It was no competition for the Super Bowl pregame on FOX, but Sunday’s Magic/Celtics game on ABC drew good numbers.
The Celtics’ win over the Magic earned a 2.8 overnight rating on ABC Sunday afternoon, up 33% from the same matchup last year (ORL/BOS: 2.1), and up 22% from 2009 (CLE/DET: 2.3).
The 2.8 is the highest overnight ever for an NBA game on ABC on Super Bowl Sunday, easily topping the previous high set in 2005 (LAL/HOU: 2.4).
Excluding games on cable, this marks the highest overnight for any nationally televised NBA game on Super Bowl Sunday since the 2001-02 season, when NBC drew a 3.7 for regional action featuring Pacers/Wizards and a 4.6 for Lakers/Mavericks.
Not surprisingly, Sunday’s game was a mere blip on the radar compared to the Super Bowl Pregame on FOX, which drew a 12.2 overnight from 2-6:30 PM ET.
So far this season, overnight ratings for every NBA game on ABC have increased by double-digits, with four of the five games up by at least a third.
(ESPN)
