Golden State and Cleveland lead the local NBA ratings race as the post All-Star schedule begins.
Warriors games have averaged an 8.87 rating on NBC Sports Bay Area through the NBA All-Star break, up 3% from last year (8.64), up 5% from 2015-16 (8.44), and the highest average in the NBA, according to Sports Business Journal.
With Oklahoma City acquiring Carmelo Anthony and Paul George in the offseason, Thunder games on FS Oklahoma have risen 13% to a 7.01 rating, third-best in the league. The Spurs rank fourth at a 6.45, up 26% — with the caveat that last year’s first-half ratings were affected by a Nielsen glitch.
Rounding out the top five, Celtics ratings have risen a league-best 82% on NBC Sports Boston, hitting a 3.65. Other teams with big increases include the Wizards on NBC Sports Washington (1.52, +70%), T’Wolves on FS North (2.60, +66%) and Pistons on FS Detroit (1.63, +34%).
Not mentioned in the SBJ piece were the Sixers, whose 2.5 average on NBC Sports Philadelphia is up 32% from last year’s 1.9 average at the break.
Overall, 17 of the 27 NBA teams examined by SBJ posted increases through the break, compared to ten that posted declines. The Hawks posted the biggest drop, falling 50% to a 0.58. Across the 27 teams for which data was available, NBA ratings have risen 7%.
As previously noted, national NBA viewership has increased across the board this season.
[Numbers from Sports Business Journal 2.19, NBC Sports]
