With LeBron James headed to an eighth straight finals in dramatic fashion, Cavs-Celtics Game 7 ratings tied an ESPN record in the metered markets.
Sunday’s Cavaliers-Celtics NBA Eastern Conference Finals Game 7 delivered a 9.1 overnight rating on ESPN, up 6% from Pacers-Heat on TNT in 2013 (8.6) and even with Celtics-Heat on ESPN in 2012, the two most recent East Finals Game 7s.
Compared to the last conference final Game 7, Thunder-Warriors in the West two years ago, overnights fell 19% from an 11.2.
The Cavs’ narrow win, which peaked with a 12.0 from 10:45-11 PM ET, tied the second-highest NBA overnight outside of the finals since 2002 (Lakers-Kings Game 7: 16.9). Thunder-Warriors holds the top spot.
It also tied the second-highest non-football overnight in ESPN history, matching both Celtics-Heat in 2012 and United States-Portugal in the 2014 FIFA World Cup. ESPN’s highest non-football overnight remains a 9.6 for U.S.-Belgium in the same World Cup.
As should go without saying, the 9.1 ranks as the highest of the NBA season, though it could well be surpassed by tonight’s Warriors-Rockets Game 7 on TNT. This is the first time since 1979 that there have been two conference final game sevens.
Cleveland led all markets Sunday night with a 27.6 rating. Game 7 had a 21.9 in Boston, up 1% from 2012 (21.7) and the market’s highest ever for an NBA game on ESPN. Secondary markets Columbus, Ohio (15.1) and Providence, R.I. (14.4) ranked third and fourth. New Orleans was the top neutral market at a 12.9.
[Sun. numbers from ESPN PR 5.28]
