National Basketball Association Nielsen ratings
Encyclopedia
The National Basketball Association
achieved a rapid rise and fall in television ratings
from the 1997–1998 NBA season
, when ratings for the NBA Finals
achieved a record high, to the 2002–2003 NBA season
, when ratings for the same event hit an all-time record low. Blame for this rise and fall has been pinned on the destructive NBA lockout
which occurred right after the 1998 season. The lockout wiped out thirty-two games of the 1998–1999 season
and caused fan apathy. Other blame has been put on the retirement of Chicago Bulls
star Michael Jordan
, also on backlash against the "hip-hop" culture of the league, and as well as heavy competition from prime time
programming such as American Idol
, the CSI shows, and Dancing With The Stars
.
Despite the problems in the early-to-mid-2000s, the NBA's regular season ratings average was (and is) on par with Major League Baseball
's, and ratings for the finals continue to outdraw competing events that occur during the same month, golf's U.S. Open
and the Stanley Cup Finals.
Since 2007, NBA ratings have steadily risen, thanks to the resurgence of nationally recognized NBA teams, their star power, and their annual presence in the NBA Finals. The 2010 Finals, Game 7, had the best rating for a basketball game in the modern NBA on ABC era, and the 2011 Finals held steady in the ratings department as well. Both series drew over a 10 rating, beating the World Series
in consecutive years for the first time ever.
However despite the declining TV ratings in the early 2000's and moderate ratings after, NBA's television audience is often younger, and thus very attractive to advertisers
During CBS'
tenure as NBA over-the-air carrier, the NBA experienced its first resurgence, under the leadership of Los Angeles Lakers
guard Magic Johnson
and rival Boston Celtics
forward Larry Bird
. After the then-lowest Nielsen ratings
in NBA history in 1981
, Bird and Magic led the NBA to unprecedented popularity, and much higher ratings. Before the arrival of the two stars, and the recreation of the previously-fiery Lakers–Celtics rivalry, NBA ratings on CBS were so low that the network aired NBA Finals games in both 1980
and 1981
on tape delay. From 1978
to 1981, no NBA Finals achieved even a 10 average rating. Once the Lakers-Celtics rivalry heated up, ratings went up dramatically. CBS increased its commitment to the NBA, while America warmed up to the league nationally for the first time. In 1987, the NBA Finals
hit a then-record rating of 15.9. In 1988, CBS achieved its only 20+ rating for an individual NBA game when the network got a 21.2 rating for Game 7 of the 1988 NBA Finals
between the Lakers and the Detroit Pistons
. The Pistons would be in the next two NBA Finals, including a sweep the next year, and the lowest ratings CBS had seen in six years the year after that, with a 12.3 in 1990. The 1990 Finals
was also CBS' last, after nearly two decades televising the NBA. While the network broadcast every Bird-Magic Finals, it never broadcast any Final involving Michael Jordan, who, starting the year after CBS ended involvement with the league, would dominate the NBA in a way that neither Bird or Magic had. In 1989-90
, the final year of the CBS deal, the regular season rating stood at a 5.2. (Each rating point represents 931,000 households.)
aired) was the lone NBA Finals between the domination of Bird and Magic and the domination of then up-and-coming star Michael Jordan
. In 1991, NBC's first year with the NBA, the network got its dream matchup. Jordan's Bulls finally broke through, after several years of being dominated by the Detroit Pistons
, and made it to the Finals. Jordan and the Bulls played Magic Johnson and the Lakers, who were making what was to be their last appearance in the NBA Finals for the next nine years. The hype for the star-studded series was robust, and the ratings were the highest since 1987, when the Celtics and Lakers played for the final time. The next year, Jordan's Bulls once again made the Finals. Their competition that year was the Portland Trail Blazers
, a team with fewer stars and from a smaller city. The ratings fell to a 14.2, the second-lowest rating for the Finals since 1986. In 1993, the NBA hit a high point. The six-game series between the Bulls and the bombastic Charles Barkley
's Phoenix Suns
averaged a 17.9 rating, a mark that eclipsed the previous record of 15.9.
