After weeks of increased ratings for NBA telecasts, ABC has seen its numbers plunge for a second straight week.
The Lakers’ close win over the Mavericks on Sunday drew a 2.3 overnight rating on ABC, down 21% from a 2.9 for last year’s comparable Lakers/Rockets game, which featured the Rockets winning their 22nd straight game.
The 2.3 overnight is tied as the second-lowest overnight of the season for an NBA game on ABC, and marks the lowest overnight for a Laker game on broadcast since Lakers/Cavaliers drew a 1.9/4 in March ’06. That game aired in the 1:00 PM timeslot opposite the NCAA Tournament.
The rating comes on the heels of a season-low 2.0 for last week’s Suns/Spurs game on ABC.
The decline in ratings is no surprise considering that this is the month of March. With the attention of basketball fans generally focused on college hoops, NBA ratings on broadcast tend to fall off a cliff until April. Since taking over the rights to the NBA in 2002, ABC has averaged a 1.9 rating for 35 March telecasts*, compared to a 2.5 for all other telecasts.
* excluding a March 16, 2008 doubleheader.
