmas, it was ABC’s first Saturday afternoon regular season game since January 2005 (Regional action: 2.0, 2.6M).
In other action, ESPN drew a 0.8 and 1.16 million for Wizards-Pistons Friday night — down 38% in ratings and 44% in viewership from Warriors-Rockets last year (1.3, 2.1M) and flat and down 7% respectively from Heat-Raptors in 2014 (0.8, 1.25M). The Knicks-Jazz nightcap had a 0.7 (-22%) and 1.0 million (-23%).
[Wknd. numbers via ShowBuzz Daily 1.23, Programming Insider 1.22]
