For the second time in as many weeks, the Warriors and Clippers delivered one of the top NBA audiences of the early season. In other news, the Warriors’ local television ratings have increased dramatically, and NBCSN had mixed results for NHL action this week.
Warriors/Clippers Among Top Games of Early Season
- Thursday’s Warriors/Clippers NBA regular season game scored 2.7 million viewers on TNT, up 153% from Bulls/Kings last year (1.1M), up 86% from Bulls/Nuggets in 2013 (1.5M), and the third-largest audience of the young season — after Cavaliers/Bulls on Opening Night (3.5M) and a previous Clippers/Warriors game (2.9M). It had a 1.9 rating nationally and an 11.0 in the Bay Area, the market’s best on record for a regular season game on TNT. Bucks/Cavaliers had 1.6 million in the early window, up 33% from Clippers/Heat last year (1.2M) but down 14% from Clippers/Thunder in 2013 (1.9M). (via TV Media Insights, Twitter)
Warriors’ Local Ratings Up 56%
- Golden State Warriors NBA games have averaged a 5.88 rating on Comcast SportsNet Bay Area so far this season, up 56% from last year (3.77). The network scored an 8.65 rating for Raptors/Warriors on Tuesday night, its highest ever for a Warriors game including playoffs. The previous high was a 7.45 for Game 2 of last season’s Pelicans/Warriors playoff series. (nba.com, Sports Business Daily)
NHL Mixed on NBCSN; Season Up
- Wednesday’s Capitals/Red Wings NHL regular season game had 477,000 viewers on NBCSN, down 4% from Flyers/Rangers last year (497K) and down 37% from Flyers/Penguins in 2013 (759K). Wild/Penguins drew 226,000 the previous night, up 75% from Sharks/Sabres last year (129K) and up 35% from Coyotes/Blues in 2013 (167K). Overall, NBCSN has averaged 413,000 viewers for NHL coverage thus far, per Sports Business Daily, up 11% from last year. (via ShowBuzz Daily [1], [2]; SBD)
