While Grizzlies/Spurs plumbs the depths on ESPN, the Pacers/Heat Eastern Conference Finals got off to a strong start on TNT.
Game 1 of the Pacers/Heat NBA Eastern Conference Finals drew a 5.3 U.S. rating and 8.2 million viewers on TNT Wednesday night, up 10% in ratings and 6% in viewership from Thunder/Spurs Game 1 last year (4.8, 7.8M), but down 15% and 26%, respectively, from Heat/Bulls Game 1 in 2011 (6.2, 11.1M).
Compared to Game 1 of last year’s Celtics/Heat ECF on ESPN, ratings and viewership declined by 5% and 8%, respectively, from a 5.6 and 9.0 million viewers.
Pacers/Heat Game 1 ranks as the third-highest rated conference final opener of the past decade, trailing only Celtics/Heat last year and Heat/Bulls in 2011.
In addition, the game earned the largest audience of the 2013 playoffs. The previous playoff-high was 6.6 million for Heat/Bulls Game 3 on ESPN. No other game this postseason has drawn over six million viewers.
Game 1 earned a 3.6 rating among adults 18-49, good enough to rank as the second-highest rating in the demo for any television program Wednesday night. Only the season finale of ABC’s “Modern Family” drew better numbers in the demo (3.7).
Locally, Game 1 drew a 24.4 rating in Miami-Ft. Lauderdale and a 20.2 in Indianapolis.
Highest Rated NBA Conference Final Openers
Past decade
| # | Date | Away | Home | Net | Rating | Viewers |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
1
|
Sun., 5/15/11 | Heat | Bulls | TNT |
6.2
|
11.1M
|
|
2
|
Mon., 5/28/12 | Celtics | Heat | ESPN |
5.6
|
9.0M
|
|
3
|
Wed., 5/22/13 | Pacers | Heat | TNT |
5.3
|
8.2M
|
|
4
|
Tue., 5/19/09 | Nuggets | Lakers | ESPN |
5.0
|
8.1M
|
|
5
|
Sun., 5/27/12 | Thunder | Spurs | TNT |
4.8
|
7.8M
|
(Wednesday’s numbers from Turner Sports, with additional info from The Futon Critic)
