Even in an early timeslot, a Game 7 involving LeBron James is as good as it gets for NBA ratings.
Sunday’s Pacers-Cavaliers NBA Playoffs Game 7 earned a 5.4 overnight rating on ABC, up 69% from last year (Wizards-Celtics Game 1: 3.2) and up 74% from 2016 (Hornets-Heat Game 7: 3.1). Compared to last year’s first round Game 7 on ABC, Jazz-Clippers in a later timeslot, overnights jumped 29% from a 4.2.
Cleveland’s narrow win, which peaked at a 7.4 from 3:30-3:45 PM ET, delivered the highest first round NBA playoff overnight in 15 years — since Lakers-Rockets Game 4 in 2004 (5.8). The previous high was a 5.3 for multiple games.
The 5.4 is the third-highest first round overnight since the NBA expanded to a best-of-seven format in 2003, behind Lakers-Rockets in ’04 and Game 7 of Blazers-Mavericks in 2003 (6.1).
It also tied the NBA’s highest overnight in an early afternoon window — prior to 2:00 PM ET — since 2000 (Heat-Knicks Game 4: 5.6), matching Celtics-Sixers Game 3 in 2002.
For the season, Game 7 ranks just a tick behind Cavaliers-Warriors on Christmas Day (5.5) as the highest rated NBA telecast in the metered markets.
Locally, the game pulled a 24.6 rating in Cleveland, the market’s highest first round rating in eight years. Indianapolis turned in a 21.6, not only the market’s highest first round rating on record, but within three tenths of Pacers-Heat Game 7 in the 2013 Eastern Conference Finals (21.9).
Aided by the big lead-in, Game 1 of the Jazz-Rockets semifinal had a 4.4 overnight later in the day — up 5% from last year (Jazz-Clippers Game 7: 4.2) but down 12% from 2016 (Blazers-Warriors Game 1: 5.0).
Highest First Round NBA Playoff Overnights
Since NBC lost rights in 2002
