Even with college basketball (and Tiger Woods) taking center stage, NBA ratings have continued to trend up.
NBA regular season games have averaged 1.96 million viewers across ABC, ESPN and TNT through Wednesday, up 9% from last year (1.79M). In the month since the All-Star break, games have averaged 1.72 million (+3%).
The big jump was primarily due to last year’s historically low numbers. Sunday’s game was actually ABC’s least-watched Warriors telecast in the Stephen Curry era (48 telecasts dating back to 2013). Even so, considering the unusually strong competition from the Woods-boosted PGA Tour, ABC will gladly take the double-digit jump.
Later in the night, Cavaliers-Lakers had a 1.4 and 2.2 million on ESPN — down a tick in ratings and 5% in viewership from Cavaliers-Rockets last year (1.5, 2.3M). The previous night’s Spurs-Thunder game also declined, scoring a 1.4 (-7%) and 2.2 million (-11%) on ABC.
The rest of the week’s games posted increases. Spurs-Rockets had a 0.9 and 1.3 million on ESPN Monday, up a tick in ratings and 9% in viewership from last year (Hawks-Spurs, TNT: 0.8, 1.2M). The Heat-Blazers nightcap had a 0.8 (+33%) and 1.1 million (+12%).
On ESPN Wednesday, the double-overtime Wizards-Celtics marathon scored a 1.1 (+38%) and 1.7 million (+34%) and the Lakers-Warriors nightcap had 1.9 million (+55%).
[Numbers via ShowBuzz Daily 3.13, Programming Insider 3.14, 3.15]
