Cleveland led all local markets with a 24.6 rating for Game 4, followed by Boston with a 12.9NBAE/GETTY IMAGES
ESPN earned a 6.1 overnight rating last night for the Cavaliers' 111-102 win over the Celtics in Game 4 of the Eastern Conference Finals, marking the net's highest-rated Game 4 for any conference finals in six years. That game -- Heat-Celtics -- drew a 7.9 rating on a Sunday night. Last night's rating is up 45% from a 4.2 last year for Warriors-Spurs Game 4, which also aired on a Monday night and saw the series end in a sweep. Last night's game peaked with a 7.2 rating from 11:00-11:15pm ET. Cleveland led all local markets with a 24.6 rating, followed by Boston (12.9) and Columbus (12.1). ESPN also saw an increase for "NBA Countdown," which drew a 1.3 rating, up 8% from '17 (Josh Carpenter, Assistant Editor).
WHO CARES ABOUT THE SCORE? YAHOO SPORTS' Dan Wetzel notes the NBA playoffs have become "ratings blowout-proof," as watching some of the "all-time greats pour in points has proven intoxicating for fans." The Cavs' nine-point win last night is the "closest in terms of margin of victory this round in either conference" and the average "margin of victory for both series is still a whopping 21.9." Despite that, execs at the NBA, ESPN and TNT "awake to ratings that, by most measurements, keep going up and up." Warriors-Rockets Game 1 was TNT's highest-rated opener for a Western Conference Finals, and social media engagement keeps "setting records also." The league is "rolling, especially among coveted younger fans, and the fact that no one can manage a close game hardly seems to matter" (SPORTS.YAHOO.com, 5/22). In San Jose, Chuck Barney notes even with the blowouts, TNT is "posting some impressive ratings." Through three games, the Western Conference Finals have "averaged eight million viewers." That is up 30% from TNT’s coverage of last year’s Cavaliers-Celtics Eastern Conference Finals and an 18% boost over the '17 Western Finals. TNT's Marv Albert said that the solid ratings are a "testament to the NBA’s ever-growing popularity" (San Jose MERCURY NEWS, 5/22). FS1's Colin Cowherd said while blowouts in conference finals are "not hurting ratings ... these games are getting really uncompetitive" ("Speak For Yourself," FS1, 5/21).
GOING ALL IN: CNN MONEY's Ahiza Garcia noted ESPN is "doubling down on basketball content," as millennials "love basketball." According to the Simmons National Consumer Study, about a quarter -- 26% -- of NBA fans are "between the ages of 18-34." The "coveted demographic could give ESPN a leg up with advertisers and brands." That is "likely why ESPN's plans to launch four new basketball-centric projects this season" (MONEY.CNN.com, 5/21).
