After hitting a four-year low in Game 1, the Western Conference Finals bounced back to a ten-year viewership high in Game 2.
Thursday’s Blazers-Warriors NBA Western Conference Finals Game 2 earned 7.88 million viewers on ESPN, up 4% from Warriors-Rockets on TNT last year (7.56M) and up 36% from Spurs-Warriors on ESPN in 2017 (5.79M). Ratings were not immediately available.
Compared to last year’s conference final Game 2 on ESPN, Cavaliers-Celtics, viewership fell 6% from 8.42 million.
Golden State’s comeback win ranks as the most-watched Game 2 of the Western Conference Finals in a decade — since Nuggets-Lakers on ESPN in 2009 (7.89M). It trails only the 2009 game as the most-watched Game 2 since 2004 (Lakers-Timberwolves: 8.16M).
Including Eastern Conference series, it trails only Cavaliers-Celtics last year as the most watched Game 2 since 2012 (Celtics-Heat: 8.81M).
It also ranks as the most-watched game of the NBA Playoffs, topping the previous mark of 7.33 million for Warriors-Rockets Game 6 in the second round. Golden State has played in ten of the thirteen most-watched games this postseason, including the top five.
Game 2 had a 2.9 rating in adults 18-49, even with Warriors-Rockets and up 32% from Spurs-Warriors. For the night, it trailed only the series finale of “The Big Bang Theory” on CBS in the demo (3.2).
The game also had a 2.5 in adults 18-34, down 11% from last year (2.8) but up 19% from 2017 (2.1). It cruised past “The Big Bang Theory” (1.5) in that demo. The reverse was true in adults 25-54, with “Big Bang” (4.9) comfortably topping the NBA (3.2, +6%).
The Bay Area led all markets Thursday night with a 20.7 rating, up 20% from last year (17.3). Portland was a close second at a 20.5, followed by Sacramento (12.0), New Orleans (8.1) and Atlanta (7.4).
[Numbers from Nielsen via ShowBuzz Daily 5.17, ESPN PR 5.17]
