ABC’s strike-induced run of weeknight NBA games delivered its top audience yet as nearly two million watched the Lakers defeat Dallas.
Wednesday’s Mavericks-Lakers NBA regular season game averaged a 1.2 rating and 1.99 million viewers on ABC, doubling Timberwolves-Nuggets on ESPN the same January night last year (0.6, 1.01M) and the most-watched sportscast of the day. (Versus Suns-Nuggets on the equivalent night of last season, January 11, ratings and viewership more-than-doubled a 0.54 and 876,000.)
Unlike the two previous Wednesday night games on ABC, Mavericks-Lakers finished as the night’s most-watched highest rated program in adults 18-49 (0.52). It also topped the charts in 18-34 (0.34) but placed second to “The Price is Right at Night” on CBS in 25-54 (0.69 to 0.67).
The Lakers’ win was the second half of an overlapping, split-network doubleheader. In the early window, the Cavaliers’ rout of the Bucks averaged 786,000 viewers on ESPN (-36%). The full doubleheader averaged 1.40 million, up 26% from last year (1.11M).
Outside of the NBA, Mississippi State-Kentucky led the way with 680,000 viewers on ESPN2 — more-than-double last year’s 257,000 for Auburn-LSU. In the same window, Creighton-UConn drew 341,000 on FS1 (+65%), Nebraska-Rutgers 220,000 on BTN (-18%) and Virginia Tech-Virginia 120,000 on ESPNU (-34%).
Later in the night, USC-Arizona led out of the NBA with 527,000 on ESPN and Maryland-Northwestern chipped in 145,000 on BTN.
Shifting to the NHL, TNT averaged just 198,000 for a Red Wings-Panthers game that was added to the schedule at the last minute due to the postponement of the network’s scheduled Blackhawks-Sabres matchup. TNT’s coverage, which was called remotely by the network’s studio team, was blacked out in both home markets.
Wednesday, January 17 sports ratings
Updated chart:
Original chart below:
