For the first time all season, viewership declined for a Cavaliers game on national TV.
Last Sunday’s Thunder/Cavaliers NBA regular season game drew a 2.8 final rating and 4.2 million viewers on ABC, flat in ratings but down 4% in viewership from Lakers/Knicks last year (2.8, 4.4M) and down 28% and 34%, respectively, from Thunder/Lakers in 2013 (3.9, 6.3M).
Despite pitting Kevin Durant against LeBron James, Sunday’s game marked the first time all season that viewership has declined for the Cavaliers on national TV. The decline is especially surprising given that last year’s game featured the Lakers without Kobe Bryant in a battle of sub-.500 teams.
Earlier in the day, Heat/Bulls drew a 1.8 and 2.6 million — down 25% in ratings and 27% in viewership from a Spurs/Heat NBA Finals rematch last year (2.4, 3.5M) and down 40% and 44%, respectively, from Heat/Celtics in 2013 (3.0, 4.6M).
The 1.8 is tied as the third-lowest for any NBA game on ABC since 2011.
(Sun. numbers via Sports Business Daily)
