TNT drew a 2.0 overnight rating for its NBA season-opening doubleheader of Cavaliers-Bulls and Pelicans-Warriors last night, up 15% from last year. While last night's doubleheader aired up against an extra-innings World Series opener, the NBA openers last year aired up against Giants-Royals World Series Game 6. Cavs-Bulls in the early window drew a 2.7 overnight, up 42% from the comparable Mavericks-Spurs last year. Pelicans-Warriors in the late window drew a 2.0 overnight, flat compared to Rockets-Lakers last year. The doubleheader delivered TNT a win in primetime among all cable nets. The late window matchup also drew an 8.9 local rating in the S.F.-Oakland-San Jose market, which is the best for any Warriors regular-season game on TNT on record (dating back to '03) (Austin Karp, Assistant Managing Editor).
USING SOCIAL MEDIA FOR GOOD: NBA Commissioner Adam Silver appeared on TNT’s “NBA Tip-Off” live from Oakland last night and discussed how game presentation is evolving through new media. He said, “I just came from Facebook and Instagram. I am seeing YouTube while I am here, and I am seeing Snapchat tomorrow up in L.A. It’s allowed us to extend this game to the entire global population. The vast majority of our fans, 99% of our fans, never get to experience a game in person. Many of them, because of time-zone differences, don’t even get to experience it live, so really their entire world of the NBA comes through social media, comes through highlights, comes through watching clips from you guys. I wouldn’t say it is a downside, but also at the same because there is so much out there on the league at any given time, we are trying to monitor and control it. I think players once in a while get themselves into trouble, but it’s almost virtually all positive I think because it has transformed this game” ("NBA Tip-Off," TNT, 10/27).
