Lakers-Spurs Game Four Leads TNT To Huge Ratings Gains

Lakers-Spurs Game Four Gives TNT Ratings Boost

CABLE GUYS: DAILY VARIETY's John Dempsey reports TNT topped all cable nets in viewers for the April 28-May 25 period, taking USA Network "out of first place for the first monthly period since December." TNT, buoyed by the NBA Playoffs, averaged 2.9 million viewers in primetime for the month, up 12% from '07. NBA games on TNT also marked six of the 10 highest-rated individual programs for the month on cable, led by the Spurs-Hornets Western Conference Semifinals Game Seven on May 19, which was the most-watched show of the month with 6.5 million viewers. Meanwhile, "large numbers of NBA playoff games propelled ESPN to a solid third-place finish" for the month with an average of 1.8 million viewers, up 28% from '07 (DAILY VARIETY, 5/29). CABLEFAX DAILY notes the top 10 highest-rated cable broadcasts of the month all were NBA games on TNT and ESPN (CABLEFAX DAILY, 5/29). In the week ending May 25, NBA broadcasts on TNT and ESPN accounted for the top six rated cable programs (USA TODAY, 5/29).

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