National Basketball Association Nielsen ratings
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The National Basketball Association has achieved a rapid rise and fall in television ratings since the 1997-1998 NBA season, when ratings for the NBA Finals achieved a record high, to the 2002-2003 NBA season, when ratings for the same event hit an all-time record low. Blame for this rise and fall has been pinned on the destructive NBA lockout which occurred right after the 1998 season. The lockout wiped out thirty-two games of the 1998-1999 season and caused fan apathy. Other blame has been put on the retirement of Chicago Bulls star Michael Jordan and also on backlash against the new "hip-hop" culture of the league. Despite the fall in ratings, the NBA's regular season ratings average is only slightly lower than Major League Baseball's, and ratings for the finals continue to outdraw competing events that occur during the same month, golf's U.S. Open and the Stanley Cup Finals.
Contents |
[edit] CBS (1973 - 1990)
| Game | Year/Event | Rating |
| Game 7 | 1988 NBA Finals | 21.2 |
| Game 7 | 1984 NBA Finals | 19.3 |
| Game 4 | 1987 NBA Finals | 18.9 |
| Game 5 | 1987 NBA Finals | 18.9 |
During CBS' tenure as NBA over-the-air carrier, the NBA experienced its first resurgence, under the leadership of Los Angeles Lakers guard Magic Johnson and rival Boston Celtics forward Larry Bird. After the then-lowest Nielsen ratings in NBA history in 1981, Bird and Magic led the NBA to unprecedented popularity, and much higher ratings. Before the arrival of the two stars, and the recreation of the previously-fiery Lakers-Celtics rivalry, NBA ratings on CBS were so low that the network aired NBA Finals games in both 1980 and 1981 on tape delay. From 1978 to 1981, no NBA Finals achieved even a 10 average rating. Once the Lakers-Celtics rivalry heated up, ratings went up dramatically. CBS increased its commitment to the NBA, while America warmed up to the league nationally for the first time. In 1987, the NBA Finals hit a then-record rating of 15.9. In 1988, CBS achieved its only 20+ rating for an individual NBA game when the network got a 21.2 rating for Game 7 of the 1988 NBA Finals between the Lakers and the Detroit Pistons. The Pistons would be in the next two NBA Finals, including a sweep the next year, and the lowest ratings CBS had seen in six years the year after that, with a 12.3 in 1990. The 1990 Finals was also CBS' last, after nearly two decades televising the NBA. While the network broadcast every Bird-Magic Finals, it never broadcast any Final involving Michael Jordan, who, starting the year after CBS ended involvement with the league, would dominate the NBA in a way that neither Bird or Magic had.
[edit] NBC (1990 - 2002)
[edit] Record highs
Once Larry Bird and Magic Johnson retired, the NBA's ratings sank, at least for one year. The 1990 NBA Finals, (which was played before either Bird or Johnson retired) which registered a 12.3 rating (and was the last Finals CBS aired) was the lone NBA Finals between the domination of Bird and Magic and the domination of then up-and-coming star Michael Jordan. In 1991, NBC's first year with the NBA, the network got its dream matchup. Jordan's Bulls finally broke through, after several years of being dominated by the Detroit Pistons, and made it to the Finals. Jordan and the Bulls played Magic Johnson and the Lakers, who were making what was to be their last appearance in the NBA Finals for the next nine years. The hype for the star studded series was robust, and the ratings were the highest since 1987, when the Celtics and Lakers played for the final time. The next year, Jordan's Bulls once again made the Finals. Their competition that year was the Portland Trailblazers, a team with fewer stars and from a smaller city. The ratings fell to a 14.2, the second-lowest rating for the Finals since 1986. In 1993, the NBA hit a high point. The six-game series between the Bulls and the bombastic Charles Barkley's Phoenix Suns averaged a 17.9 rating, a mark that eclipsed the previous record of 15.9.
The 1993 Finals were Michael Jordan's last before his first retirement. The ratings for the next two Finals were down significantly, though the 1995 Finals came to within .3 ratings points of the 1992 Finals. After two of the lowest Finals in years, and generally declining ratings, Jordan returned. Subsequently, and almost instantly, ratings improved. Jordan's first game back, a March 19, 1995 game between the Bulls and the Indiana Pacers, scored a 10.9 rating for NBC, the highest rated regular season NBA game of all time. Ratings for the Finals (which the Bulls played in the following three years) went up sharply as well. Game 1 of the 1996 NBA Finals between the Chicago Bulls and Seattle SuperSonics, the Bulls' 107-90 win at home in the United Center earned a 16.8 rating and a 31 share on NBC. In addition, Game 1 was viewed in a then record 16,111,200 homes. On June 16, 1996, Game 6 of the NBA Finals (where the Bulls clinched their fourth NBA Championship in six years) drew an 18.8 rating and a 35 share. The six games of the 1996 NBA Finals averaged a 16.7 rating which ranks second all-time behind the 1993 NBA Finals. The six games of the 1993 NBA Finals between the Bulls and Phoenix Suns averaged a 17.9 rating. The next year, ratings for the Chicago Bulls-Utah Jazz series were slightly better, before the 1998 Finals blew away the 1993 record, averaging an 18.7 rating--one which will likely not be matched by the NBA Finals for the foreseeable future. The deciding Game 6 (and Michael Jordan's final game with the Bulls) registered an NBA record 22.3 rating with a 38 share. The game was viewed by 72 million people, breaking the record set earlier that postseason by Game 7 of the 1998 Eastern Conference Finals between the Indiana Pacers and the Bulls (that same game set a record for highest-rated non-Finals NBA game with a 19.1/33). The 1998 Finals managed to best the ratings for that year's World Series, the only NBA Finals ever to do so.
[edit] Post-Jordan decline
The retirement of Michael Jordan set in motion the decline in NBA ratings which continues today. Ratings for the 1999 NBA Finals (which in fairness, came after a lockout shortened season) were down significantly from the previous year, from an 18.7 to an 11.3. Primetime regular season games, which had become fairly routine (and highly-rated) during the Jordan years, set record lows for NBC once Jordan retired. With the rise of the Los Angeles Lakers in the early part of the 2000s, ratings improved, but never to the level of the Bulls' dynasty.The highest NBA Finals ratings on NBC after Jordan left was the 2001 Finals, which featured the dominant and then-defending champion Lakers versus the polarizing Allen Iverson and the underdog Philadelphia 76ers. The ratings for that series were a 12.1, still down 35 percent from 1998. NBC's last Finals, in 2002, came after a resurgence in playoff ratings (including a 14.2 rating for Game 7 of the Western Conference Finals). However, the Finals itself registered the lowest ratings the event had seen since 1981, topping out at a 10.2 average.
[edit] ABC (also ESPN on ABC) (2002 - )
[edit] Regular season
[edit] Record lows
| Net. | Year | Rating |
|---|---|---|
| NBC | 1996 | 5.0 |
| NBC | 1997 | 4.7 |
| NBC | 1998 | 4.6 |
| NBC | 1999 | 4.3 |
| NBC | 2000 | 3.3 |
| NBC | 2001 | 3.0 |
| NBC | 2002 | N/A |
| ABC | 2003 | 2.6 |
| ABC | 2004 | 2.4 |
| ABC | 2005 | 2.2 |
| ABC | 2006 | 2.2 |
ABC's regular season NBA television ratings have routinely finished between a 2.0 and a 2.5 ratings score. While these ratings compare favorably to the NHL's Stanley Cup Finals, it is extremely low by NBA standards. Thirty-nine (or just over a third of) NBA games on ABC have registered a 2.1 or lower rating. Twice in March 2004, ABC registered a 1.1 rating with a 3 share, the lowest rating on a broadcast network in NBA history. ABC's March 28, 2004 telecast featuring the Dallas Mavericks and the team with one of the worst records in the NBA, the Orlando Magic, was outdrawn by the NCAA Division II Basketball Championship game on CBS. ABC has routinely had games register ratings of below 2.0, and has set record lows for NBA network TV ratings in each of its first two seasons. Without the aid of the Shaquille O'Neal-Kobe Bryant matchup in the 2004-2005 season, ABC would have set another record low that year. Even with that aid, the network was only able to register a 2.4 average rating (which was even with the record low from the previous season). ABC set a record low for average playoff ratings during the 2005 NBA Playoffs, even as rival TNT (also experiencing lower ratings) set a record for the highest ratings the NBA had ever gotten on cable, thanks to Game 7 of the 2005 Eastern Conference Finals.
