Ratings roundup of Friday’s sportscasts, including improved numbers for Game 2 of the NBA’s Western Conference Finals, the PGA Championship and the Stanley Cup playoffs.
Warriors’ Game 2 comeback improves over Game 1
Friday’s Mavericks-Warriors NBA Western Conference Finals Game 2 averaged 6.77 million viewers on TNT, marking the largest audience for a conference final game since 2019 (Warriors-Blazers Game 4: 7.79M) and the most-watched game of the playoffs on cable. Golden State has played in five of the eight most-watched games this postseason regardless of network.
The Warriors’ comeback win topped only Spurs-Warriors in 2017 as the least-watched Game 2 of a conference final involving Stephen Curry (six telecasts). Game 1 was Golden State’s least-watched conference final opener in the Curry era.
The NBA again dominated all of television Friday night, with Game 2 far and away the night’s top program in all young adult demographics and in viewership. It nearly doubled the night’s second-most watched show, ABC’s “Shark Tank” (3.59M).
PGA Championship round two is most-watched in 13 years
Second round coverage of the PGA Championship averaged 2.13 million viewers on ESPN Friday, up 47% from last year (1.4M) and the largest second round audience for the tournament since 2009 (2.4M). The telecast, which peaked with 2.6 million viewers, featured Tiger Woods’ successful attempt to make the cut.
The Joe Buck and Michael Collins alternate presentation averaged 691,000 on ESPN leading into the main window and then 105,000 on ESPN2 opposite the traditional coverage. Both figures marked an improvement over the previous day, though none as substantial as for the primary telecast itself.
Rangers-Hurricanes hits another high in Game 2
Leading out of the PGA Championship, ESPN averaged 2.02 million viewers for Friday’s Rangers-Hurricanes second round Stanley Cup playoff Game 2, the largest audience for a semifinal game on cable since 2015. Carolina’s win, which peaked with 2.3 million viewers, increased 34% from the comparable game last year, per ESPN.
The Oilers-Flames nightcap drew 1.09 million, up 13% from last year.
[Nielsen estimates from ShowBuzz Daily 5.23, network PR]
