With the Cavaliers nearly making the NBA Finals somewhat competitive, Game 3 delivered in a big way for ABC.
Wednesday’s Warriors-Cavaliers NBA Finals Game 3 earned an 11.3 final rating and 20.1 million viewers on ABC, up 16% in ratings and 22% in viewership from last year (9.7, 16.5M) and up 2% and 7% respectively from 2015 (11.1, 18.8M), both of which featured the same two teams.
The Warriors’ narrow win ranks as the highest rated and most-watched Game 3 of the NBA Finals since Lakers-Sixers on NBC in 2001 (12.7, 20.3M). Including the 441,000 who streamed coverage on the WatchESPN app, the audience of 20.5 million tops 2001 to rank as the largest for a Game 3 since Bulls 96, Jazz 54 in 1998.
Overall, it was the 12th-most watched NBA Finals game since ABC resumed airing the event in 2003 and the sixth-most watched with series-clinchers excluded (11th and fifth with streaming included).
Viewership peaked at 24.2 million from 11:30-11:45 PM ET, easily topping last year’s peak quarter-hour of 18.8 million from 10-10:15. Cleveland won last year’s game by 30 points. It also topped the 2015 peak of 23.5 million (11:30:11-45) for a five-point Cleveland win.
Game 3 pulled a 7.2 rating in adults 18-49, up 18% from last year (6.1) but down a tick from 2015 (7.3). It was the second-best Game 3 rating in the demo since 2001 (9.5), behind only 2015. In adults 18-34, the game had a 6.7 rating — up 18% from last year (5.7) but down 7% from ’15 (7.2). It was the second-best Game 3 rating in that demo since Thunder-Heat in 2012 (6.8).
Despite the first 3-0 margin in a decade, the NBA Finals is averaging a 10.8 rating and 19.5 million viewers on ABC — up 6% in ratings and 10% in viewership from last year (10.2, 17.7M) and flat and up 6% respectively from 2015 (10.8, 18.6M). Including streaming, it has averaged 19.9 million. Either way, it ranks as the most-watched NBA Finals through three games since 1998.
The series has averaged a 7.1 rating in adults 18-49, up 6% from last year (6.7) but down a tick from 2015 (7.2).
[Wed. numbers from ESPN PR 6.8, ABC PR, with additional info from Programming Insider 6.8]
