With LeBron James absent, the latest clash of the Lakers and Warriors could not quite measure up to a year ago.
Thursday’s Lakers-Warriors NBA regular season game averaged 1.76 million viewers on TNT, down 6% from the same matchup on the same night last year (1.89M). LeBron James missed this year’s game due to injury. (Compared to Clippers-Suns on the equivalent date last season, viewership increased 47% from 1.20 million.)
The Warriors’ win was the most-watched sporting event of the day. The Suns-Mavericks lead-in averaged 1.35 million, down 6% from Grizzlies-Sixers last year (1.44M). (Compared to Bulls-Bucks on the equivalent date last season, viewership increased 26% from 1.07 million.
The day’s top non-NBA sporting event was the Dodgers-Padres Major League Baseball Spring Training opener at 399,000 on ESPN. Later in the day, a Capitals-Lightning NHL regular season game averaged 361,000 — up 43% from Flames-Golden Knights in a later window last year (253K).
Returning to the hardwood, a Michigan-Northwestern men’s game topped the college basketball charts with 280,000 on FS1 — down 23% from Michigan-Rutgers a year ago (364K). Rutgers-Purdue led-in with 273,000 (-19%). Over on BTN, Ohio State-Minnesota drew 273,000 — down 2% from Northwestern-Illinois last year (279K) — and an Ohio State-Purdue women’s game led-in with 153,000.
Moving beyond the Big Ten, a Washington State-Arizona game on FS1 drew 205,000 — doubling UCLA-Utah last year (107K). ESPN2 drew 196,000 for Washington-Arizona State (flat), preceded by SMU-FAU at 170,000 (-22%) and followed by Oregon-Stanford at 127,000 (-33%). A Utah-UCLA women’s game drew 184,000 on ESPN, no match for South Carolina-Tennessee in an earlier window last year (535K).
Thursday, February 22 sports ratings
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Original chart below:
