On the heels of record-setting audience numbers during the '11-12 season, NBA TV set more records during the net's season season-opening doubleheader on Wednesday night. The Lakers-Trail Blazers telecast in the 10:30pm ET window averaged 868,000 viewers, topping the premiere of the "Dream Team" documentary on June 13 (847,000 viewers) as the net's most-viewed telecast ever. The top game audience before Lakers-Trail Blazers on Wednesday was 835,000 viewers for Game Five of the Grizzlies-Spurs Western Conference First Round playoff series in '11. Combined with Spurs-Hornets in the early window on Wednesday night, NBA TV averaged 758,000 viewers for the two games, marking the net's best opening-night doubleheader to date (Austin Karp, THE DAILY). Meanwhile, Time Warner Cable SportsNet earned a 2.82 local rating (89,000 HHs) in L.A. for Lakers-Trail Blazers, which was the net's first Lakers regular-season telecast. Last year, Lakers games on FS West averaged a 4.7 rating. Wednesday night's game was not seen in DirecTV, Dish Network or Cox homes, which accounts for about 44% of the L.A. market. Sources said DirecTV still is having talks with TWC about carrying the channel. A source with knowledge of the talks described the discussions as positive (John Ourand, THE DAILY).
FILLING THE STATBOOK: The Pistons' season-opener against the Rockets on Wednesday drew a 4.6 local rating on FS Detroit, "which was nearly double last season's 2.88 opening-game rating." The figure also was the "highest recorded" local rating for the Pistons since the '09-10 season (DETROITNEWS.com, 11/1). Meanwhile, Comcast SportsNet Bay Area scored the highest-rated Warriors season opener since '95 with a 3.71 local rating for Wednesday's game against the Suns. The net led all telecasts in the S.F.-Oakland-San Jose market that night among adults 18-34, as well as males 18-49, 18-34 and 25-54 (CSN Bay Area). ESPN’s “Coast To Coast” on Wednesday night posted a 0.7 rating and more than 800,000 viewers, the best record for the show in both categories (ESPN).
GAME BOYS: The HOLLYWOOD REPORTER’s John Gaudiosi reported mobile game developer Ogmento signed a new multiyear deal with the NBA and has a “new location-based hoops experience for gamers” with the game “NBA: King of the Court 2.” The game “focuses on location-based gaming by encouraging players to visit real world locations to compete on virtual courts.” Once they become “King of the Court locally, they can enter a tiered multiplayer system to compete for state, country and global basketball domination.” All 30 NBA teams are “represented in the game, which offers single-player and multiplayer options” (HOLLYWOODREPORTER.com, 11/1).
WELCOME TO THE TEAM: CSN Bay Area named former ESPN NBA reporter Ric Bucher a sideline reporter for Warriors home telecasts. Bucher also will provide coverage for programs such as "SportsNet Central," "Chronicle Live," "Warriors Pregame Live," "Warriors Postgame Live," and for CSNBayArea.com’s “WarriorsTalk” page (CSN Bay Area).
