Ratings Roundup: NBA on TNT, College Hoops, ABC vs. ESPN

TNT scored big increases for a high-profile NBA doubleheader on Thursday. In other news, CBS struggled with college basketball last weekend, and viewers chose ABC over ESPN for last week’s NFL Wild Card broadcast.

Thursday’s Cavaliers/Spurs NBA regular season game drew a 1.9 final rating and 2.9 million viewers on TNT, up 58% in ratings and 69% in viewership from Thunder/Rockets last year (1.2, 1.7M) and up 73% and 80%, respectively, from Knicks/Pacers in 2014 (1.1, 1.6M). Excluding Christmas, it ranks second in viewership this season behind Cavaliers/Bulls on Opening Night (3.5M). The Lakers/Warriors nightcap had a 1.5 and 2.4 million, up a tick in ratings and 16% in viewership from Cavaliers/Lakers last year (1.4, 2.0M) and up 15% and 23%, respectively, from Thunder/Rockets in ’14 (1.3, 1.9M). (via Programming Insider)

CBS drew a 0.8 final rating and 1.2 million viewers for LSU/Florida college basketball last Saturday, down 53% in ratings and 55% in viewership from Kentucky/Texas A&M last year (1.7, 2.6M) and down a tick and 15%, respectively, from a later Kentucky/Vanderbilt game in 2014 (0.9, 1.4M). Ohio State/Indiana had a 0.6 and 883,000 on Sunday, down 25% in ratings and 20% in viewership from Duke/N.C. State last year (0.8, 1.1M) and down 33% and 31%, respectively, from Iowa/Ohio State in ’14 (0.9, 1.3M). Both trailed the weekend’s top game, North Carolina/Syracuse on ESPN (0.9, 1.3M). (via Sports Business Daily)

More than three quarters of the audience for Saturday’s Chiefs/Texans NFL Wild Card Game watched the broadcast on ABC rather than ESPN. While ABC and ESPN combined for a 14.8 rating and 25.4 million viewers, ESPN posted just a 3.7 and 6.1 million. The wide gap between the networks has no practical implications; ESPN and ABC sold advertising units based on the combined number. However, it is an indication of ABC’s relative strength compared to ESPN. (via Sports Business Daily)