TNT averaged a 3.6 overnight rating for its NBA season-opening doubleheader last night, which featured Bulls-Heat in the early window and Clippers-Lakers in the late window. Last year's opening doubleheader -- Celtics-Heat and Mavericks-Lakers -- drew a 3.8 overnight. The Bulls-Heat game drew a 4.2 overnight, marking the net's best opening game since '09, despite the Heat having a large lead for most of the game. The game peaked at a 4.5 rating from 10:30-10:45pm ET. Last year's Celtics-Heat drew a 3.9 overnight. The Clippers-Lakers matchup saw a dropoff as Lakers G Kobe Bryant was not playing in the game, as the game rating peaked during the first 15 minutes. The 3.6 overnight for the doubleheader still paces well ahead of last season's final average (Austin Karp, Assistant Managing Editor).
DORIS' DAY: In Newark, Dave D'Alessandro wrote ESPN's "NBA Countdown," with the addition of Doris Burke, is "about to get infinitely smarter." Burke said, "This is a completely new position for me, and I have to learn the mechanics of hosting and being a commentator. So I’m not quite sure yet what my approach will be. The one thing I will say is, I’m comfortable in my ability to talk about the game, and comfortable in my ability to ask good questions to solicit good responses." D'Alessandro: "Perhaps her greatest achievement is that she’s made gender irrelevant" (Newark STAR-LEDGER, 10/29).
STEELE RESOLVE: ESPN's Sage Steele today talked about her role as a host for "NBA Countdown" and said she was "shocked when they offered me" the role, but she "jumped at it." Steele: "It's a no-brainer." She noted she and analysts Doug Collins, Jalen Rose and Bill Simmons got together for a mock show last week, the first time she had worked with all of them at once. Steele: "The cool thing is the chemistry was there. ... I was pleasantly surprised." She downplayed the significance of hosting the show as an African-American woman, saying, "There have been so many women who've come before me. ... I just need to keep it more simple for my head. I can't make it that deep" ("The Dan Patrick Show," 10/30).
WEATHER PATTERN: In Oklahoma City, Mel Bracht noted the Thunder's viewership reach is growing by 65% this season, adding "more than 1.5 million homes with the telecasts expanding into western Missouri, Nebraska and more of Kansas." Thunder VP/Corporate Communications & Community Relations Dan Mahoney said that telecasts last season reached "about 2.3 million homes, which included Little Rock and Fort Smith, Ark." The team's new "five-state TV region of Oklahoma, Kansas, Arkansas, Missouri and Nebraska will reach about 3.8 million homes." Mahoney said that K.C., which will "air 61 telecasts, will account for almost half of the new homes with more than 700,000 homes." The number of Thunder telecasts on FS K.C. and FS Midwest will "range from 52 to 70, depending on the market" (NEWSOK.com, 10/29).
TIME TO PLAY THE GAME: The NBA GameTime App and League Pass on an authenticated basis are available on the PS3 and PS Vita for the start of the season. PlayStation already carries the NHL Gamecenter and MLB.TV apps on PS3 (John Ourand, Staff Writer).
