Burdened with a 3-0 margin for a third-straight year — but this time sans the Lakers or Warriors — ratings have unsurprisingly dropped for the NBA Western Conference Finals.
The first three games of the Mavericks-Timberwolves NBA Western Conference Finals averaged a 3.4 rating and 6.85 million viewers on TNT and truTV, down 16% in ratings and 12% in viewership from the first three Lakers-Nuggets games on ESPN and ABC last year (4.1, 7.79M) and down 7% and 1% respectively from Mavericks-Warriors in 2022 (3.7, 6.91M). All three series were 3-0 after three games.
Compared to last year’s TNT conference final — Heat-Celtics in the East, also a 3-0 margin — ratings are up a tick (from 3.3) and viewership 11% (from 6.19M).
Sunday’s Game 3 averaged a 3.5 and series-high 7.25 million — a 3.4 and 7.13 million on TNT, plus a 0.07 and 120,000 on truTV — down 19% in ratings and 14% in viewership from Nuggets-Lakers on ABC last year (4.3, 8.38M) and down 13% and 2% respectively from Warriors-Mavericks on TNT in ’22 (4.0, 7.42M).
Versus last year’s Celtics-Heat Game 3 on TNT, ratings were flat and viewership increased 12% from 6.49 million.
The Mavericks’ win still delivered the second-largest audience of the NBA season, trailing only Timberwolves-Nuggets Game 7 in the second round (4.1, 8.41M). The Timberwolves have played in the three most-watched games this postseason and four of the top seven, more than any other team.
Shifting to the other conference final, Saturday’s Celtics-Pacers Eastern Conference Finals Game 3 averaged a 3.3 and series-high 6.48 million on ABC, down 7% in ratings and virtually flat in viewership from Celtics-Heat on TNT last year (3.5, 6.49M). Compared to Heat-Celtics on ABC two years ago, this year’s game declined 9% and 5% respectively from a 3.6 and 6.81 million.
As one would expect, ratings and viewership sank a steeper 24% and 23% respectively from last year’s conference final game on ABC, Nuggets-Lakers Game 3 (4.3, 8.38M).
The first three games of Celtics-Pacers averaged a 3.3 and 6.20 million, virtually even with last year’s Heat-Celtics matchup (3.3, 6.19M). Compared to last year’s Lakers-Nuggets series on ESPN/ABC, ratings and viewership declined 20% from a 4.1 and 7.79 million. Figures for Monday’s series-clinching Game 4 will be added when available.
Through Sunday, NBA playoff games were averaging a 2.2 rating and 4.00 million viewers across ABC, ESPN, TNT/truTV and NBA TV — down 10% and 11% respectively from last year (2.4, 4.47M), but flat and up 1% respectively from 2022 (2.2, 3.95M).
