ESPN had substantial gains in viewership for an NBA doubleheader on Friday. In other news, ABC struggled with NBA replacement programming, and NFL Network scored big increases for coverage of the NFL Combine on Saturday.
Strong Night For NBA on ESPN
- Friday’s Cavaliers/Wizards NBA regular season game drew 1.6 million viewers on ESPN, up 58% from Nuggets/Bulls last year (1.0M) and up 24% from Wolves/Thunder in 2013 (1.3M). Of the 16 Cavaliers games that can be compared to last year, 15 have had increases in viewership. The Spurs/Warriors nightcap drew 1.9 million, up 30% from Celtics/Lakers last year (1.4M) and up 16% from Spurs/Warriors in 2013 (1.6M). It was the first game this season to build on a Cavaliers lead-in. (via TV By the Numbers)
Not Much Bounce For NBA Fill-in Shows on ABC
- On Sunday, ABC earned a 0.8 overnight rating for a Grantland Basketball Hour Oscars special and a 0.7 for a rebroadcast of the 30 For 30 documentary Of Miracles and Men. The network was originally scheduled to air the Cavaliers/Knicks NBA game, but pulled it from the schedule with no replacement due to the Knicks’ poor record. No NBA game has ever earned less than a 1.2 overnight rating on broadcast. (via Sports Business Daily)
Big Bump For NFL Combine on Saturday
- Coverage of the NFL Combine drew a 0.35 final rating and 529,000 viewers on NFL Network Saturday afternoon, up 84% in ratings and 91% in viewership from last year’s Saturday telecast (0.19, 277K). This year’s Saturday telecast was on the second day of the combine, while last year’s was on the first. (via Awful Announcing)
