ESPN earned an 8.2 overnight Nielsen rating for Thursday night’s Heat-Celtics NBA Eastern Conference Finals Game Six, marking the best overnight ever for an NBA game on cable TV, with records dating back to ’03. The 8.2 rating surpasses the previous overnight record set by Game Four of the same series. The net’s most recent Game Six was in the Celtics-Magic Eastern Conference Finals in ’10, which drew a 5.5 rating. The game peaked at a 10.0 rating during the 10:15-10:30pm ET window. In Miami-Ft. Lauderdale, the game drew a 22.0 local rating, marking the net’s highest figure ever for an NBA game in the market. The 20.5 local rating in Boston was the market’s second-best figure ever on ESPN.
THAT'S A WRAP: TNT finished its coverage of the '12 NBA Playoffs with a 3.1 U.S. rating and 4.8 million viewers over 42 telecasts, marking the net's second-best audience in 28 years of NBA Playoff coverage. This year's figures trailed only last year's playoff figures. TNT saw lower numbers for the smaller-market Thunder-Spurs Western Conference Finals this year, with the net earning a record audience for last year's Heat-Bulls series. The six games of the Thunder-Spurs series averaged a 5.0 rating and 7.8 million viewers, down 19% and 25%, respectively, from the five Heat-Bulls games last year, which averaged a 6.2 rating and 10.4 million viewers. However, Thunder-Spurs was up 16% and 13%, respectively, from ESPN's five-game Mavericks-Thunder Western Conference Finals last year (Austin Karp, THE DAILY).
LOVING THE THUNDER: In Oklahoma City, Mel Bracht noted TNT's Thunder-Spurs Game Six got a 34.9 local rating, "breaking the record" in the market of 34.1 for Thunder-Lakers Western Conference Semifinals Game Five earlier this year on TNT. Game Six “also set a record in Tulsa with a 19.3.” FS Oklahoma will “continue to follow the Thunder in the NBA Finals with special ‘Thunder Live’ postgame shows after every game." Thunder announcers Brian Davis, Grant Long and Kelly Crull will be joined by analyst Stephen Howard and anchors Dana Larson and John Rhadigan “to break down the games and offer a local perspective” (NEWSOK.com, 6/7).
HEAT WAVE: In Detroit, Mitch Albom wrote the conference finals have been so highly rated because fans "see them as the good guys vs. the bad guys.” The way “people loathe the Heat, you wonder how the players make it to the arena without the team bus being tipped over.” To the detractors, the Heat is “everything evil: famous talent, making ridiculous money, choosing to work together." Meanwhile, Albom noted as much as he is enjoying the playoffs, the only reason TNT analyst Shaquille O'Neal is on the broadcasts is “to prove how large a man can fit on how small a barstool” (
DETROIT FREE PRESS, 6/7).