The 1993 Finals were Michael Jordan's last before his first retirement. The Houston Rockets
would take the next two titles consecutively. The ratings for those next two Finals decreased, but still had above-average views, and the 1995 Finals even came to within .3 ratings points of the 1995 Finals and featured Superstar Shaquille O'Neal
making the finals with the Orlando Magic
, which were swept 4-0 by the Rockets. After the two seasons, Jordan returned. Subsequently, and almost instantly, ratings greatly increased. Jordan's first game back, a March 19, 1995 game between the Bulls and the Indiana Pacers
, scored a 10.9 rating for NBC, the highest rated regular-season NBA game of all time. Ratings for the Finals (which the Bulls played in the following three years) went up sharply as well. Game 1 of the 1996 NBA Finals
between the Chicago Bulls
and Seattle SuperSonics
, the Bulls' 107-90 win at home in the United Center
earned a 16.8 rating
and a 31 share on NBC. In addition, Game 1 was viewed in a then record 16,111,200 homes. On June 16, 1996, Game 6 of the NBA Finals (where the Bulls clinched their fourth NBA Championship in six years) drew an 18.8 rating and a 35 share. The six games of the 1996 NBA Finals averaged a 16.7 rating which ranks second all-time behind the 1993 NBA Finals. The six games of the 1993 NBA Finals
between the Bulls and Phoenix Suns
averaged a 17.9 rating. The next year, ratings for the Chicago Bulls-Utah Jazz
series were slightly better, before the 1998 Finals blew away the 1993 record, averaging an 18.7 rating—one which will likely not be matched by the NBA Finals for the foreseeable future. The deciding Game 6 (and Michael Jordan's final game with the Bulls) registered an NBA record 22.3 rating with a 38 share. The game was viewed by 72 million people, breaking the record set earlier that postseason by Game 7 of the 1998 Eastern Conference Finals
between the Indiana Pacers
and the Bulls (that same game set a record for highest-rated non-Finals NBA game with a 19.1/33). The 1998 Finals managed to best the ratings for that year's World Series
, the first of only three NBA Finals ever to do so.
set in motion the decline in NBA ratings which continues today. Ratings for the 1999 NBA Finals
(which in fairness, came after a lockout shortened season
) were down significantly from the previous year, from an 18.7 to an 11.3. Primetime regular season games, which had become fairly routine (and highly-rated) during the Jordan years, set record lows for NBC once Jordan retired. With the rise of the Los Angeles Lakers
in the early part of the 2000s, ratings improved, but never to the level of the 80's or the 90's.The highest NBA Finals ratings on NBC after Jordan left was the 2001 Finals, which featured the dominant and then-defending champion Lakers with Shaq and Kobe Bryant
versus the polarizing Allen Iverson
and the underdog Philadelphia 76ers
. The ratings for that series were a 12.1, still down 35 percent from 1998. NBC's last Finals, in 2002, came after a resurgence in playoff ratings (including a 14.2 rating for Game 7 of the Western Conference Finals). However, the Finals itself registered the lowest ratings the event had seen since 1981, topping out at a 10.2 average.
ABC's regular season NBA television ratings
have routinely finished between a 2.0 and a 2.5 ratings score. While these ratings compare favorably to the NHL's
Stanley Cup Finals, it is extremely low by NBA standards. Thirty-nine (or just over a third of) NBA games on ABC have registered a 2.1 or lower rating. Twice in March 2004, ABC registered a 1.1 rating with a 3 share, the lowest rating on a broadcast network in NBA history. ABC's March 28, 2004 telecast featuring the Dallas Mavericks
and the team with one of the worst records in the NBA, the Orlando Magic
, was outdrawn by the NCAA Division II Basketball Championship game on CBS. ABC has routinely had games register ratings of below 2.0, and has set record lows for NBA network TV ratings in each of its first two seasons. Without the aid of the Shaquille O'Neal-Kobe Bryant matchup in the 2004–2005 season, ABC would have set another record low that year. Even with that aid, the network was only able to register a 2.4 average rating (which was even with the record low from the previous season). ABC set a record low for average playoff ratings during the 2005 NBA Playoffs
, even as rival TNT (also experiencing lower ratings) set a record for the highest ratings the NBA had ever gotten on cable, thanks to Game 7 of the 2005 Eastern Conference Finals.
