Ratings roundup, including a solid run of increases for the NBA, a rebound for Duke-North Carolina and the NFL Honors, and more.
Solid run of increases for the NBA
Last weekend’s Knicks-Lakers NBA Saturday Primetime game on ABC averaged a 1.5 rating and 2.58 million viewers, marking the eighth-largest audience of the NBA season. The Lakers’ overtime win increased 17% in ratings and 16% in viewership from Warriors-Mavericks last year (1.3, 2.23M) but declined 18% and 10% respectively from Lakers-Warriors two years ago (1.8, 2.88M).
In other action, Thursday’s Bucks-Suns NBA Finals rematch averaged 1.40 million on TNT — up 24% from Sixers-Blazers last year (1.13M) — preceded by Nets-Wizards at 1.14 million (+6%). The NBA All-Star Draft averaged 460,000, down 41% from last year in a later window (774K).
ESPN pulled 1.36 million for Warriors-Jazz and 1.03 million for Bulls-Hornets on Wednesday night, up 74% and 41% respectively from last year (Bucks-Suns: 780K; Hawks-Mavericks: 729K). TNT on Tuesday drew 1.27 million for Bucks-Lakers and 824,000 for Celtics-Nets, the former up 42% but the latter down 8% (Celtics-Jazz: 893K; Rockets-Pelicans: 891K).
Rounding out the recent slate, ESPN drew a 0.75 rating and 1.37 million for Hawks-Mavericks following last Sunday’s Pro Bowl.
Duke-UNC bounces back from last year’s low
Last Saturday’s Duke-North Carolina men’s college basketball game averaged a 1.2 rating and 2.19 million viewers on ESPN, up a tick in ratings and 17% in viewership from the rivals’ first meeting last season (1.2, 2.19M), but down 25% and 18% respectively from their first meeting two years ago (1.6, 2.67M).
The game, which marked retiring Duke coach Mike Kryzezewski’s final game in Chapel Hill, ranks fourth among college basketball telecasts this season behind Gonzaga-Duke on ESPN in November (2.79M), Kentucky-Auburn on CBS two weeks earlier (2.48M) and Ohio State-Purdue on CBS the previous weekend (2.28M).
NFL Honors bounces back with move to weeknight, second network
Thursday’s NFL Honors averaged 3.0 million viewers across ABC and NFL Network (including additional streaming viewership not tracked by Nielsen), up 13% from last year’s all-time low on CBS (2.59M) and the largest audience for the event since 2019. Keep in mind the annual awards show had not previously aired on a weeknight or on multiple networks.
Plus: Pebble Beach, Senior Bowl, NHL
Final round coverage of the PGA Tour at Pebble Beach averaged a 1.9 rating and 3.09 million viewers on CBS last Sunday, marking the lowest rating and viewership for final round coverage of the event since 2014 (1.8, 2.70M). Ratings fell 27% and viewership 26% from last year (2.55, 4.19M) and 18% and 12% respectively from two years ago (2.3, 3.51M). Third round action the previous day pulled a 1.1 (-26%) and 1.79 million (-25%). … College football’s Senior Bowl averaged a 0.30 rating and 487,000 viewers on NFL Network Saturday afternoon, down 30% and 25% respectively from last year (0.43, 652K). … Wednesday’s Predators-Stars NHL regular season game averaged just 195,000 viewers on TNT, down 66% from Bruins-Rangers on NBCSN last year (569K) and down 53% from Canadiens-Bruins two years ago (419K). Figures for the Islanders-Canucks nightcap were not available.
* Keep in mind that all of last year’s comparable Nielsen figures include an undercount of out-of-home viewing and that viewership prior to last year does not include any out-of-home viewing at all.
[Nielsen estimates from ShowBuzz Daily, network PR]