ABC tied its record low ratings mark from the 2004-05 season in 2005-06, scoring a 2.2 average overall. On March 19, 2006, a rained-out NASCAR telecast got a higher television rating than ABC's presentation of the Los Angeles Lakers-Cleveland Cavaliers game (featuring Kobe Bryant versus Lebron James). While the game itself had ratings 30 percent higher than the previous year, the situation was an embarrassment for both the NBA and the PGA Tour (which was also outdrawn by the rain delay). On April 30, 2006, another rained-out race outrated an NBA game (Miami Heat-Chicago Bulls, First Round, Game 4). One factor in this is the fact that NASCAR usually outrates regular season NBA (as well as Major League Baseball and National Hockey League) games by over 200 percent.
ABC's NBA ratings began to bounce back during the 2006 NBA Playoffs, led by their highest Sunday afternoon rating since taking over the NBA for Cleveland Cavaliers-Detroit Pistons Game 7 (6.1/14). Overall, ABC's 2006 NBA Playoff coverage averaged a 3.8, up from 2005, but still down from 2004.
[edit] The Laker effect
Without the Los Angeles Lakers, ABC's television ratings would be even worse than they currently are. The Lakers, a popular team with a large fanbase, have given ABC an automatic ratings spike nearly every time they play on the network. The lone Finals that has registered a double-digit rating for ABC involved the Lakers, and the network's highest regular season rating was spawned from a rivalry featuring former Laker teammates--the 7.2 rating scored by the December 25, 2004 broadcast of the Los Angeles Lakers-Miami Heat game. That game featured former Laker Shaquille O'Neal facing off against Kobe Bryant. While ratings for that game were the highest they'd been for a regular season game since 1998 (a Chicago Bulls-Los Angeles Lakers matchup), the storyline behind the game ended up hurting ABC later on. Without Shaquille O'Neal on the team, the Lakers faltered and the two late April games where they were featured on ABC ended up having no playoff implications, leading to low ratings. In addition, even with O'Neal and rising star Dwyane Wade, the Miami Heat have not been an automatic ratings draw for ABC. The April 2005 meeting between the Heat and the defending champion Detroit Pistons failed to register even a 2.0 rating. Miami's run to the 2006 NBA championship boosted ABC's ratings, including a rise in ratings for the Finals. However, the Heat's title still did not come close to the Lakers' 2004 Finals appearance in terms of television ratings.
| Net. | Year | Game 1 | Game 2 | Game 3 | Game 4 | Game 5 | Game 6 | Game 7 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| NBC | 1997 | 15.8/27 | 15.1/27 | 14.2/27 | 16.9/30 | 20.1/35 | 18.5/35 | None |
| NBC | 1998 | 18.0/32 | 16.6/31 | 16.2/28 | 19.1/33 | 19.8/37 | 22.3/38 | None |
| NBC | 1999 | 11.5/20 | 9.6/19 | 12.1/21 | 12.0/22 | 11.0/22 | None | |
| NBC | 2000 | 10.5/18 | 9.9/20 | 10.9/19 | 13.1/24 | 10.0/20 | 14.7/26 | None |
| NBC | 2001 | 12.4/23 | 11.7/22 | 12.7/23 | 12.6/23 | 11.2/22 | None | |
| NBC | 2002 | 10.6/20 | 9.1/18 | 10.2/18 | 10.8/19 | None | ||
| ABC | 2003 | 6.4/11 | 5.2/10 | 7.0/12 | 6.6/12 | 6.2/12 | 7.5/14 | None |
| ABC | 2004 | 9.8/17 | 10.7/19 | 10.5/19 | 12.7/22 | 13.8/23 | None | |
| ABC | 2005 | 7.2/13 | 6.9/12 | 7.2/13 | 7.2/13 | 8.4/15 | 8.8/15 | 11.9/22 |
| ABC | 2006 | 7.8/14 | 8.0/14 | 8.0/14 | 7.8/14 | 9.0/17 | 10.1/18 | None |
[edit] The NBA Finals
ABC's ratings for the NBA Playoffs and Finals have been extremely low compared to NBC's ratings. In its last year televising the NBA, 2002, NBC experienced a growth in playoff ratings, leading to the highest rated Western Conference Finals in NBA history, and a 14.2 rating for Game 7 of that series, which featured the Los Angeles Lakers and Sacramento Kings. ABC's highest rating overall was a 13.8 with a 23 share which came in Game 5 of the 2004 NBA Finals--lower than the 14.2 registered by the Lakers-Kings series. While other sports are also languishing with low ratings (i.e., baseball, which has seen three out of the last four World Series score near record-low ratings), the NBA has joined the ratings-challenged NHL as the only two out of the four major sports to have their championship ratings dip below a 10.0.
