Two blowouts did not help ABC’s ratings on Sunday afternoon.
The network’s second-to-last NBA doubleheader of the season, featuring Spurs/Cavaliers and Suns/Mavericks, averaged a 2.4 overnight rating on Sunday, down 4% from a 2.5 overnight for last year’s comparable games.
Spurs/Cavaliers drew a 2.3 overnight, up 15% from a 2.0 for Warriors/Hornets last year, and even with Heat/Pistons in ’07. The 2.3 overnight is up only slightly from the 2.2 for Mavericks/Cavaliers in the same timeslot a week earlier.
Meanwhile, the Mavericks’ epic destruction of the woeful Suns drew a 2.4 overnight, down 17% from a 2.9 for the same match-up last year, and down 20% from the same match-up two years ago.
Of ABC’s last five NBA telecasts, only two have seen increased overnight ratings — and both involved the Cleveland Cavaliers.
