After a rough opening weekend, NBA playoff ratings have yet to bounce back.
Ratings and viewership have declined for 11 of 13 NBA playoff windows through Tuesday night, with each of those 11 games down double-digits to multi-year lows. Even excluding the game windows that aired opposite the Masters and HBO’s “Game of Thrones,” six of seven games have declined.
On Monday night, Clippers-Warriors Game 2 earned a 1.85 rating and 2.77 million viewers on TNT, down 20% in ratings and 25% in viewership from last year (Spurs-Warriors: 2.3, 3.68M) and down 9% and 13% respectively from 2017 (Grizzlies-Spurs: 2.0, 3.17M).
The Warriors’ loss, in which they blew a 31-point lead, was the team’s least-watched playoff game in six years — since Game 3 of their 2013 series against Denver on ESPN2 (1.39M).
Nets-Sixers had a 1.8 and 2.85 million earlier in the night, down 22% in ratings and 18% in viewership from last year (Heat-Sixers: 2.3, 3.45M) and down 22% and 21% respectively from 2017 (Pacers-Cavaliers: 2.3, 3.59M).
On Tuesday, Thunder-Blazers Game 2 had a 1.7 and 2.59 million — down 11% in ratings and viewership from last year (Pelicans-Blazers: 1.9, 2.91M) and down 13% and 14% respectively from 2017 (Jazz-Clippers: 2.0, 3.00M).
Magic-Raptors opened the night with a 1.45 (-22%) and 2.24 million (-22%).
NBA TV avoided the downward trend, scoring a 0.26 and 422,000 for Spurs-Nuggets Game 2 — flat in ratings and up 1% in viewership from last year (Wizards-Raptors: 0.26, 416K). Viewership declined 22% from 2017 (Bucks-Raptors: 539K).