[edit] 2003 NBA Finals
During its twelve year run on NBC, the NBA never received a Championship Series TV rating lower than a 10.0. In 2003, thanks in part to a playoff schedule in which the Finals began nearly a week after the Conference Finals ended, ratings for the series between the San Antonio Spurs and the New Jersey Nets plunged to a record-low 6.5. Game 6 of the series, the deciding game, ranked number 6 in number of households watched, and games were routinely beaten by reruns of series on CBS. Many attributed the drop to a relatively superstar-free Finals, which involved two small markets. Others pinned the massive ratings drop on bad play (the score at halftime of Game 3 was 33-30), and former ABC Sports Vice President Jim Spence was quoted as laying part of the blame on ABC itself:
| “ | There were too many announcers, too many camera cuts and an overuse of technology. It was hard to settle in as a viewer.[2] | ” |
In addition, unlike previous NBA Finals, games routinely began at 8:30 p.m. Eastern Time, nearly forty-five minutes earlier than normal. In what was viewed as an insult to some fans, ABC had movie reviewer Joel Siegel as a guest for halftime of Game 6. Siegel and Mike Tirico spent most of halftime talking about the upcoming summer movies, including featuring a look at music from The Incredible Hulk. The segment ended with Siegel and Tirico, both wearing toy Incredible Hulk hands, pounding fists. On the segment, the Sports Business Daily quoted Joe Hawk of the Review-Journal as saying:
| “ | At first, we were peeved ABC would foist upon us 10 minutes of shameless whoring for the summer movie industry at halftime Sunday. But considering what the Spurs and Nets had given us for the first 5 1/2 games of the series, even a trailer for that hokey 'Hulk' flick was more entertaining.[3] | ” |
No game in the series got even a 7.6 final Nielsen rating, and none of the games got even a double-digit overnight rating. In addition to Game 2 of the 2005 NBA Finals, Games 1, 2, 4 and 5 of the series rank as the only championship games out of the NBA, MLB and NFL to have below a 7.0 rating. The poor ratings were a surprise to many in the media, and, while the overall quality of play in the series was criticized the most, ABC's telecasts also received a large amount of criticism. The New York Post's Andrew Marchand took notice of the fact that ABC's graphics had not been updated or changed in any way for the Finals[4], while Jim Sarni of The Miami Herald noted that the announcing team of Brad Nessler, Bill Walton and Tom Tolbert was "as bad as the basketball."
| Rating | Game | Playoff/Date |
|---|---|---|
| 13.8/23 | Los Angeles Lakers vs. Detroit Pistons | Game 5, 2004 NBA Finals |
| 12.7/17 | Los Angeles Lakers vs. Detroit Pistons | Game 4, 2004 NBA Finals |
| 11.9/22 | Detroit Pistons vs. San Antonio Spurs | Game 7, 2005 NBA Finals |
| 10.7/19 | Detroit Pistons vs. Los Angeles Lakers | Game 2, 2004 NBA Finals |
| 10.5/19 | Los Angeles Lakers vs. Detroit Pistons | Game 3, 2004 NBA Finals |
| 10.1/18 | Miami Heat vs. Dallas Mavericks | Game 6, 2006 NBA Finals |
| 9.8/17 | Detroit Pistons vs. Los Angeles Lakers | Game 1, 2004 NBA Finals |
| 9.0/17 | Dallas Mavericks vs. Miami Heat | Game 5, 2006 NBA Finals |
| 8.8/15 | Detroit Pistons vs. San Antonio Spurs | Game 6, 2005 NBA Finals |
| 8.4/15 | San Antonio Spurs vs. Detroit Pistons | Game 5, 2005 NBA Finals |
[edit] 2004 NBA Finals
In 2004, ratings for the Finals between the Los Angeles Lakers and the Detroit Pistons went up significantly right from the start, helped largely by the presence of Shaquille O'Neal and Kobe Bryant. As the series went on, and the heavily-favored Lakers were toppled by the underdog Pistons, ratings gained momentum, eventually topping out at an 11.5 overall average, the best Finals rating since 2001. Some reasons for the improved ratings, in addition to the presence of the star-studded Lakers, include the fact that the NBA pushed the games' start times back to 9:00 p.m. Eastern Time. Also, games were shifted from the traditional Wednesday-Friday-Sunday rotation to a Tuesday-Thursday-Sunday rotation, eliminating games airing on low-rated Friday nights.
Commercial promotion was ramped up for the 2004 Finals as well. Whereas the 2003 Finals received very little fanfare on ABC or corporate partner ESPN, the 2004 Finals were promoted more on both networks. Even so, NBA-related promotions on ABC were still down significantly from promotions on NBC; NBA promos took up 3 minutes and 55 seconds of airtime on ABC during the week of May 23, 2004 according to the Sports Business Daily, comparable to 2 minutes and 45 seconds for the Indianapolis 500. Promotions for the Indianapolis 500 outnumbered promotions for the NBA Finals fourteen-to-nine from the hours of 9:00 pm to 11:00 pm.[5]
[edit] 2005 NBA Finals
While the 2004 Finals showed improvement for ABC, the 2005 Finals sank back towards record-low levels. The series between the previous two champions, the Detroit Pistons and San Antonio Spurs, was widely panned by the media as a slow, boring, defensive-minded series without any captivating stars. On Tuesday, June 7, 2005, the night after Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Finals between the Pistons and Miami Heat, ESPN's SportsCenter went as far as to air a segment between host Dan Patrick and analyst Ric Bucher going over the reasons why sports fans should tune into the series. Some fans felt as if this was a knock against the Spurs and Pistons, noting that ESPN usually did not have to give reasons why to watch a championship sporting event.
The series got off to a shaky start, with four consecutive blowouts, and ratings below double digits in every game. While games 1, 3 and 4 had at least a 7.0 rating (on a Thursday, Tuesday and another Thursday respectively), Game 2 (on a Sunday night) fell to a 6.9. Games 5, 6 and 7 of the series stemmed the tide, with each game getting progressively higher ratings. All three games scored double-digit overnight ratings, and Game 7 achieved the only double-digit final rating of the series, an 11.9. The rating was only ABC's fifth double-digit final rating ever in covering the NBA; NBC had six double-digit ratings alone in 2002. The rating would also go down as one of the lowest ever ratings for a major sport championship Game 7 (joining several Stanley Cup Final game sevens). Overall, ratings for the series averaged an 8.2, the second-lowest average in league history. Many in the media and the viewing public complained that games in the 2005 Finals began too late, making it harder for those on the East Coast to view the end.
[edit] 2006 NBA Finals
| Game | Viewers | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| Game 1 | 11.5 million | 5 for the week |
| Game 2 | 12.4 million | tie-2 for the week |
| Game 3 | 12.2 million | 3 for the week |
| Game 4 | 11.5 million | 4 for the week |
| Game 5 | 14.3 million | 1 for the week |
| Game 6 | 15.7 million | 1 for the week |
Though the 2006 NBA Finals featured stars (Shaquille O'Neal, Dwyane Wade, Dirk Nowitzki and even Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban), the series between the Miami Heat and Dallas Mavericks was only slightly up from the 2005 Finals. While single-digit ratings were predicted, most notably by Houston Chronicle television sports writer David Barron[6], that the series finished with only an 8.5 ratings average served as a statement that the league's ratings would likely not return to even 2001 levels.
Even though the ratings were lower than expected, they were still higher than 2005 and much higher than 2003. In addition, ratings for the event dramatically bested the U.S. Open (which, partially due to star Tiger Woods missing the cut, got its lowest ever Saturday rating) and the Stanley Cup Finals. The 2006 Finals would stand as only the second Final on ABC to have every game get at least a 7.8 rating (higher than every game of the 2003 Finals and all but three games of the 2005 Finals). Still, two of the games were below an 8.0, and two games matched the number. Prior to ABC's involvement in the NBA, 8.0 was the lowest the Finals had gone since the tape-delay days in the early eighties, when the O.J. Simpson car chase upstaged Game 5 of the 1994 NBA Finals.
Game 6 of the series was only ABC's sixth NBA game to ever achieve a double-digit rating (10.1). While the series ranked as the third-lowest of the prime time era (since 1982), ABC press releases managed to spin the ratings in a positive light:
| “ | Additionally, the six-game average for the 2006 Finals was up from last year by 12% in household ratings (8.5 vs 7.6), by 3% in household impressions (6.2 million vs 6.0 million), by 13% in total viewers (13 million vs 11.5 million) and by 13% in adults 18-49 (5.3 vs 4.7).[7] | ” |
The ratings from the 2006 Finals signaled that the Spurs' two championships (in 2003 and 2005, which netted ABC a 6.5 and 8.2 rating respectively) were not isolated incidents of diminished interest, but instead a trend for the NBA on television. As NBA commissioner David Stern is planning to, by the end of 2006, renew and extend his TV deal with ABC, ESPN and TNT[8] (a deal that relegated most playoff games to cable and may be the most responsible for the downturn in television ratings), it is unlikely that the league will return to double digit averages for its championship series for many years.
[edit] 2007 NBA Finals
While the 2007 NBA Finals featured LeBron James making his first appearance, according to ESPN, the 2007 NBA Finals series was a television bust in the United States. [9] San Antonio's four-game sweep of Cleveland finished with a record-low 6.2 television rating and 11 share on ABC, Nielsen Media Research said on June 15, 2007.
That was down 27 percent from the 8.5/15 for Miami's six-game victory over Dallas from the previous year and 5 percent under the previous low, a 6.5/12 for San Antonio's six-game win over New Jersey in 2003. The NBA Finals averaged 9.3 million viewers this year.
San Antonio's series-winning 83-82 victory on Thursday night got a 6.5/12, down 17 percent from the 7.8/14 for Game 4 in 2006.
The ratings of the 2007 NBA Finals surpassed that of the 2003 NBA Finals as the lowest-rated series in NBA Finals history. It is suggested that these poor ratings have been attributed to numerous things, such as the fact that Cleveland and San Antonio are generally smaller markets in comparison to Los Angeles, Dallas, Miami and Detroit, cities that recently had its NBA teams in the finals.
Additionally, there has been criticism that both teams didn't score many points in the series which can also be attributed to the low ratings. The series was to bill LeBron James at the highest point in his career. He did account for a vast majority of the Cavaliers' performance in the playoffs, but was unable to deliver in the end.
Additionally, ESPN on ABC's coverage of the Finals placed far more emphasis on the legacy of the game. In other words, more attention was directed towards league stars Michael Jordan, Magic Johnson, and Larry Bird, three players responsible for the leagues success in the 1980s and 1990s. In addition, ABC's coverage placed more emphasis on celebrity and cross-network promotion. Eva Longoria, star of ABC's Desperate Housewives and then-fiancee of Spurs' point guard Tony Parker was featured at times during the games.
[edit] Cable ratings
In the 2005-2006 NBA season, ESPN and TNT's ratings were up slightly in the regular season and up significantly in the playoffs. TNT's ratings for second round playoff games were up 22 percent from the previous year, while ESPN posted double digit increases in both the first and second rounds of the playoffs. ESPN's Conference Final ratings were up 20 percent from the previous year, from a 4.0 to a 4.8. TNT's Conference Final ratings fell to their lowest level since 2003.
[edit] Turner Sports
| Year | Net. | Games | Conf. | Teams | Rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2003 | ESPN | 2, 4 | East | NJN 4, DET 0 | 2.8 |
| TNT | All | West | SAS 4, DAL 2 | 4.6 | |
| 2004 | ESPN | All | East | DET 4, IND 2 | 3.8 |
| TNT | All | West | LAL 4, MIN 2 | 6.3 | |
| 2005 | ESPN | 2, 3, 5 | West | SAS 4, PHO 1 | 4.0 |
| TNT | All | East | DET 4, MIA 3 | 5.0 | |
| 2006 | ESPN | 1, 2, 3, 5, 6 | East | MIA 4, DET 2 | 4.8 |
| TNT | All | West | DAL 4, PHO 2 | 4.6 |
The NBA on TNT (and previously TBS) has been on the air for over two decades. In the last three years, NBA coverage on TNT (with help from various dramatic telecasts, including in 2005, The Closer and Into the West) has helped the network to season wins on cable television. In 2004, the ratings for the NBA Playoffs helped TNT become the #1 ranked cable outlet for the sweeps month of May[10]. Also in 2004, TNT set a record for most viewed NBA playoff game in cable history, with 6.5 million households for Game 6 of the Western Conference Finals between the Los Angeles Lakers and Minnesota Timberwolves. A year later, TNT broke that record, with 6.75 million households for Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Finals between the Detroit Pistons and Miami Heat. That Game 7, which scored a 6.2 national rating, was not only a record, "but it out delivered all of its broadcast television competition on the night among targeted adult demos, including adults 18-34, adults 18-49, men 18-34, men 18-49, and men 25-54. Game 7 on Turner also produced a higher U.S. household rating cumulatively than shows on all broadcast networks except for those on CBS."[11]. However, ratings for that year's Conference Final were down 20.6 percent. Overall, TNT's ratings have been better than counterpart ESPN's since 2002 (the first year the networks began competing against each other). During the 2005 NBA Playoffs, TNT recorded its highest first round playoff ratings in its history of carrying the NBA; the number fell by 1 percent for the first round of the 2006 playoffs.
The May 4, 2006 telecast of Game 6 of the Phoenix Suns-Los Angeles Lakers first round series was seen in 3,713,000 homes, setting a record for a cable first round NBA playoff game. The previous record had been 3,606,000 for a 1995 game between the Chicago Bulls (who had just recently had Michael Jordan return from his first retirement) and the then-Charlotte Hornets.
TNT's May 22, 2006 Game 7 doubleheader produced high ratings. The first game of the doubleheader (Dallas Mavericks-San Antonio Spurs) generated a 5.7 rating, while the second game (Los Angeles Clippers-Phoenix Suns) scored a 4.9.
[edit] The All-Star Game
| Net. | Year | Result | Rating |
|---|---|---|---|
| NBC | 1991 | East 116, West 114 | 7.8/21 |
| NBC | 1992 | West 153, East 113 | 12.8/26 |
| NBC | 1993 | West 135, East 132 | 14.3/22 |
| NBC | 1994 | East 127, West 118 | 9.1/14 |
| NBC | 1995 | West 139, East 112 | 10.7/17 |
| NBC | 1996 | East 129, West 118 | 11.7/20 |
| NBC | 1997 | East 132, West 120 | 11.2/19 |
| NBC | 1998 | East 135, West 114 | 10.6/17 |
| NBC | 1999 | Lockout - game canceled | None |
| NBC | 2000 | East 137, West 126 | 6.9/12 |
| NBC | 2001 | East 111, West 110 | 5.1/8 |
| NBC | 2002 | West 135, East 120 | 8.2/15 |
| TNT | 2003 | West 155, East 145 (2OT) | 6.6/12 |
| TNT | 2004 | West 136, East 132 | 5.1/10 |
| TNT | 2005 | East 125, West 115 | 4.9/8 |
| TNT | 2006 | East 122, West 120 | 4.3/8 |
| TNT | 2007 | West 153, East 132 | 4.2/-- |
TNT began airing the NBA All-Star Game in 2003. That year, the All-Star Game featured NBA legend Michael Jordan's last appearance in the event, and the ratings were exceptionally strong. The game was the second most viewed NBA All-Star Game since the NBA lockout in 1999, even though it was on cable and the previous All-Star Games had been on network television (NBC). The game averaged 10.83 million viewers[12] and captured a 6.6 rating. The telecast, according to Time Warner, topped ABC and FOX in the time period. However, following this success, ratings for the event fell over the next three years. The 2005, 2006 and 2007 games each set record lows of 4.9 (2005), 4.3 (2006) and 4.2[13] (2007). Despite setting record lows, the All-Star Game is usually the highest rated and most viewed event on cable during the first quarter (January to March) of the cable television season.
[edit] ESPN
ESPN's NBA Friday and NBA Wednesday coverage has averaged ratings similar to (but slightly lower than) TNT's regular season coverage since the network began televising NBA games in 2002. On January 17, 2003, ESPN achieved the then-second highest regular season rating on cable in NBA history when it televised the first showdown between then-Los Angeles Lakers star Shaquille O'Neal and Houston Rockets then-rookie Yao Ming. The game set a record for most watched basketball game on ESPN, with a rating of 3.82. On Christmas Day 2004, ESPN's Indiana Pacers-Detroit Pistons game (a rematch of their infamous brawl) got a 3.5 rating.
In 2004, ESPN set a record for most watched basketball game on the network, with Game 6 of the Eastern Conference Finals between the Detroit Pistons and Indiana Pacers. The game scored a 5.0 rating and averaged 4.4 million households. In 2006, Game 5 of the Detroit Pistons-Miami Heat Eastern Conference Final bested that rating, netting a 5.5 with 4.9 million viewers. The game was ESPN's highest rated 2nd quarter program in network history. Game 6 of the same series got a 5.4 rating and slightly fewer viewers. The 2006 Eastern Conference Finals between the Miami and Detroit was the highest rated Conference Finals ESPN has aired, finishing with a 4.8 average.
On April 22, 2006, ESPN aired Game 1 of the Chicago Bulls-Miami Heat first round playoff series on "ESPN Full Circle" (a treatment previously given to a Duke-North Carolina college basketball game earlier that year). The 'traditional' game telecast aired on ESPN (called by Mike Tirico, Steve Jones and Bill Walton) while a telecast shown exclusively from the 'above-the-rim' camera aired on ESPN2, called by John Saunders, Greg Anthony, Tim Legler and Scottie Pippen from ESPN's Times Square studios. Additional forms of the game telecast aired on several ESPN platforms (including ESPN360 and ESPN Mobile). The Full Circle presentation resulted in a total 45 percent increase in viewership from the previous year. ESPN itself received a 26 percent increase from the previous year's presentation of a Indiana Pacers-Boston Celtics playoff game, and the game following (Los Angeles Clippers versus the Denver Nuggets) was up 17 percent over the previous year.[14]
ESPN scored its most viewed first or second round NBA playoff game with their May 19, 2006 broadcast of the San Antonio Spurs-Dallas Mavericks Game 6.
[edit] See also
- NBA on ABC
- NBA on NBC
- NBA on CBS
- NBA on TNT
- ESPN National Basketball Association coverage
- Nielsen ratings
[edit] References
- ^ 'Monday Night Football' takes a hit'
- ^ After Dust Settles, ABC Saddled With Record-Low NBA Finals
- ^ Quality Of Play Displayed In NBA Finals Widely Panned
- ^ Nets-Spurs NBA Finals Down In Both Points Scored And Ratings
- ^ The Daily Monitors ABC's Promotional Push Around NBA Finals
- ^ http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/sports/barron/3927253.html
- ^ 2006 NBA FINALS ON ABC POWERS NETWORK TO RATINGS WINS ALL SIX NIGHTS
- ^ NBA's Stern Fast-Tracks TV Rights
- ^ http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/playoffs2007/
- ^ The Finals Conclude Season of Success for Nba in 2003-04; League Sets All-Time Attendance Record, Opens Reading & Learning Centers in LA and Detroit and Sees Increases in Finals TV Ratings and NBA.com traffic.
- ^ NBA East. Game 7 Breaks Record
- ^ TNT Dunks Cable Ratings with NBA All-Stars
- ^ Ratings for NBA All-Star Game in Las Vegas Fall to Record Low
- ^ ESPN FULL CIRCLE: CHICAGO/MIAMI POSTS 45% VIEWERSHIP INCREASE
[edit] External links
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