Last night’s game also drew a 17.3 local rating in MilwaukeeNBAE/GETTY IMAGES
TNT last night drew a 4.4 overnight rating for Game 1 of the Raptors-Bucks Eastern Conference Finals. Without the benefit of the Toronto market -- it is not measured by Nielsen -- the game was below each of the opening games from the '18 conference finals. TNT's coverage of Warriors-Rockets Game 1 last year on a Monday night tied for the net's best Western Conference Finals opener on record (6.7 overnight), while ABC earned a 5.4 overnight for Cavaliers-Celtics Eastern Conference Finals Game 1 on a Sunday afternoon. However, last night's rating was better than the last time the Raptors played in the Eastern Conference Finals -- their first game in ’16 against the LeBron James-led Cavaliers drew a 4.1 overnight on a Tuesday night on ESPN. Raptors-Bucks Game 1 delivered TNT a win among all cable nets in primetime and peaked at a 5.6 rating from 10:45-11:00pm ET. Last night’s game also drew a 17.3 local rating in Milwaukee, which is TNT’s second-best Bucks rating on record in the market (Austin Karp, THE DAILY).
TRAVELING ROAD SHOW: In Milwaukee, Radcliffe & Connatser in a front-page piece report TNT's "Inside the NBA" studio show "drew a sizable, raucous, crowd on the plaza at Fiserv Forum" before Raptors-Bucks Game 1. The show will be on the road throughout the duration of the Eastern Conference Finals, with shows "scheduled for each of the four potential games in Milwaukee, as well as the three at Scotiabank Arena in Toronto." TNT's Charles Barkley at one point "stepped down off the stage to interact with fans shortly before the broadcast began," while Shaquille O'Neal "obliged a fan request for a selfie, taking a camera and snapping a photo with the crowd in the background." Meanwhile, chants of "Paul Pierce sucks" broke out despite Pierce working on ESPN's pregame show. Pierce deemed the Bucks' earlier series against the Celtics "over" after a Game 1 loss, and Milwaukee "hasn't forgotten" (MILWAUKEE JOURNAL SENTINEL, 5/16).
TURNING OFF THE MIC: Marv Albert and Chris Webber are calling the Eastern Conference Finals for TNT, but in N.Y., Andrew Marchand noted Albert could be nearing the "end of his career" as Turner's lead NBA voice. The 77-year-old Albert has two more seasons on his contract, and WarnerMedia Chair of News & Sports Jeff Zucker "should tell Albert he can remain the No. 1 guy, do the All-Star Game and the conference finals in a farewell season" in '19-20. Then, Albert "could still come back for a small package of games" for the final year of his deal in '20-21. It is "smart to jump out in front of the decision to avoid a grinding, uncomfortable finality with too many unforced turnovers" (NYPOST.com, 5/15).
