Final Three NBA Finals Games Help Lead ABC To Demo Win For Week

The final three games of the Lakers-Magic NBA Finals ranked as the top-rated programs in adults 18-49 for the week of June 8-14, leading ABC to a victory in the demo for the week with a 2.7 average rating, according to Rick Kissell of DAILY VARIETY. ABC also was the "easy leader" in adults 25-54 (2.9 rating) while winning by smaller margins in persons 12-34 (1.8) and total viewers (7.3 million). NBA Finals Game Four earned a 6.4 rating in adults 18-49, making it the highest-rated game of the series in the demo and the top-rated program for any telecast since the May 20 finale of Fox' "American Idol" (DAILY VARIETY, 6/17). In California, Steven Herbert writes as with "most sporting events, traditionally hard-to-reach young men flocked to the NBA finals, with the five games drawing the five largest audiences among men ages 18-34 since February when the Super Bowl was played" (ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER, 6/17). The chart below lists the top 10 most-viewed programs for the week of June 8-14. The NBA Finals trophy presentation, which ran for 20 minutes, is not ranked. It earned a 7.5 rating and 13.475 million viewers (THE DAILY).

TAKING THE GOOD WITH THE BAD: In DC, Lisa de Moraes lists ABC's NBA Finals coverage as a Winner for the week, as the final three games "catapulted ABC to its most watched summer week in five years." But de Moraes also lists the Finals as a Loser for the week, as Lakers-Magic overall was "down 4[%] compared with last year." de Moraes: "In fairness, last year it was the Boston Celtics battling the Los Angeles Lakers" (WASHINGTON POST, 6/17).

KEEP THE MOMENTUM GOING: The NHL scored the most viewers for a game in 36 years with the Penguins' Game Seven win over the Red Wings last Friday, and ESPN Radio's Mike Greenberg said, "That’s exactly what they needed." Greenberg: "It was a terrific night and I am surprised, and pleasantly so, to see many people watched. ... That was sort of a best case scenario for them because you don’t get that kind of rating unless you get some casual fans" ("Mike & Mike in the Morning," ESPN2, 6/17). ESPN.com's Jackie MacMullan said, "The problem with the NHL is what they have got to do is capture this lightning in a bottle now and make it so it doesn't have to be the Pittsburgh Penguins that get to the finals and the Detroit Red Wings that get to the finals to then carry it forward. They have to find a way to market their players the way the NBA does." NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman has to "find a way to market the success he's had now and make it good for the future." FanHouse.com's Jay Mariotti: "The NHL has found its audience. I didn't know there were eight million people in this country that cared about hockey." Denver Post columnist Woody Paige: "They have got to hook up with major companies and get these players who are good guys, great guys in a lot of instances, doing puppet commercials, doing all sorts of advertisement endorsements. ... Do you ever see [Penguins C] Sidney Crosby in a national commercial? No" ("Around The Horn," ESPN, 6/16). 

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