Ratings roundup: recapping Monday’s NBA and NHL playoff viewership, plus numbers for weekend baseball, golf and college football.
Big jump for Lakers’ OT Game 4 win over Grizzlies
Monday’s Grizzlies-Lakers first round NBA playoff Game 4 averaged 4.26 million viewers on TNT, up 34% from Jazz-Mavericks last year (3.19M) and the third-largest audience of the playoffs on cable behind Clippers-Suns Game 1 (5.04M) and Warriors-Kings Game 2 (4.32M).
Across all networks, Game 4 ranks sixth for the playoffs, with three of the first four Lakers-Grizzlies games ranking in the top seven. (Combined, Warriors-Kings and Lakers-Grizzlies account for seven of the top eight audiences this postseason). As previously noted, Sunday’s Kings-Warriors Game 4 delivered the largest first round audience in 21 years.
Largest audiences of 2023 NBA Playoffs through Monday
Earlier Monday, Bucks-Heat Game 4 averaged 3.5 million — down 9% from last year’s clinching Celtics-Nets Game 4 (3.83M). All four Bucks-Heat games have declined from the equivalent window last year.
Devils-Rangers tops million viewer mark again Monday
Monday’s Devils-Rangers first round Stanley Cup playoff Game 4 averaged 1.04 million viewers on ESPN, up 14% from Rangers-Penguins last year (914K) and the sixth game of the postseason to cross the million viewer mark — compared to four at the same point last year. Five of the six most-watched games this postseason have come in the past three days.
In the competing window on TBS, Maple Leafs-Lightning Game 4 averaged 803,000 — up 41% from Panthers-Capitals a year ago (570K).
In the respective nightcaps, Golden Knights-Jets Game 4 had just 462,000 on ESPN and Avalanche-Kraken scored 741,000 on TBS — the former down 18% and the latter up 46% from last year’s equivalent games (Avalanche-Predators: 561K; Flames-Stars: 506K).
Plus: MLB, golf, Colorado spring game
- Mets-Giants averaged a 0.7 rating and 1.31 million viewers on the latest edition of ESPN’s MLB Sunday Night Baseball, flat in ratings and up 18% in viewership from Brewers-Phillies last year (0.7, 1.11M) and the first year-over-year increase for a Sunday night game this season. Saturday’s FOX regional window pulled a 0.7 and 1.27 million, with no comparable window a year ago.
- Final round coverage of the PGA Tour from New Orleans averaged a 0.9 rating and 1.47 million viewers on CBS Sunday, down 23% in ratings and 18% in viewership from last year (1.2, 1.80M). Third round action was also down double-digits (-14%) to a 0.8 and 1.27 million. The New Orleans tournament is not among the PGA’s “elevated” events. Among the non-elevated tournaments, eight of ten windows on broadcast television have declined.
- Saturday’s Colorado spring football game averaged a 0.32 rating and 551,000 viewers on ESPN, the second-largest audience for any spring football game in the past seven years.
For more ratings reporting, see the following articles:
— Kings-Warriors Game 4 most-watched first round game since 2002
— NASCAR scores increase at Talladega
— ABC’s Rangers-Devils tops first week of Cup playoffs