ABC tied its record low ratings mark from the 2004-05 season in 2005-06, scoring a 2.2 average overall. On March 19, 2006, a rained-out NASCAR
telecast got a higher television rating than ABC's presentation of the Los Angeles Lakers
-Cleveland Cavaliers
game (featuring Kobe Bryant versus Lebron James). While the game itself had ratings 30 percent higher than the previous year, the situation was an embarrassment for both the NBA and the PGA Tour (which was also outdrawn by the rain delay). On April 30, 2006, another rained-out race outrated an NBA game (Miami Heat
-Chicago Bulls
, First Round, Game 4). One factor in this is the fact that NASCAR usually outrates regular season NBA (as well as Major League Baseball
and National Hockey League
) games by over 200 percent.
ABC's NBA ratings began to bounce back during the 2006 NBA Playoffs
, led by their highest Sunday afternoon rating since taking over the NBA for Cleveland Cavaliers
-Detroit Pistons
Game 7 (6.1/14). Overall, ABC's 2006 NBA Playoff coverage averaged a 3.8, up from 2005, but still down from 2004.
, NBC experienced a growth in playoff ratings, leading to the highest rated Western Conference Finals
in NBA history, and a 14.2 rating for Game 7 of that series, which featured the Los Angeles Lakers
and Sacramento Kings
. ABC's highest rating overall was a 15.6 with which came in Game 7 of the 2010 NBA Finals
--lower than the 14.2 registered by the Lakers-Kings series. While other sports were also languishing with low ratings (i.e., baseball
, which has seen three out of the last four World Series score near record-low ratings), the NBA joined the ratings-challenged NHL
as the only two out of the four major sports to have their championship ratings dip below a 10.0. (Baseball joined the family when the 2008
, 2010
, and perhaps 2011 World Series
all dipped below the 10 mark.)
lower than a 10.0. In 2003
, thanks in part to a playoff schedule in which the Finals began nearly a week after the Conference Finals ended, ratings for the series between the San Antonio Spurs
and the New Jersey Nets
plunged to a record-low 6.5. Game 6 of the series, the deciding game, ranked number 6 in number of households watched, and games were routinely beaten by reruns of series on CBS
. Many attributed the drop to a relatively superstar-free Finals
, which involved two small markets. Others pinned the massive ratings drop on bad play (the score at halftime of Game 3 was 33-30), and former ABC Sports Vice President Jim Spence was quoted as laying part of the blame on ABC itself:
In addition, unlike previous NBA Finals
, games routinely began at 8:30 p.m. Eastern Time, nearly forty-five minutes earlier than normal. In what was viewed as an insult to some fans, ABC had movie reviewer Joel Siegel
as a guest for halftime of Game 6. Siegel and Mike Tirico spent most of halftime talking about the upcoming summer movies, including featuring a look at music from Hulk
. The segment ended with Siegel and Tirico, both wearing toy Incredible Hulk
hands, pounding fists. On the segment, the Sports Business Daily quoted Joe Hawk of the Review-Journal as saying:
No game in the series reached a 7.6 Nielsen rating, and none of the games reached a double-digit overnight rating. In addition to Game 2 of the 2005 NBA Finals, Games 1, 2, 4 and 5 of the 2003 series rank as the only championship games out of the NBA, MLB and NFL to have below a 7.0 rating. The poor ratings were a surprise to many in the media, and, while the overall quality of play in the series was criticized the most, ABC's telecasts also received a large amount of criticism. The New York Post
's Andrew Marchand took notice of the fact that ABC's graphics had not been updated or changed in any way for the Finals, while Jim Sarni of The Miami Herald
noted that the announcing team of Brad Nessler
, Bill Walton
and Tom Tolbert
was "as bad as the basketball."
