NBC earned a 11.7/20 Nielsen overnight rating for last
night's Knicks-Spurs NBA Finals Game One, down 38% from last
year's 18.8/31 Game One overnight rating, which was the
highest rated NBA Finals Game One ever (THE DAILY).
TIME AFTER TIME: In N.Y., Harvey Araton wants the games
to start earlier and says that if the NBA took advantage of
scheduling games on Sundays, "three of the possible seven
games could have begun at 7:30 in the East and finished at
7:30 in the West." Araton: "Something good for the fans, to
conclude a season that began three months late. Does anyone
even remember the lockout?" (N.Y. TIMES, 6/17).
KEEP YOUR PROMOTIONS RUNNIN': During last night's Game
One action, NBC ran a promo for its coverage of the NASCAR
Pennzoil 400 in November (THE DAILY).
EVEN MONEY: In N.Y., Richard Wilner reports that NBC's
ad rates for the Finals increased between 8% and 12% over
last year, with a 30-second spot costing "roughly" $350,000.
Wilner writes that the increase "remains a positive sign"
for NBC. The network priced its ads to "break even" on 15
playoff games -- the combined number of games it broadcasts
in the two Conference Finals and the NBA Finals. Wilner:
"Only a sweep in the Finals will cause NBC to lose money in
the deal's first year" (N.Y. POST, 6/17).
