In what has been a down season for NBA ratings, the Warriors and Lakers remain bright spots.
Lakers-Warriors scored a 2.5 rating and 4.09 million viewers on ABC’s NBA Saturday Primetime last weekend, up 39% in ratings and 38% in viewership from last year (Rockets-Cavaliers: 1.8, 2.97M) and up 47% and 45% respectively from 2017 (Cavaliers-Knicks: 1.7, 2.82M).
Golden State’s win delivered the fifth-best rating and viewership of the NBA season, behind ABC’s three Christmas Day games and Warriors-Celtics on ABC the previous week (2.6, 4.29M).
The Warriors or Lakers have played in 14 of the 19 most-watched NBA games this season.
Outside of the Super Bowl and related programs, Saturday’s game was the highest rated and most-watched sporting event of the weekend. Head-to-head, it topped the NFL Honors on CBS (2.1, 3.42M) and the NHL on NBC (0.7, 1.10M).
Other NBA action did not fare as well. Thunder-Celtics had a 1.6 and 2.52 million on ABC Sunday afternoon, flat in ratings and down a fraction of a percent in viewership from last year (Lakers-Thunder: 1.6, 2.53M), but up 23% and 21% respectively from 2017 (Clippers-Celtics: 1.3, 2.08M).
On ESPN last Friday night, Celtics-Knicks had a 0.9 (flat) and 1.35 million (+1%), while Rockets-Nuggets drew a 1.0 (-17%) and 1.54 million (-16%).
Finally, TNT had a mere 0.52 (-38%) and 782,000 (-35%) for Raptors-Sixers and a 0.49 (-69%) and 755,000 (-70%) for Heat-Blazers on Tuesday night. Those games faced competition from political coverage on broadcast and cable.
[Numbers from Nielsen via ShowBuzz Daily 2.5, Programming Insider 2.6]