Also, 2003 was the only year that ABC broadcast both the NBA Finals and the Stanley Cup Finals that involved teams from one city in the same year. During Game 3 of the NBA Finals at Continental Airlines Arena on June 8, 2003, Nessler, Walton, and Tolbert indicated that the New Jersey Devils
would be playing the Anaheim Mighty Ducks
in Game 7 of their finals
at Continental Airlines Arena the following night and that ABC would be broadcasting it. The following night, Gary Thorne
, Bill Clement, and John Davidson all indicated that ABC broadcast crews were in a situation having to broadcast two games from Continental Airlines Arena in as many nights: first Game 3 of the NBA Finals, then Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Finals. Bob Cole
and Harry Neale
also indicated the situation ABC was in during their broadcast
of Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Finals on the CBC
.
In 2004
, ratings for the Finals
between the Los Angeles Lakers
and the Detroit Pistons
went up significantly right from the start, helped largely by the presence of Shaquille O'Neal
and Kobe Bryant
. As the series went on, and the heavily-favored Lakers were toppled by the underdog Pistons, ratings gained momentum, eventually topping out at an 11.5 overall average, the best Finals rating since 2001
. Some reasons for the improved ratings, in addition to the presence of the star-studded Lakers, include the fact that the NBA pushed the games' start times back to 9:00 p.m. Eastern Time. Also, games were shifted from the traditional Wednesday-Friday-Sunday rotation to a Tuesday-Thursday-Sunday rotation, eliminating games airing on low-rated Friday nights
.
Commercial promotion was ramped up for the 2004 Finals
as well. Whereas the 2003 Finals
received very little fanfare on ABC or corporate partner ESPN, the 2004 Finals were promoted more on both networks. Even so, NBA-related promotions on ABC
were still down significantly from promotions on NBC; NBA promos took up 3 minutes and 55 seconds of airtime on ABC during the week of May 23, 2004 according to the Sports Business Daily, comparable to 2 minutes and 45 seconds for the Indianapolis 500
. Promotions for the Indianapolis 500 outnumbered promotions for the NBA Finals fourteen-to-nine from the hours of 9:00 pm to 11:00 pm.
sank back towards record-low levels. The series between the previous two champions, the Detroit Pistons
and San Antonio Spurs
, was widely panned by the media as a slow, boring, defensive-minded series without any captivating stars. On Tuesday, June 7, 2005, the night after Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Finals
between the Pistons and Miami Heat
, ESPN's SportsCenter
went as far as to air a segment between host Dan Patrick
and analyst Ric Bucher
going over the reasons why sports fans should tune into the series. Some fans felt as if this was a knock against the Spurs and Pistons, noting that ESPN usually did not have to give reasons why to watch a championship sporting event.
The series got off to a shaky start, with four consecutive blowouts, and ratings below double digits in every game. While games 1, 3 and 4 had at least a 7.0 rating (on a Thursday, Tuesday and another Thursday respectively), Game 2 (on a Sunday night) fell to a 6.9. Games 5, 6 and 7 of the series stemmed the tide, with each game getting progressively higher ratings. All three games scored double-digit overnight ratings, and Game 7 achieved the only double-digit final rating of the series, an 11.9. The rating was only ABC's fifth double-digit final rating ever in covering the NBA; NBC had six double-digit ratings alone in 2002. The rating would also go down as one of the lowest ever ratings for a major sport championship Game 7 (joining several Stanley Cup Final game sevens). Overall, ratings for the series averaged an 8.2, the second-lowest average in league history. Many in the media and the viewing public complained that games in the 2005 Finals began too late, making it harder for those on the East Coast
to view the end.
Though the 2006 NBA Finals featured stars (Shaquille O'Neal
, Dwyane Wade
, Dirk Nowitzki
and even Dallas Mavericks
owner Mark Cuban
), the series between the Miami Heat
and Dallas Mavericks
was only slightly up from the 2005 Finals. While single-digit ratings were predicted, most notably by Houston Chronicle
television sports writer David Barron, that the series finished with only an 8.5 ratings average served as a statement that the league's ratings would likely not return to even 2001 levels.
