NBA Playoffs Fuel TNT To Cable TV's Best Monthly Primetime Audience Ever

TNT finished its coverage of the '11 NBA Playoffs with a 3.5 U.S. rating and 5.5 million viewers for 40 telecasts, marking the best NBA Playoff audience ever on cable TV. This year's figures were also up 25% and 29%, respectively, from last season, and helped TNT score cable TV's best monthly primetime audience ever during May (3.6 million average viewers). In addition, NBA telecasts helped TNT earn cable TV's biggest monthly delivery ever in the 18-34 demo. The net's playoff coverage saw double-digit growth among all key adult and male demos compared to '10. TNT topped all ad-supported cable networks in primetime throughout the six weeks of coverage from April 17-May 24. Coverage of the Heat-Bulls Eastern Conference Finals featured three of the four most-viewed NBA games in cable TV history, led by Game One, which earned 11.1 million viewers. Four of the five games in the Eastern Conference Finals also ranked as basic cable's top programs for the month of May. Meanwhile, ESPN also delivered strong year-over-year growth for its NBA Playoff coverage. The net averaged a 3.1 U.S. rating and 5.0 million viewers for 18 telecasts, up 3.3% and 8.2%, respectively, from 19 telecasts last year. The net's best audience was for the Mavericks-Lakers Western Conference Semifinals Game Three, which averaged 7.7 million viewers. ESPN also saw strong growth across all key adult and male demos.