Fueled by the play of LeBron James, the Cavaliers have risen near the top of the standings, and have taken the top spot in TV ratings.
Cavaliers games on FS Ohio are averaging a 7.7 rating through mid-January, according to data from the Sports Business Journal. The 7.7 rating is up 130% from last year, and is the highest local rating for any NBA team — marking the first time in team history that the Cavaliers have drawn the highest television ratings in the NBA.
The Cavaliers are followed by the San Antonio Spurs (5.8 rating, down 9%), Utah Jazz (4.5, up 22%), Los Angeles Lakers (4.2, up 24%), and Portland Trailblazers (4.0, up 15%).
Thanks in part to strong ratings for Cavaliers games, NBA teams as a whole have seen their local television ratings rise 12% this season.
The Cavaliers are not alone in seeing big increases this season. The New Orleans Hornets are owners of the biggest ratings increase in the NBA, as the 2.6 average for games on Cox Sports marks a 214% jump from last year. The Atlanta Hawks have seen a second consecutive year of major growth, as ratings for Hawks telecasts are up 62% on FS South (to a 1.3 average) and 48% on SportSouth (to a 1.6).
Some of the other teams with double-digit increases in ratings include the Bulls (2.6, up 23%), Grizzlies (2.0, up 16%), Heat (2.2, up 11%) and 76ers (1.5, up 10%).
On the opposite end of the spectrum, fans of the Golden State Warriors have been tuning out since the team returned to the cellar of the NBA. Warriors telecasts on CSN Bay Area are averaging a 1.5 rating, down a league worst 36% from last season. Other teams with big declines include the Mavericks (1.2, down 34%), Suns (3.4, down 28%), Bobcats (0.5, down 21%) and Nuggets (2.2, down 19%). In Oklahoma City, Thunder telecasts are averaging a 1.2 rating; by comparison Sonics telecasts averaged a 1.4 through the comparable point last year.
Keep in mind that the ratings listed are for games on the teams’ primary television partners. Though Nuggets games are down 19% on Altitude (32 games), they are up 154% on Altitude2 (4 games). The same can be said of the Clippers, whose ratings are down 30% on FS Prime Ticket (15 games), but up 54% on FS West (6 games).