Even though the ratings were lower than expected, they were still higher than 2005 and much higher than 2003. In addition, ratings for the event dramatically bested the U.S. Open
(which, partially due to star Tiger Woods
missing the cut, got its lowest ever Saturday rating) and the Stanley Cup Finals. The 2006 Finals would stand as only the second Final on ABC to have every game get at least a 7.8 rating (higher than every game of the 2003 Finals and all but three games of the 2005 Finals). Still, two of the games were below an 8.0, and two games matched the number. Prior to ABC's involvement in the NBA, 8.0 was the lowest the Finals had gone since the tape-delay days in the early eighties
, when the O.J. Simpson car chase upstaged Game 5 of the 1994 NBA Finals
.
Game 6 of the series was only ABC's sixth NBA game to ever achieve a double-digit rating (10.1). While the series ranked as the third-lowest of the prime time
era (since 1982
), ABC press releases managed to spin the ratings in a positive light:
The ratings from the 2006 Finals signaled that the Spurs' two championships (in 2003 and 2005, which netted ABC a 6.5 and 8.2 rating respectively) were not isolated incidents of diminished interest, but instead a trend for the NBA on television. As NBA commissioner David Stern
is planning to, by the end of 2006, renew and extend his TV deal with ABC, ESPN and TNT (a deal that relegated most playoff games to cable and may be the most responsible for the downturn in television ratings), it is unlikely that the league will return to double digit averages for its championship series for many years.
featured LeBron James
making his first appearance, according to ESPN, the 2007 NBA Finals
series was a television bust in the United States. San Antonio
's four-game sweep of Cleveland
finished with a record-low 6.2 television rating and 11 share on ABC, Nielsen Media Research said on June 15, 2007.
That was down 27 percent from the 8.5/15 for Miami
's six-game victory over Dallas
from the previous year
and 5 percent under the previous low, a 6.5/12 for San Antonio's six-game win over New Jersey
in 2003
. The NBA Finals averaged 9.3 million viewers this year.
San Antonio's series-winning 83-82 victory on Thursday night got a 6.5/12, down 17 percent from the 7.8/14 for Game 4 in 2006.
The ratings of the 2007 NBA Finals surpassed that of the 2003 NBA Finals
as the lowest-rated series in NBA Finals history. It is suggested that these poor ratings have been attributed to numerous things, such as the fact that Cleveland and San Antonio are generally smaller markets in comparison to Los Angeles
, Dallas
, Miami
and Detroit
, cities that recently had its NBA teams in the finals. Also game two occurred on the same night as The Sopranos
series finale.
Additionally, there has been criticism that both teams didn't score many points in the series which can also be attributed to the low ratings. The series was to bill LeBron James at the highest point in his career. He did account for a vast majority of the Cavaliers' performance in the playoffs, but was unable to deliver in the end.
Additionally, ESPN on ABC's coverage of the Finals placed far more emphasis on the legacy of the game. In other words, more attention was directed towards league stars Michael Jordan
, Magic Johnson
, and Larry Bird
, three players responsible for the leagues success in the 1980s and 1990s. In addition, ABC's coverage placed more emphasis on celebrity and cross-network promotion. Eva Longoria
, star of ABC's Desperate Housewives
and then-fiancee of Spurs' point guard Tony Parker
was featured at times during the games.
featured the Los Angeles Lakers
and the Boston Celtics
renewing their historic rivalry with their first meeting since 1987
. With this, the ratings had great improvement from the previous year's Finals. The six-game series garnered a 9.3 rating and an average of 14.9 million viewers, a 50% increase from 2007 and the highest Finals numbers since 2004. The series-clinching Game 6 finished with a 10.7 rating and drew 16.9 million viewers.
featured the Lakers for the second straight time facing off against the Orlando Magic
. These Finals had a slight drop from the previous year's Finals. The five-game series finished with an 8.4 rating, a 9.7% decrease from 2008, with the series averaging 14.3 million viewers. The series-clinching Game 5 had an 8.0 rating and garnered 14.2 million viewers.
featured a rematch of 2008 with a renewal of the classic rivalry between the Lakers and Celtics and proved to be a smash hit in the ratings. With the historic rivalry between the two most successful teams in the league being the marquee matchup once again and the Finals going seven games for the first time since 2005, the series achieved a 10.6 rating and an average of 18.1 million viewers, the highest numbers since 2004. This was a 26% increase from 2009 and a 14% increase from 2008, the last time the Lakers and the Celtics met. The deciding Game 7 garnered an 15.6 rating and a tally of 28.2 million viewers, making it the most-watched NBA game since Game 6 of the 1998 NBA Finals
, which had a 22.3 rating and drew 72 million viewers. In addition, the seventh game bested the previous Game 7 in 2005 by 31%. Game 7 is as of now the most-watched NBA game in ABC's current eight-season run with the league.
, a rematch of 2006
, featured, arguably, pro sports' most scrutinized team -- the 2011 Miami Heat -- against perennial playoff underachievers, and underdogs, in the Dallas Mavericks. The six-game series, which had better ratings for games 1, 3, and 5 (as compared to 2010), would drop slightly from that Final, with a 10.2 rating. The highest-ranked game, Game 6, registered a 13.3 rating and is now the third-most watched game in modern NBA on ABC history. The series is the second consecutive Finals to reach double-digits, and the third in the ABC era to do so.
, ESPN and TNT's ratings were up slightly in the regular season and up significantly in the playoffs. TNT's ratings for second round playoff games were up 22 percent from the previous year, while ESPN posted double digit increases in both the first and second rounds of the playoffs. ESPN's Conference Final ratings were up 20 percent from the previous year, from a 4.0 to a 4.8. TNT's Conference Final ratings fell to their lowest level since 2003.
The NBA on TNT (and previously TBS
) has been on the air for over two decades. In the last three years, NBA coverage on TNT
(with help from various dramatic telecasts, including in 2005, The Closer
and Into the West) has helped the network to season wins on cable television. In 2004, the ratings for the NBA Playoffs helped TNT become the #1 ranked cable outlet for the sweeps month of May. Also in 2004
, TNT set a record for most viewed NBA playoff game in cable history, with 6.5 million households for Game 6 of the Western Conference Finals between the Los Angeles Lakers
and Minnesota Timberwolves
. A year later, TNT broke that record, with 6.75 million households for Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Finals between the Detroit Pistons
and Miami Heat
. That Game 7, which scored a 6.2 national rating, was not only a record, "but it out delivered all of its broadcast television competition on the night among targeted adult demos, including adults 18-34, adults 18-49, men 18-34, men 18-49, and men 25-54. Game 7 on Turner also produced a higher U.S. household rating cumulatively than shows on all broadcast networks except for those on CBS.". However, ratings for that year's Conference Final were down 20.6 percent. Overall, TNT's ratings have been better than counterpart ESPN
's since 2002 (the first year the networks began competing against each other). During the 2005 NBA Playoffs
, TNT recorded its highest first round playoff ratings in its history of carrying the NBA; the number fell by 1 percent for the first round of the 2006 playoffs
.
The May 4, 2006 telecast of Game 6 of the Phoenix Suns
-Los Angeles Lakers
first round series was seen in 3,713,000 homes, setting a record for a cable first round NBA playoff game. The previous record had been 3,606,000 for a 1995 game between the Chicago Bulls (who had just recently had Michael Jordan return from his first retirement) and the then-Charlotte Hornets.
TNT's May 22, 2006 Game 7 doubleheader produced high ratings. The first game of the doubleheader (Dallas Mavericks
-San Antonio Spurs
) generated a 5.7 rating, while the second game (Los Angeles Clippers
-Phoenix Suns
) scored a 4.9.
TNT began airing the NBA All-Star Game in 2003
. That year, the All-Star Game featured NBA legend Michael Jordan
's last appearance in the event, and the ratings were exceptionally strong. The game was the second most viewed NBA All-Star Game since the NBA lockout
in 1999
, even though it was on cable and the previous All-Star Games had been on network television (NBC). The game averaged 10.83 million viewers and captured a 6.6 rating. The telecast, according to Time Warner
, topped ABC
and FOX
in the time period. However, following this success, ratings for the event fell over the next three years. The 2005, 2006 and 2007 games each set record lows of 4.9 (2005), 4.3 (2006) and 4.2 (2007). Despite setting record lows, the All-Star Game is usually the highest rated and most viewed event on cable during the first quarter (January to March) of the cable television season.
star Shaquille O'Neal
and Houston Rockets
then-rookie Yao Ming
. The game set a record for most watched basketball game on ESPN, with a rating of 3.82. On Christmas Day
2004, ESPN's Indiana Pacers
-Detroit Pistons
game (a rematch of their brawl) got a 3.5 rating.
