The NBA Finals got off to a soft start in the ratings, but as usual still topped the rest of television for Thursday, June 6.
Thursday’s Mavericks-Celtics NBA Finals Game 1 averaged a 5.7 rating and 10.99 million viewers on ABC, marking the lowest rated and least-watched Finals opener — excluding the COVID-delayed years of 2020 and 2021 — since 2007. Ratings and viewership fell 5% from last year’s Heat-Nuggets Game 1.
As goes without saying for an event the magnitude of the NBA Finals, the Celtics’ blowout win was still the top television program of the day. For more on the NBA Finals ratings, see the following article.
Outside of the NBA, Game 2 of the Women’s College World Series Final (Oklahoma-Texas) was the day’s top draw with 2.04 million — the largest WCWS audience in three years and second-largest in nine. The two-game WCWS Final averaged 1.98 million, the highest average on record for the best-of-three title series. For more on the WCWS Final, and the full WCWS, see this article.
Placing third for the day in sports, opening round coverage of the PGA Tour Memorial tournament averaged 448,000 on Golf Channel — up from 409,000 last year. In the French Open women’s semifinals, Iga Swiatek’s win over Coco Gauff averaged 411,000 on Tennis Channel, followed by Jasmine Paolini over Mirra Andreeva at 330,000 on Tennis Channel. Figures for NBC broadcast network coverage of semifinals were not immediately available.
Further down the dial, ESPN2 averaged 257,000 for day two of the NCAA track and field championships, up from last year’s 227,000. A primetime Major League Baseball regional window drew 209,000 on MLB Network.
Thursday, June 6 sports ratings
Updated chart (includes NBC French Open coverage):
Original chart below:
