A rough week did not dent NBA ratings too badly.
This week’s games declined across the board. ON TNT Thursday night, Thunder-Spurs scored 1.5 million viewers (-24%) and Bucks-Warriors 1.37 million (-0.1%). Unlike last year, the games faced MLB Opening Day competition.
Bucks-Warriors was the least-watched Golden State game on ESPN/ABC or TNT since a November 2015 matchup against Denver (912K). That game, which was added to ESPN’s schedule during the Warriors’ 24-game winning streak, aired opposite Sunday Night Football and was blacked out in the Bay Area.
Outside of that anomalous game, one would have to go back to April 2015 to find a lesser-watched Warriors game. A late-season clash with the Suns had 1.27 million.
In other action, ESPN scored a 0.8 rating and 1.2 million viewers for Celtics-Jazz Wednesday night — down 56% in ratings and 59% in viewership from Warriors-Spurs last year (1.8, 2.9M).
Finally, Cavaliers-Heat had a 0.9 (-22%) and 1.4 million (-24%) and Bucks-Clippers a 0.6 (flat) and 874,000 (-7%) on Tuesday’s Players Only on TNT.
Figures were not immediately available for Friday’s ESPN doubleheader.
[Numbers via ShowBuzz Daily 3.30, Programming Insider 3.28, 3.29]