In 2004, ESPN set a record for most watched basketball game on the network, with Game 6 of the Eastern Conference Finals between the Detroit Pistons
and Indiana Pacers
. The game scored a 5.0 rating and averaged 4.4 million households. In 2006
, Game 5 of the Detroit Pistons
-Miami Heat
Eastern Conference Final bested that rating, netting a 5.5 with 4.9 million viewers. The game was ESPN's highest rated 2nd quarter program in network history. Game 6 of the same series got a 5.4 rating and slightly fewer viewers. The 2006 Eastern Conference Finals
between the Miami and Detroit was the highest rated Conference Finals ESPN has aired, finishing with a 4.8 average.
On April 22, 2006, ESPN aired Game 1 of the Chicago Bulls
-Miami Heat
first round playoff series on "ESPN Full Circle" (a treatment previously given to a Duke
-North Carolina
college basketball game earlier that year). The 'traditional' game telecast aired on ESPN (called by Mike Tirico
, Steve Jones
and Bill Walton
) while a telecast shown exclusively from the 'above-the-rim' camera aired on ESPN2, called by John Saunders, Greg Anthony
, Tim Legler
and Scottie Pippen
from ESPN's Times Square
studios. Additional forms of the game telecast aired on several ESPN platforms (including ESPN360 and ESPN Mobile). The Full Circle presentation resulted in a total 45 percent increase in viewership from the previous year. ESPN itself received a 26 percent increase from the previous year's presentation of a Indiana Pacers
-Boston Celtics
playoff game, and the game following (Los Angeles Clippers
versus the Denver Nuggets
) was up 17 percent over the previous year.
ESPN scored its most viewed first or second round NBA playoff game with their May 19, 2006 broadcast of the San Antonio Spurs
-Dallas Mavericks
Game 6, until the Lakers and Rockets in 2009.
National Basketball Association
The National Basketball Association is the pre-eminent men's professional basketball league in North America. It consists of thirty franchised member clubs, of which twenty-nine are located in the United States and one in Canada...
achieved a rapid rise and fall in television ratings
Nielsen Ratings
Nielsen ratings are the audience measurement systems developed by Nielsen Media Research, in an effort to determine the audience size and composition of television programming in the United States...
from the 1997–1998 NBA season
1997-98 NBA season
The 1997–98 NBA season was the 52nd season of the National Basketball Association. The season ended with the Chicago Bulls winning their third straight championship and sixth in the last eight years, beating the Utah Jazz 4 games to 2 in the 1998 NBA Finals...
, when ratings for the NBA Finals
NBA Finals
The NBA Finals is the championship series of the National Basketball Association . The series was named the NBA World Championship Series until 1986....
achieved a record high, to the 2002–2003 NBA season
2002-03 NBA season
The 2002–03 NBA season was the 57th season of the National Basketball Association. The season ended with the San Antonio Spurs beating the New Jersey Nets 4-2 in the 2003 NBA Finals.-Notable occurrences:...
, when ratings for the same event hit an all-time record low. Blame for this rise and fall has been pinned on the destructive NBA lockout
Lockout (industry)
A lockout is a work stoppage in which an employer prevents employees from working. This is different from a strike, in which employees refuse to work.- Causes :...
which occurred right after the 1998 season. The lockout wiped out thirty-two games of the 1998–1999 season
1998-99 NBA season
The 1999 NBA season was the 53rd season of the National Basketball Association . Due to a lockout, the season did not start until February 5, 1999 after a new six year Collective Bargaining Agreement was reached between the NBA and the National Basketball Players Association...
and caused fan apathy. Other blame has been put on the retirement of Chicago Bulls
Chicago Bulls
The Chicago Bulls are an American professional basketball team based in Chicago, Illinois, playing in the Central Division of the Eastern Conference in the National Basketball Association . The team was founded in 1966. They play their home games at the United Center...
star Michael Jordan
Michael Jordan
Michael Jeffrey Jordan is a former American professional basketball player, active entrepreneur, and majority owner of the Charlotte Bobcats...
