NBA playoff ratings are still trending down, but the league scored an strong number in the metered markets Sunday afternoon.
Sunday’s Clippers-Warriors first round NBA playoff Game 4 earned a 4.8 overnight rating on ABC, up 12% from last year (Warriors-Spurs: 4.3), up 7% from 2017 (Rockets-Thunder: 4.5), and the highest overnight on the second weekend of the playoffs since 2016 (Warriors-Rockets: 5.3).
Regardless of weekend, Golden State’s win delivered the second-highest first round overnight since 2016, behind last year’s Pacers-Cavaliers Game 7. It win was easily the top sporting event of a quiet Easter weekend.
Earlier Sunday, ABC drew a 3.1 overnight for Celtics-Pacers Game 4 — down a tick from last year (Celtics-Bucks: 3.2) and down 14% from 2017 (Cavaliers-Pacers: 3.6).
Overnights for the weekend’s six games on ESPN and TNT were not immediately available.
On Friday night, Celtics-Pacers Game 3 pulled a 1.7 final rating and 2.72 million viewers on ABC — up 315% in ratings and 333% in viewership from last year (Raptors-Wizards: 0.41, 628K), and up 183% and 173% respectively from 2017 (Clippers-Jazz: 0.6, 994K), with the caveat that those games aired on ESPN2.
The Celtics’ win was the lowest rated and least-watched NBA playoff game ever on broadcast television, though that comes with its own caveat. No previous playoff game on ABC, or predecessor NBC, had to compete with NBA playoff games on other networks.
Airing in a similar window on ESPN, Blazers-Thunder Game 3 had a 1.6 and 2.52 million — down 6% in ratings and 2% in viewership from last year (Celtics-Bucks: 1.7, 2.57M) and down 27% in both measures from 2017 (Rockets-Thunder: 2.2, 3.44M).
ESPN also drew a 1.1 (-46%) and 1.63 million (-47%) for Raptors-Magic Game 3 earlier in the night. Last year’s comparable window featured LeBron James‘ Cavaliers against the Pacers (2.0, 3.06M).
[Numbers from Nielsen via Sports Business Daily 4.22, Programming Insider 4.22]
