Yet another blowout certainly did not help, but Game 2 of the NBA Finals put up the same underwhelming audience as Game 1.
Sunday’s Celtics-Warriors NBA Finals Game 2 averaged a 6.2 rating and 11.91 million viewers on ABC, topping only the last two out-of-season years as the lowest for a Game 2 of the NBA Finals since 2007 (Cavaliers-Spurs: 5.6, 8.55M). Compared to Game 1 on ABC and ESPN2, ratings dipped from 6.4 and viewership inched up from 11.90 million.
Golden State’s easy win, which peaked at 14.14 million viewers relatively early in the night (9:45 PM ET), declined 23% in ratings and 14% in viewership from the down-to-the-wire Warriors-Raptors Game 2 three years ago (8.0, 13.89M), both the previous Finals to feature the Warriors and the previous Finals to take place at the normal time of year. Keep in mind that overall primetime viewing levels are down 26% from the equivalent period in 2019.
Compared to Game 2 of last year’s Bucks-Suns NBA Finals, which took place in July, ratings increased 21% and viewership 24%. Compared to Heat-Lakers Game 2 in the “bubble” two years ago — which not only took place in October, but aired on the night the president of the United States was hospitalized for COVID-19 — ratings surged 71% (from 3.6) and viewership as much as 79% (from 6.67M*).
Since the NBA returned from hiatus nearly two years ago, Game 2 ranks second in viewership among all games behind only last year’s clinching Suns-Bucks Game 6 (12.52M*).
There were any number of factors pointing to a stronger performance for this year’s Finals. The matchup pairs the league’s biggest draw against its most-storied franchise, both hailing from top ten media markets. It has the advantage of out-of-home viewing, which was not included in the viewership from 2019 or prior years. Furthermore, earlier rounds of the postseason did more than just outdraw the past two years, with viewership at an eight-year high through the semifinals.
The erosion of television viewing is certainly a factor in the other direction; beyond the 26% decline in primetime viewing levels, there has been a 15% decline in pay-TV subscriptions since June of 2019 (while ABC is an over-the-air network, most viewers access it through cable or streaming providers). Nevertheless, double-digit declines from 2019 — which featured a Canadian team that does not count toward U.S. television ratings — are hard to square with what is, on paper, a significantly stronger matchup.
Game 2 drew a 3.7 rating in adults 18-49, a tick behind the combined figure for Game 1 (3.8). It also drew a 3.05 in 18-34 (up from 3.03 for Game 1) and a 4.15 in 25-54 (down from 4.20 for Game 1). In all three demos, Games 1 and 2 rank as television’s top program since the men’s Final Four.
As with Game 1, Game 2 outdrew the corresponding game of last year’s World Series, albeit a lower-profile matchup of Atlanta and Houston (5.8, 10.43M*).
(Asterisk * indicates that figure is subject to revision due to Nielsen undercount.)
