Ratings jumped by over 30% for Sunday’s Lakers/Magic game, but remained somewhat below what one would expect for an NBA Finals rematch.
Orlando’s win over the Lakers drew a 2.1 final rating and 3.2 million viewers on ABC Sunday afternoon, up 31% and 35%, respectively, from Suns/Spurs last year (1.6, 2.3 mil), and flat in ratings and up 6% in viewership from Spurs/Suns in ’08 (2.1, 3.0 mil).
Compared to Nuggets/Lakers the previous Sunday, Lakers/Magic was up 5% and 2%, respectively, from a 2.0 and 3.1 million viewers.
The modest 2.1 rating continues the trend of ABC drawing unimpressive numbers for high profile NBA games.
Already this season, ABC has drawn mediocre numbers for rematches of some of last year’s highly-rated playoff series — including Magic/Celtics (1.6 on Feb. 7), Cavaliers/Magic (1.9 on Feb. 21) and Nuggets/Lakers (2.0 on Feb. 28).
Overall, ABC is averaging a 2.4 rating for NBA coverage through Sunday, down 11% from last year (2.7).
(Nielsen)
