Ratings Roundup: Thunder/Warriors, Local NBA, College Hoops

ESPN scored a big increase for the Warriors’ latest win. In other news, the Cavaliers are leading the NBA’s local ratings race, and the nation’s #1 men’s and women’s college basketball teams could not move the needle.

Saturday’s Thunder/Warriors NBA regular season game had a 2.0 final rating and 3.2 million viewers on ESPN, up 82% in ratings and 92% in viewership from Clippers/Spurs on ‘Super Bowl Saturday’ last year (1.7M), up 18% and 22%, respectively, from Heat/Knicks on that night in 2014 (1.7, 2.6M), and ESPN’s most-watched regular season game (excluding Christmas) since Cavaliers/Bulls in October ’14 (3.9M). Head-to-head, it trailed CBS’ NFL Honors in ratings (2.8) and viewership (4.4M) but not in adults 18-49 (1.4 to 1.0). Friday, Spurs/Mavericks had 1.4 million (+12%) and Pacers/Hawks 882,000 (-10%).

Cleveland Cavaliers NBA games have averaged a 9.44 rating on Fox Sports Ohio this season, according to Sports Business Journal — up 36% from the comparable point last year and the highest average in the NBA. The Spurs rank second with an 8.74 on FS Southwest (+9%) and the Warriors third with an 8.42 on Comcast SportsNet Bay Area, up a league-leading 120%. Due to the size of the Bay Area market, the Warriors are averaging the most TV homes (209K). On the other end of the spectrum, the Nets have the lowest rating (0.47), the Pelicans the fewest TV homes (7K) and Wizards the biggest drop (-34%).

North Carolina/Notre Dame college basketball scored a 1.1 final rating and 1.7 million viewers on ESPN Saturday night, down 15% in ratings and 16% in viewership from Louisville/Virginia last year (1.3, 2.1M) but 22% and 33%, respectively, from Duke/Boston College in 2014 (0.9, 1.3M). The #2 Tar Heels went down to defeat. On Monday, the UConn/South Carolina women’s game — a matchup of the top two teams in the country — earned 816,000 viewers on ESPN2, down 28% from the same matchup last year (1.1M).