Despite a big drop in overnight ratings, Game 1 of the NBA Finals put up solid numbers on ABC Thursday night.
The Lakers’ 25-point blowout win over the Magic drew a 7.8 final rating and 13.0 million viewers Thursday, down 10% in ratings and only 3% in viewers from an 8.7 and 13.4 million for Lakers/Celtics Game 1 in ’08, and the second most-viewed Game 1 of the NBA Finals since ’04.
Magic/Lakers Game 1 was up 24% in ratings and 41% in viewers from a 6.3 and 9.2 million viewers for Cavaliers/Spurs Game 1 in ’07, and flat in ratings but up 13% in viewers from a 7.8 and 11.5 million for Heat/Mavericks Game 1 in ’06.
The 7.8 final rating for Game 1 marks a 12% drop from the 8.9 overnight, the smallest decline from the overnight to the final rating for Game 1 of the NBA Finals since 1999.
Despite the decline overall, Magic/Lakers drew a 5.4/16 rating among adults 18-49, tied with last year’s Game 1.
Despite the solid numbers, the 7.8 rating is the lowest for a Laker game in the NBA Finals — and tied as the fourth lowest for a Game 1 involving any team — since at least 1991. Still, considering the blowout and the big drop in overnight ratings, the NBA has to be satisfied with a mere 3% drop in viewership.
Game 1 of the NBA Finals could not compare to Game 1 of last year’s Phillies/Rays World Series, which drew a 9.2 rating and 14.6 million viewers. This is a bit of a role reversal, as the ’09 NBA Conference Finals outdrew the ’08 MLB League Championship Series by double-digits.
Ratings chart for Game 1 of the NBA Finals since 1991.
