Suns-Spurs Series Fuels TNT, ESPN Playoff Ratings, Viewership
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Suns-Spurs Series Helping
Drive NBA Playoff TV Ratings |
For its first 17 telecasts of the NBA Playoffs through April 28, TNT is averaging a 2.1 U.S. rating, up 20% from the same period last season. The net has also seen a 22% jump in HHs, as well as gains over 30% in all key demos, including adults and males 18-34, 18-49 and 25-54. TNT's telecast of Suns-Spurs Game Two on April 22, which averaged 4.4 million viewers, is the postseason's most-viewed game on cable. On ESPN for its playoff coverage is averaging a 2.4 coverage rating and 3.0 million viewers through seven telecasts, up 20.0% and 33.1%, respectively, from a 2.0 rating and 2.3 million viewers through the same point in the playoffs last season. ESPN has won the male 18-34 demo on cable for all three nights of its NBA playoff telecasts to date, seeing a 33% gain in the demo compared to same point last post-season. ESPN2, which has had one telecast (Pistons-76ers Game Three), averaged a 0.8 coverage rating (1.0 million viewers), up from a 0.5 rating and 470,000 viewers for Raptors-Nets Game Three last year (THE DAILY).
REGIONAL NOTES: Sun Sports' telecast of the series-clinching Magic-Raptors Game Five on Monday night drew a 4.6 HH rating and 65,000 HHs in the Orlando/Daytona Beach/Melbourne market. The game marked the highest-rated and most-viewed Magic telecast on the net since '03, and was the No. 1 rated cable program in the market during the time period (Sun Sports)....Ratings for the three Hawks-Celtics games that have appeared on TNT have averaged a 2.2 national rating, but they "have averaged better than [double] that at 4.6" for local TNT ratings in the Atlanta market (BIZJOURNALS.com, 4/29).
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