The season’s first matchup between LeBron James and Kevin Durant did well for TNT. In other news, CBS had a substantial decline for college basketball last weekend, and FOX scored a slight increase for the annual Shark Shootout.
James and Durant Lift NBA on TNT
- Thursday’s Thunder/Cavaliers NBA regular season game drew 2.4 million viewers on TNT, up 38% from Knicks/Bulls last year (1.1, 1.7M), up 36% from Bulls/Thunder in 2013 (1.8M), and the largest audience for a non-Warriors game since Opening Night. The Cavaliers’ win had a 1.6 final rating, up 46% from last year’s 1.1. In the nightcap, Rockets/Lakers drew 1.5 million — down 24% from Thunder/Warriors last year (2.0M) and down 1% from Spurs/Warriors in 2013 (1.5). Houston’s rout had a 1.0 rating, off 23% from last year’s 1.3. (via TV Media Insights)
Big Drop For Ohio State/UConn on CBS
- Last Saturday’s Ohio State/Connecticut college basketball game had a 0.9 final rating and 1.3 million viewers on CBS, down 50% in ratings and 53% in viewership from North Carolina/Kentucky last year (1.8, 2.8M) and down 36% and 37%, respectively, from Arizona/Michigan in 2013 (1.4, 2.1M). FOX scored a 0.4 and 675,000 for Cincinnati/Xavier later in the day; there was no comparable window last year. (via Sports Business Daily)
Slight Increase For Shark Shootout on CBS
- Final round coverage of the Shark Shootout golf tournament drew a 0.4 final rating and 590,000 viewers on FOX last Saturday afternoon, flat in ratings and up 1% in viewership from last year, the first time FOX carried the event (0.4, 583K). The telecast trailed both days of the Father/Son Challenge on NBC, which had 624,000 viewers on Saturday and 608,000 on Sunday. (via Sports Business Daily)
