After a strong showing in the overnight ratings, the Western Conference Finals opened at a four-year low in the final nationals.
Tuesday’s Blazers-Warriors NBA Western Conference Finals Game 1 earned 7.32 million viewers on ESPN, down 18% from Warriors-Rockets on TNT last year (8.90M) and down 10% from Spurs-Warriors on ABC in 2017, which aired on a Sunday afternoon (8.13M). Ratings were not immediately available.
Compared to last year’s conference final Game 1 on ESPN/ABC — a Sunday afternoon Cavaliers-Celtics game on ABC — viewership increased 1% from 7.22 million.
Though the preceding NBA Draft Lottery was up 83% to 4.43 million viewers — a 16-year high — Blazers-Warriors actually declined 13% from the same post-Draft Lottery window last year, Cavaliers-Celtics Game 2 (8.42M).
Golden State’s easy win was the least-watched Game 1 of the Western Conference Finals in four years, since Rockets-Warriors in 2015 (6.85M). Overall, it ranks in the top third of conference final openers since ESPN acquired NBA rights in 2002 — 11th out of 33.
Game 1 delivered the second-largest audience of the NBA Playoffs, trailing only Game 6 of the Warriors-Rockets second round series (7.33M). Golden State has played in the top four games this postseason, six of the top seven, and nine of the top eleven.
In adults 18-49, the game drew a 2.8 rating — down 20% from Warriors-Rockets (3.5) and down a tick from Spurs-Warriors (2.9). It had a 2.5 in adults 18-34 (-22%) and a 3.0 in adults 25-54 (-17%).
Though down from last year, the NBA still dominated the night on television in the young adult demographics. No non-NBA program on Tuesday exceeded a 1.1 in 18-49, a 0.6 in 18-34 or a 1.8 in 25-54.
[Numbers from Nielsen via ShowBuzz Daily 5.15]
