Overnight ratings increased for the NBA All-Star Game despite strong competition.
The 2015 NBA All-Star Game drew a 5.5 overnight rating on TNT and TBS Sunday night, up 12% from last year opposite the Olympics (4.9) but down 7% from 2013 (5.9). This year marked the first time that the game was simulcast on TNT and TBS.
The 5.5 overnight ranks as the third-highest for the NBA All-Star Game since 2005 (5.9), trailing only 2013 and 2011 (6.2). Keep in mind the 2013 and 2011 games were the only ones in the past six years that did not face competition from a highly rated event (the Olympics, the Oscars, or this year’s Saturday Night Live anniversary).
The numbers would likely have risen even higher if not for unusually hefty competition from NBC, which aired the aforementioned SNL anniversary special. The special, judging from the preliminary numbers, provided significantly stronger competition among adults 18-49 than did last year’s Olympics coverage.
Compared to other sports, the NBA All-Star Game finished just a tick behind the Pro Bowl in the overnights (5.6 to 5.5), but trailed the MLB All-Star Game by a wider margin (8.0).
(Sun. overnight via twitter.com/turnersportspr; prelim. Sunday numbers via ShowBuzz Daily)
