When it comes to NBA TV ratings, there is LeBron James — and then there is the rest of the league.
Sunday’s Bulls/Cavaliers NBA regular season game drew a 2.8 final rating and 4.3 million viewers on ABC, up 40% in ratings and 8% in viewership from Lakers/Clippers last year (2.0, 3.9M**) and flat and down 1%, respectively, from Lakers/Clippers in 2013 (2.8, 4.3M). The 40% increase in ratings is easily the largest of the season on ABC.
The Cavaliers’ win earned the second-largest non-Christmas audience of the season on any network, trailing only Cavaliers/Rockets on March 7 (4.32M to 4.30M). It ranks fourth with Christmas Day games included. Overall, seven of the nine most-watched telecasts this season have involved the Cavaliers, and five of those seven aired on ABC.
Each of the Cavaliers’ five appearances on ABC this season topped a 2.0 rating, with four of the five earning at least a 2.8. By comparison, only one non-Cavaliers game on ABC managed to hit the 2.0 mark — Thunder/Spurs on Christmas Day (3.3).
One of those non-Cavaliers games, Sunday’s Rockets/Thunder undercard, earned a 1.9 and 2.8 million viewers — down 5% in ratings and 6% in viewership from Knicks/Heat last year (2.0, 3.0M) and down 10% and 6%, respectively, from Knicks/Thunder in 2013 (2.1, 3.0M). It was the ninth game on ABC to earn less than a 2.0 rating this season, topping the previous four seasons combined (eight) and the most in a single season since 2006-07 (ten).
** Though last year’s Lakers/Clippers game was reported to have a 2.0 and 3.9 million viewers, it is almost certain that Nielsen erred in releasing those numbers. 3.9 million viewers is an unusually large audience to correspond with a 2.0 rating.
(Sun. numbers from ESPN)
