- Cleveland led all markets for Sunday’s NBA All-Star Game, with a 14.0 rating — up 3% from last year (13.7), and up 92% from ’08 (7.3). Host-city Dallas followed with a 9.1 rating, up 69% from last year (5.4), and up 98% from ’08 (4.6). Despite the increases, the All-Star Game was outdrawn by the Winter Olympics in both markets (Cleveland: 17.8 to 14.0, Dallas 15.3 to 9.1). As evidence of the power of LeBron James, non-NBA market Columbus, Ohio was the #7 market for the game (6.6). (Turner Sports, Dallas Morning News)
- With Kobe Bryant missing the game due to injury, the NBA All-Star Game drew just a 5.2 rating in the Los Angeles market, down 37% from an 8.2 last year, and down 29% from a 7.3 in ’08. Los Angeles was the #14 market for the game. Other markets with double-digit declines include San Antonio (9.0, down 12%), Memphis (7.6, down 17%), Atlanta (6.3, down 21%) and New Orleans (5.5, down 27%). On the flip side, ratings jumped 69% and 35% in Dallas and Columbus, respectively, and a whopping 77% in Charlotte (5.5) (Turner Sports)
- Despite declines for both the All Star Game and All-Star Saturday Night, the NBA All-Star Celebrity Game drew a record-high rating. Friday’s Celebrity Game drew a 1.3 U.S. rating and 2.1 million viewers on ESPN, up 8% and 16%, respectively, from last year — and the highest rated, most-viewed Celebrity Game ever. (ESPN)
NBA All-Star Saturday also hits high in broadcast TV debut
Benefiting from the same factors that boosted last Sunday's NBA All-Star Game, the NBA All-Star Saturday festivities also rebounded...
