Thanks in large part to two seven-game series involving the Miami Heat, television ratings held up fairly well for the NBA Playoffs.
The 2013 NBA Playoffs averaged a 3.4 U.S. rating and 5.3 million viewers across ABC, TNT, ESPN and NBA TV, according to Sports Business Daily — down 6% in ratings and viewership from last year (3.6, 5.6M). The seven-game Heat/Spurs NBA Finals helped narrow the gap between this year and last; entering the series, the postseason averages were down 16% and 15%, respectively.
As usual, ABC was easily the top broadcaster during the postseason. Including the NBA Finals, ABC averaged a 6.5 rating and 10.7 million viewers for the NBA Playoffs (16 telecasts), up 8% in ratings and 11% in viewership from last year (6.0, 9.7M), but down 2% and 4%, respectively, from 2011 (6.6, 11.1M).
ABC benefited from the NBA Finals lasting the full seven games. Boosted by Games 6 and 7, Heat/Spurs averaged a 10.5 rating and 17.7 million viewers on ABC, the network’s third-best performance for the NBA Finals since acquiring rights in the 2002-03 season.
Meanwhile, TNT averaged a 3.1 U.S. rating and 4.9 million viewers for the NBA Playoffs — flat in ratings and down 2% in viewership from last year (3.1, 4.8M), and down 11% and 15%, respectively, from 2011 (3.5, 5.5M). Despite the declines, the 2013 postseason was the third-most viewed ever on Turner Sports.
TNT also benefited from a seven-game series involving the Heat. While the Heat/Pacers Eastern Conference Finals was the lowest to involve the Heat since LeBron James and Chris Bosh joined the team in 2010, it marked a modest increase over TNT’s Thunder/Spurs Western Conference Finals in 2012. Game 7 of the series drew a 7.1 U.S. rating and 11.6 million viewers, the largest audience ever for an NBA game on TNT, and the second-largest for an NBA game on any cable network.
Bringing up the rear was ESPN, which averaged a 2.6 and just under 4.0 million for the playoffs — down a third in ratings and 37% in viewership from last year’s record-high (3.9, 6.2M), and down 16% and 21%, respectively, from 2011 (3.1, 5.0M). This year marked the lowest rated and least-viewed playoffs on ESPN since 2007 (2.0, 2.8M).
ESPN was hamstrung by the Spurs/Grizzlies Western Conference Finals, which ended up as the lowest rated and least-viewed conference final since 2007. Ratings for the Spurs’ four-game sweep dropped 50% from ESPN’s seven-game Heat/Celtics coverage last year.
Averages for the postseason on NBA TV were not available.
Average Ratings/Viewership For NBA Playoffs on ESPN/ABC and TNT
Past five seasons
|
Year
|
ABC
|
ESPN
|
TNT
|
|||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Rating
|
Viewers
|
Rating
|
Viewers
|
Rating
|
Viewers
|
|
| 2013 |
6.5
|
10.7M
|
2.6
|
4.0M
|
3.1
|
4.7M
|
| 2012 |
6.0
|
9.7M
|
3.9
|
6.2M
|
3.1
|
4.8M
|
| 2011 |
6.6
|
11.1M
|
3.1
|
5.0M
|
3.5
|
5.5M
|
| 2010 |
6.6
|
11.0M
|
2.9
|
4.6M
|
2.8
|
4.2M
|
| 2009 |
5.2
|
8.6M
|
3.1
|
4.9M
|
3.1
|
4.7M
|
(Averages from ESPN, Turner Sports, with additional info from Sports Business Daily)
