With the league’s most intriguing storyline on the shelf until Thursday, NBA Opening Night ratings took a big hit on TNT.
Tuesday’s Sixers-Celtics NBA Opening Night game earned a 1.8 rating and 2.95 million viewers on TNT, down 45% in ratings and 47% in viewership from last year (Celtics-Cavs: 3.3, 5.60M) but up a tick and 3% respectively from 2016 (Knicks-Cavs: 1.7, 2.87M). Last year’s opener was the second-most watched Opening Night game on record; the 2016 game aired opposite the World Series.
Later in the night, Thunder-Warriors drew a 1.7 and 2.72 million — down 35% in ratings and 36% in viewership from last year (Rockets-Warriors: 2.6, 4.25M) and down 19% and 22% respectively from 2016 (Spurs-Warriors: 2.1, 3.48M). It was the least-watched Opening Night game since 2015 (Pelicans-Warriors: 2.53M).
Of the 34 NBA Opening Night games dating back to 2001 (not counting the 2011-12 lockout season), this year’s games rank a middle-of-the-pack 15th and 17th in viewership.
This year marked the first NBA Opening Night sans LeBron James since 2014. That year, Mavericks-Spurs had 2.30 million viewers and Rockets-Lakers 2.42 million. James’ Lakers debut Thursday night.
The NBA games trailed both MLB League Championship Series matchups Tuesday, with Game 3 of Astros-Red Sox earning 4.87 million viewers on TBS and Game 4 of Brewers-Dodgers 4.09 million on FS1. The reverse was true in the younger demographics, with the NBA coming out ahead in adults 18-34 and 18-49. In both demos, Sixers-Celtics had a 1.4 and Thunder-Warriors a 1.2. The baseball games topped out at a 1.15 in 18-49 a 0.9 in 18-34.
[Numbers from Nielsen via Programming Insider 10.17, ShowBuzz Daily 10.17]
