ABC averaged a 13.9 overnight rating for the six-game Warriors-Cavaliers NBA Finals, the highest-rated Finals since NBC averaged a 14.8 for the five-game Lakers-76ers series in '01. The overnight for Warriors-Cavs is up 31% from a 10.6 rating for Spurs-Heat last year, which went five games. The Warriors' clinching win last night earned a 15.9 overnight, making it the highest-rated Game 6 ever for the net and up 8% from a 14.7 for Heat-Spurs Game 6 in '13. Last night's game peaked with an 18.8 rating from 11:45pm-12:00am ET. Game 6 generated an all-time high 40.7 local rating in the S.F.-San Jose-Oakland market. Cleveland-Akron drew a 42.0 rating, the fifth-highest ever for an NBA game in the market on either ABC or ESPN. ABC is expected to win the night for the 48th straight time when airing an NBA Finals matchup. Meanwhile, Game 6 garnered 939,000 unique viewers on WatchESPN, the most ever for an NBA game on the platform (Karp & Carpenter, THE DAILY).
NIGHT MOVES: The HOLLYWOOD REPORTER's Michael O'Connell wrote ABC "might not often get the chance to air sports -- but on the rare occasion it boasts an athletic event, at least it's a huge one." Prior to last night's Game 6, Warriors-Cavalier was "outpacing CBS' fall run of 'Thursday Night Football'" and was "essentially tied" with the 14-week run of NBC's "SNF." In season or out, that "means a lot to a network that hasn't aired" an NFL game since the '06 Super Bowl. ABC once again used the Finals "as a platform for No. 2 late-night talker Jimmy Kimmel, and the lifts have helped" his 11:35pm ET weeknight telecast and the "primetime specials airing prior to the games." But the "real feat will be if the network can parlay basketball's promotional platform into continued summer success." The net is "aggressively marketing the Sunday launch of 'Celebrity Family Feud'" and its "resurrection of 'BattleBots'" (HOLLYWOODREPORTER.com, 6/16).
BOOK OF MATTHEW: Cavaliers G Matthew Dellavedova before June was averaging 2,337 new Twitter followers every month, according to an analysis by sports analytics firm MVPindex. In the last 30 days, Dellavedova has earned 44,011 new followers. Meanwhile, in April, Dellavedova had 19,422 Facebook page likes. Fast forward to yesterday and he has seen a gain of 114,303 (+589%). In the last 30 days alone, Dellavedova has gained 106,063 new Facebook likes, well above his average for the five months prior of 2,764 likes per month (Karp).
