For the second time this season, LeBron James and the Heat attracted over seven million cable viewers to a regular season NBA game.
TNT earned a 4.2 rating and 7.052 million viewers for Miami’s blowout victory over Cleveland Thursday night, up 320% in ratings and 408% in viewership from last year (BOS/SA: 1.0, 1.387 mil).
This marks the third-largest audience for a regular season NBA game on cable of at least the past fifteen years, behind only Heat/Celtics on Opening Night (7.348 mil) and Bulls/Lakers in 1996 (7.271 mil), both of which aired on TNT.
For some perspective, the largest audience for an NBA game on cable between 1996 and 2010 was 4.882 million for Lakers/Rockets on ESPN in January ’03.
Overall, Heat/Cavaliers ranks as the eighth most-viewed regular season NBA game on broadcast or cable since the current television deals went into effect in 2002. Excluding Christmas Day games, the telecast ranks second.
Though big for the NBA, Thursday’s game was not even the top non-NFL sporting event on cable of the past seven days. ESPN’s Arizona/Oregon college football last Friday (Nov. 26) drew 7.787 million viewers. Though that game involved the #1 team in the nation and took place over the holiday weekend, it also had significantly less hype than Heat/Cavaliers.
Compared to other high-profile returns, the game trailed Shaquille O’Neal‘s 2004 return to Los Angeles on ABC (MIA/LAL: 7.3, 13.182 mil), but topped Michael Jordan‘s January 2002 return to Chicago, which aired regionally in 72% of the country on NBC (WSH/CHI*: 3.5, 4.836 mil).
Elsewhere Thursday night, TNT drew a 1.2 U.S. rating and 1.724 million viewers for Suns/Warriors, up 50% and 55%, respectively, from last year (MIA/DEN: 0.8, 1.112 mil).
Through 14 telecasts, TNT is averaging a 1.8 U.S. rating and 2.846 million viewers for NBA coverage, up 38% in ratings and 45% in viewership from last year (1.3, 1.965 mil), and up 64% and 81%, respectively, from 2008 (1.1, 1.573 mil).
TNT’s average audience in the adults 18-49 demographic alone (1.661 mil) is larger than its total audience two years ago (1.573 mil).
10 Most-Viewed NBA Regular Season Games Dating Back to 2002
| # | Date | Game | Net | Rating | Viewers (000) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sat., 12/25/04 | Heat 104 | ABC |
7.3
|
13,182
|
| Lakers 102 | |||||
| 2 | Thu., 12/25/08 | Celtics 83 | ABC |
5.3
|
9,960
|
| Lakers 92 | |||||
| 3 | Fri., 12/25/09 | Cavaliers 102 | ABC |
4.4
|
8,316
|
| Lakers 87 | |||||
| 4 | Sun., 12/25/05 | Lakers 92 | ABC |
4.8
|
8,063
|
| Heat 97 | |||||
| 5 | Wed., 12/25/02 | Kings 105 | ABC |
4.5
|
7,484
|
| Lakers 99 | |||||
| 6 | Tue., 10/26/10 | Heat 80 | TNT |
4.6
|
7,348
|
| Celtics 88 | |||||
| 7 | Thu., 12/25/03 | Rockets 99 | ABC |
4.1
|
7,187
|
| Lakers 87 | |||||
| 8 | Tue., 12/2/10 | Heat 118 | TNT |
4.2
|
7,052
|
| Cavaliers 90 | |||||
| 9 | Sun., 2/8/09 | Lakers 101 | ABC |
3.8
|
6,077
|
| Cavaliers 91 | |||||
| 10 | Sun., 12/25/05 | Spurs 70 | ABC |
3.9
|
6,011
|
| Pistons 85 |
(Turner Sports)
UPDATED 12/5/2010: Added information on O’Neal’s return to Los Angeles and Jordan’s return to Chicago.
