The following lists final national and cable Nielsen ratings from recent sporting events (THE DAILY).
| EVENT | DATE | NET | TIME | RAT/SHR |
| "SportsCentury" Special | 22-May | ABC | 2:00-4:00pm | 1.2/4 |
| IRL: Indy 500 Time Trials | 22-May | ABC | 4:00-6:00pm | 1.4/4 |
| LPGA Tour: Phillips Invitat'l | 22-May | CBS | 1:00-3:00pm | 1.0/4 |
| PGA Tour: Colonial Open | 22-May | CBS | 3:00-6:00pm | 2.1/6 |
| "NBA Showtime" | 22-May | NBC | 2:30-3:00pm | 2.4/8 |
| NBA Playoffs: (Jazz-T'Blazers) | 22-May | NBC | 3:00-5:45pm | 5.0/15 |
| NBA Playoffs: (Spurs-Lakers) | 22-May | NBC | 5:45-8:15pm | 6.8/17 |
| "SportsCentury" Special | 23-May | ABC | 2:00-4:00pm | 1.0/3 |
| IRL: Indy 500 Time Trials | 23-May | ABC | 4:00-6:00pm | 1.1/3 |
| LPGA Tour: Phillips Invitat'l | 23-May | CBS | 1:00-3:15pm | 1.3/4 |
| PGA Tour: Colonial Open | 23-May | CBS | 3:15-6:45pm | 3.0/8 |
| "NBA Showtime" | 23-May | NBC | noon-12:30pm | 2.7/9 |
| NBA Playoffs: (Pacers-76ers) | 23-May | NBC | 12:30-3:00pm | 6.0/18 |
| NBA Playoffs: (Hawks-Knicks) | 23-May | NBC | 3:00-5:30pm | 7.1/19 |
| NBA Playoffs: (Spurs-Lakers) | 23-May | NBC | 5:20-8:15pm | 7.7/16 |
| NHL Playoffs: (Sabres-Leafs) | 23-May | Fox | 2:00-5:00pm | 1.2/3 |
| CABLE PROGRAM | DATE | NET | US
AREA | COV
SHR | SHR | 000 |
| NBA Playoffs: (Knicks-Heat) | 10-May | TBS | 1.8 | 2.3 | 4 | 1770 |
| NBA Playoffs: (Rockets-Lakers) | 11-May | TNT | 1.8 | 2.4 | 5 | 1809 |
| NBA Playoffs: (Jazz-Kings) | 12-May | TNT | 2.6 | 3.4 | 8 | 2599 |
| NBA Playoffs: (Lakers-Rockets) | 13-May | TNT | 2.6 | 3.4 | 6 | 2619 |
| NBA Playoffs: (Jazz-Kings) | 14-May | TNT | 3.4 | 0.4 | 10 | 3340 |
| NASCAR Winston Cup: Pontiac 400 | 15-May | ESPN | 2.5 | 3.2 | 6 | 2462 |
RATINGS NOTES: CBS' 3.0/8 for the final round of the MasterCard Colonial Open was up 25% over last year's 2.4/7 (CBS)....Through three weekends, the NBA playoffs on NBC are averaging a 5.7/16, down 5% from last year's 6.0/17 (NBC). ...Fox is averaging a 1.5/4 for its coverage of the Stanley Cup playoffs, down 12% from last year (Fox). NBA: CBS SportsLine's Bob Keisser, on NBA ratings: "It is intriguing to note that NBC's final ratings are holding ground from the early-in-the-week overnights, indicating that interest in the games is stronger across the entire country and not centralized in the major markets" (CBS SportsLine, 5/28). The HOLLYWOOD REPORTER's Stephen Battaglio: "Ratings for NBC's coverage of the NBA playoffs are not far off from last year. ... The NBA's resilience will be tested in the semifinal and final rounds of the playoffs" (5/28). NBC Sports Chair Dick Ebersol: "Unless we get extreme competition in the conference finals, I wouldn't be surprised to see ratings drop 15%" (USA TODAY, 5/28). NHL: The Sabres-Maple Leafs Eastern Conference Finals Game Two provided CBC "with its best playoff audience of the spring" with 2.413 million viewers. Overall, CBC's Conference Finals ratings have averaged 1.77 million viewers, up 86% from '98 (TORONTO SUN, 5/28).
