A record crowd at Cowboys Stadium did not translate into extra television viewers for the 2010 NBA All-Star Game.
Sunday’s NBA All-Star Game drew a 3.8 U.S. rating and 6.9 million viewers on TNT, according to Nielsen fast-national ratings, down 16% in ratings and 9% in viewership from last year (4.5, 7.6 mil), but flat in ratings and up 10% in viewership from 2008 (3.8, 6.3 mil).
Sunday’s game is tied with the aforementioned 2008 game as the lowest rated NBA All-Star Game ever. Additionally, the 6.9 million viewers is the third-lowest for the NBA All-Star Game since at least ’90, ahead of the 2008 and 2007 games.
The All-Star Game aired directly opposite the Winter Olympics on NBC, which drew a 14.3 rating and 26.4 million viewers on Sunday night. The 2006 All-Star Game, which also aired opposite the Winter Olympics, drew a 4.3 U.S. rating and 7.1 million viewers.
To put the numbers in perspective, the NBA All-Star Game finished well behind the 2010 Pro Bowl on ESPN (7.1, 12.3 mil) and the 2009 MLB All-Star Game on FOX (8.9, 14.6 mil), but comfortably ahead of the 2009 NASCAR All-Star Race on Speed (2.4, 4.2 mil) and the 2009 NHL All-Star Game on Versus (0.6, 1.1 mil).
Ratings for NBA All-Star Game since 2003
(Turner Sports)
