ABC’s NBA ratings soared again last weekend, with a potential NBA Finals preview faring well opposite Duke-UNC.
Celtics-Rockets scored a 1.9 rating and 3.2 million viewers on ABC’s NBA Saturday Primetime over the weekend, up 73% in ratings and 91% in viewership from last year (Clippers-Bulls: 1.1, 1.7M) and up 58% and 71% respectively from 2016 (Rockets-Bulls: 1.2, 1.9M).
The Rockets’ narrow win, which peaked with 4.99 million viewers from 11 PM ET through the conclusion, continued a season of big increases on ABC. Of the network’s 11 games that can be compared to last year, nine have posted an increase in ratings and viewership. Eight of those nine have increased by double-digits.
The NBA Saturday Primetime series is averaging 3.7 million viewers, up 9%.
Head-to-head, Celtics-Rockets narrowly trailed ESPN’s Duke-North Carolina game in ratings (2.0 to 1.9), viewership (3.4M to 3.2M), adults 18-49 (1.1 to 1.0) and adults 18-34 (1.0 to 0.9). Even so, the margin was much smaller than last year, when Duke-UNC more-than-doubled Clippers-Bulls in all four metrics.
As one would expect, Celtics-Rockets easily topped the night’s other major sporting event, a Maple Leafs-Capitals NHL outdoor game on NBC (0.7, 1.1M).
In other recent NBA action, Sixers-Bucks scored a 0.9 (-10%) and 1.3 million (-18%) on ESPN Sunday night. It aired directly opposite the Academy Awards, while last year’s comparable game faced no such competition.
On Friday, Raptors-Wizards had a 0.7 (-3%) and 1.1 million (-9%) and T’Wolves-Jazz a 0.7 (-36%) and 999,000 (-45%).
[Wknd. numbers via Programming Insider 3.5, 3.6, ShowBuzz Daily 3.6]
