Overnight ratings fell just a tick for the NBA All-Star Game, but that was enough to send the game to a five-year low.
Sunday’s NBA All-Star Game earned a combined 5.0 overnight rating across TNT and TBS, down a tick from both last year and 2017 (5.1 both years). The 5.0 is the lowest for the game since 2014 (4.9) and the second-lowest since 2010 (4.6).
Going back further, the 5.0 is the fifth-lowest for the game since at least 2004.
Given the slight dip in the overnights, it is entirely possible that the game will avoid a multi-year low in the final nationals. Overnights have ranged from 4.9 to 5.5 the past five years, and final ratings have still settled at 4.2 or 4.3.
The 5.0 overnight is the second-highest of the NBA season, behind only Lakers-Warriors on ABC Christmas Day (6.5).
Compared to other All-Star games, the NBA edition trailed last month’s NFL Pro Bowl on ESPN, ABC and Disney XD (5.7) and last year’s MLB All-Star Game on FOX (6.5). It trounced this year’s NHL All-Star Game on NBC (1.3).
For the weekend, the All-Star Game ranked second among sporting events behind the Daytona 500 on FOX (5.5). The events tied in the metered markets last year.
[Numbers from Sports Business Daily 2.18]
