For the third time in seven games, Warriors-Kings delivered an NBA viewership milestone on ABC.
Sunday’s Warriors-Kings first round NBA playoff Game 7 averaged a 5.0 rating and 9.84 million viewers on ABC, marking the top first round playoff audience since Kings-Jazz Game 5 on NBC in 1999 (11.21M) and the top first or second round audience since Raptors-Sixers Game 7 on NBC in 2001 (11.17M).
As with all multi-year highs, keep in mind that out-of-home viewing was not included in Nielsen final nationals prior to three years ago. The 5.0 household rating — which by definition does not include out-of-home viewing — was the highest for a first round game since 2002 (Lakers-Blazers Game 3: 6.1).
The Warriors’ win, which peaked with 11.93 million viewers from 6-6:15 PM ET, also delivered the top playoff audience on broadcast television (excluding the NBA Finals) since Lakers-Kings Game 7 on NBC in 2002 (23.80M), and the top such audience overall since Warriors-Cavaliers on ABC Christmas Day 2016 (10.14M). Several games on cable have drawn larger audiences.
It averaged more viewers than all-but-one game prior to the Finals last season — Game 7 of the Celtics-Heat Eastern Conference Finals averaged 9.88 million on ESPN — and ranks seventh among basketball games this year, behind five games in the NCAA men’s basketball tournament and the LSU-Iowa NCAA women’s basketball national championship (9.92M).
Ratings jumped 22% and viewership 27% from Warriors-Grizzlies Game 1 in the same window last year (4.1, 7.71M).
Compared to other sports, no first round game of the Major League Baseball playoffs has had as large an audience since 2005 (Yankees-Angels Game 5: 13.70M). No Stanley Cup playoff game, including the Cup Final, has had as large an audience since the 1970s.
Prior to Sunday’s 24-year high, Warriors-Kings had already delivered the largest first round audience since 2002 (Game 4) and the largest audience on the opening Saturday of the playoffs since 1997 (Game 1). The series accounts for six of this year’s ten largest playoff audiences through Sunday.
The full first round of the NBA Playoffs averaged 3.4 million viewers across ABC, ESPN, TNT and NBA TV, up 15% from last year and the highest since 2014, when five of eight series went seven games. The ESPN networks averaged 4.52 million, up 18% from last year and the networks’ highest first round average on record. TNT averaged 3.5 million, up 6% from last year and a five-year high.
In other weekend action, Heat-Knicks Game 1 averaged a 2.9 and 5.38 million in Sunday’s early window — down a tick in ratings but up a hair in viewership from Bucks-Celtics last year (3.0, 5.37M). Miami’s win, which peaked with 7.92 million from 3:30-3:45 PM ET, delivered ABC’s largest early game audience in five years. Suns-Nuggets Game 1 drew a 2.1 and 4.10 million on TNT the previous night, with no comparable year-ago window.
Warriors-Kings was Sunday’s top television program in viewership and the key young adult demographics of 18-49 (3.0), 18-34 (2.3) and 25-54 (3.5). The NBA took the day’s top two spots in each of those demographics and — including the NHL — live sports swept the top four. The NBA also took top honors in those demos Saturday for Nuggets-Suns.
(Nielsen estimates from ShowBuzz Daily 5.2 a, b, network PR)
