ABC saw its ratings rise for the first weekend of the NBA Playoffs.
Sunday’s Thunder/Lakers Game 1 drew a 3.3 final rating and 5.1 million viewers on ABC, up 3% in ratings and 6% in viewership from Jazz/Lakers Game 1 last year (3.2, 4.8 mil) and but down 6% in ratings and virtually even in viewership compared to Nuggets/Lakers Game 1 in ’08 (3.5, 5.1 mil).
Thunder/Lakers ranks as the most-viewed NBA game on the opening weekend of the playoffs since 2003, and the fourth most-viewed since ’02.
Meanwhile, Bulls/Cavaliers Game 1 on Saturday drew a 2.5 final rating and 3.7 million viewers on ABC, up 14% in ratings and 18% in viewership from Pistons/Cavaliers Game 1 last year (2.2, 3.1 mil), but down 22% and 20%, respectively, from Suns/Spurs Game 1 in ’08 (3.2, 4.6 mil).
Overall, ABC averaged approximately 4.4 million viewers for the first weekend of the NBA Playoffs, up 11% from last year, but down 9% from 2008.
This marks the third-most viewed opening weekend of the playoffs on ABC since the network began airing games during the 2002-03 season.
Ratings/Viewership For Opening Weekend of NBA Playoffs on Broadcast
| Year | Date | Game |
Gm #
|
Net | Rating | Viewers (000) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | Sat., 4/17/10 | Bulls/Cavaliers | 1 | ABC |
2.5
|
3,679
|
| Sun., 4/18/10 | Thunder/Lakers | 1 | ABC |
3.3
|
5,132
|
|
| 2009 | Sat., 4/18/09 | Pistons/Cavaliers | 1 | ABC |
2.2
|
3,125
|
| Sun., 4/19/09 | Jazz/Lakers | 1 | ABC |
3.2
|
4,830
|
|
| 2008 | Sat., 4/19/08 | Suns/Spurs | 1 | ABC |
3.2
|
4,578
|
| Sun., 4/20/08 | Nuggets/Lakers | 1 | ABC |
3.5
|
5,115
|
|
| 2007 | Sat., 4/20/07 | Heat/Bulls | 1 | ABC |
2.2
|
2,949
|
| Sun., 4/21/07 | Lakers/Suns | 1 | ABC |
3.0
|
4,295
|
|
| 2006 | Sat., 4/22/06 | Wizards/Cavaliers | 1 | ABC |
2.4
|
3,340
|
| Sun., 4/23/06 | Lakers/Suns | 1 | ABC |
3.4
|
4,682
|
|
| 2005 | Sat., 4/23/05 | 76ers/Pistons | 1 | ABC |
2.1
|
2,997
|
| Sun., 4/24/05 | Nets/Heat | 1 | ABC |
3.1
|
4,260
|
|
| 2004 | Sun., 4/18/04 | Mavericks/Kings | 1 | ABC |
3.0
|
4,246
|
| 2003 | Sun., 4/20/03 | Lakers/Timberwolves | 1 | ABC |
4.1
|
6,290
|
| 2002 | Sat., 4/20/02 | Pacers/Nets | 1 | NBC |
2.4
|
3,077
|
| Jazz/Kings | 1 | NBC |
3.2
|
4,310
|
||
| Supersonics/Spurs | 1 | NBC |
3.6
|
4,946
|
||
| Sun., 4/21/02 | 76ers/Celtics | 1 | NBC |
3.6
|
4,870
|
|
| Timberwolves/Mavericks | 1 | NBC |
4.3
|
6,093
|
||
| Trail Blazers/Lakers | 1 | NBC |
5.9
|
8,367
|
Average Viewership For First Weekend of NBA Playoffs on Broadcast Since ’02
(ESPN)
