On Sunday, the NBA will begin the 66-game 2011-12* regular season, the second shortened season in league history. Here is a look back at the television ratings for the 1998-99* regular season, which was trimmed to 50 games.
NBC averaged a 4.3 rating for regular season NBA games during the 1998-99 season, down only 7% from the previous year (4.6), but still the lowest rated NBA season ever on the network at that point.
The first half of the mini-season was much stronger than the second half. NBC averaged approximately a 4.6 rating in February and March, but just a 3.8 in April and May. The seven-highest rated games of the season took place in the first two months, including a 7.0 rating for Rockets/Lakers on February 28 — still the second-highest rated NBA regular season game since the 1998-99 owners’ lockout.
Over on Turner Sports’ TBS and TNT, games during the 1998-99 season averaged a 1.7 cable rating — the same as in the previous two seasons.
Ratings For the NBA on NBC
During the 1998-99* season
|
Date
|
Time
|
Game
|
Net
|
Rating
|
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Sun., 2/7/99
|
1:00 PM
|
Regional | NBC |
4.6
|
|
3:30 PM
|
UTA 100, LAL 91 | NBC |
6.4
|
|
|
Sun., 2/14/99
|
5:30 PM
|
IND 101, LAL 99 | NBC |
5.3
|
|
Sat., 2/20/99
|
3:30 PM
|
Regional | NBC |
2.9
|
|
Sun., 2/21/99
|
1:00 PM
|
Regional | NBC |
3.8
|
|
3:30 PM
|
HOU 83, ORL 109 | NBC |
4.3
|
|
|
6:00 PM
|
Regional | NBC |
5.5
|
|
|
Sun., 2/28/99
|
12:30 PM
|
Regional | NBC |
3.6
|
|
3:00 PM
|
UTA 101, SA 87 | NBC |
4.2
|
|
|
5:30 PM
|
HOU 90, LAL 106 | NBC |
7.0
|
|
|
Sun., 3/7/99
|
12:30 PM
|
Regional | NBC |
3.3
|
|
6:00 PM
|
LAL 97, UTA 89 | NBC |
6.1
|
|
|
Sun., 3/14/99
|
12:00 PM
|
Regional | NBC |
2.7
|
|
Sun., 3/21/99
|
12:30 PM
|
LAL 115, ORL 104 | NBC |
5.1
|
|
Sun., 3/28/99
|
12:30 PM
|
Regional | NBC |
3.2
|
|
6:30 PM
|
NY 91, LAL 99 | NBC |
5.4
|
|
|
Sun., 4/4/99
|
3:30 PM
|
NY 95, IND 108 | NBC |
4.0
|
|
6:00 PM
|
HOU 84, SEA 101 | NBC |
4.1
|
|
|
Sun., 4/11/99
|
3:00 PM
|
Regional | NBC |
3.5
|
|
5:30 PM
|
SEA 113, LAL 109 | NBC |
4.8
|
|
|
Sat., 4/17/99
|
8:30 PM
|
LAL 93, UTA 109 | NBC |
3.5
|
|
Sun., 4/18/99
|
3:30 PM
|
Regional | NBC |
2.9
|
|
6:00 PM
|
Regional | NBC |
4.2
|
|
|
Sat., 4/24/99
|
8:30 PM
|
LAL 81, SA 108 | NBC |
3.4
|
|
Sun., 4/25/99
|
3:00 PM
|
Regional | NBC |
3.5
|
|
5:30 PM
|
Regional | NBC |
4.3
|
|
|
Sun., 5/2/99
|
1:00 PM
|
NY 71, IND 94 | NBC |
3.5
|
|
3:30 PM
|
Regional | NBC |
4.4
|
* Shortened due to owners’ lockout.