, also on backlash against the "hip-hop" culture of the league, and as well as heavy competition from prime time
Prime time
Prime time or primetime is the block of broadcast programming during the middle of the evening for television programing.The term prime time is often defined in terms of a fixed time period—for example, from 19:00 to 22:00 or 20:00 to 23:00 Prime time or primetime is the block of broadcast...
programming such as American Idol
American Idol
American Idol, titled American Idol: The Search for a Superstar for the first season, is a reality television singing competition created by Simon Fuller and produced by FremantleMedia North America and 19 Entertainment...
, the CSI shows, and Dancing With The Stars
Dancing with the Stars
Dancing with the Stars is the name of several international television series based on the format of the British TV series Strictly Come Dancing, which is distributed by BBC Worldwide – the commercial arm of the BBC. Currently the format has been licensed to over 35 countries...
.
Despite the problems in the early-to-mid-2000s, the NBA's regular season ratings average was (and is) on par with Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball is the highest level of professional baseball in the United States and Canada, consisting of teams that play in the National League and the American League...
's, and ratings for the finals continue to outdraw competing events that occur during the same month, golf's U.S. Open
U.S. Open (golf)
The United States Open Championship, commonly known as the U.S. Open, is the annual open golf tournament of the United States. It is the second of the four major championships in golf, and is on the official schedule of both the PGA Tour and the European Tour...
and the Stanley Cup Finals.
Since 2007, NBA ratings have steadily risen, thanks to the resurgence of nationally recognized NBA teams, their star power, and their annual presence in the NBA Finals. The 2010 Finals, Game 7, had the best rating for a basketball game in the modern NBA on ABC era, and the 2011 Finals held steady in the ratings department as well. Both series drew over a 10 rating, beating the World Series
World Series
The World Series is the annual championship series of Major League Baseball, played between the American League and National League champions since 1903. The winner of the World Series championship is determined through a best-of-seven playoff and awarded the Commissioner's Trophy...
in consecutive years for the first time ever.
However despite the declining TV ratings in the early 2000's and moderate ratings after, NBA's television audience is often younger, and thus very attractive to advertisers
CBS (1973–1990)
| Game | Year/Event | Rating |
| Game 7 | 1988 NBA Finals 1988 NBA Finals The 1988 NBA Finals was the championship round of the 1987–88 NBA season.One of Los Angeles Lakers head coach Pat Riley's most famous moments came when he promised the crowd a repeat championship during the Lakers' 1986-87 championship parade in downtown Los Angeles... |
21.2 |
| Game 7 | 1984 NBA Finals 1984 NBA Finals The 1984 NBA World Championship Series was the championship round of the 1983-84 NBA season. In 1984, the Boston Celtics defeated the Los Angeles Lakers in a seven-game Finals, winning Game 7 111-102. Larry Bird averaged 27 points and 14 rebounds a game during the series, earning the award of... |
19.3 |
| Game 4 | 1987 NBA Finals 1987 NBA Finals The 1987 NBA Finals was the championship round of the 1986-87 NBA season. The match took place between the Los Angeles Lakers and the Boston Celtics. The Lakers won 4–2, beating the Celtics in the Finals. The key moment of the series was Magic Johnson's junior sky hook in Game 4... |
18.9 |
| Game 5 | 1987 NBA Finals | 18.9 |
During CBS'
The NBA on CBS
The NBA on CBS was a weekly presentation of National Basketball Association games on CBS Sports. The NBA on CBS ran from the 1973–1974 NBA season until the 1989-90 NBA season .-Early presentation:During CBS' first few years at covering the NBA, CBS was accused of...
tenure as NBA over-the-air carrier, the NBA experienced its first resurgence, under the leadership of Los Angeles Lakers
Los Angeles Lakers
The Los Angeles Lakers are an American professional basketball team based in Los Angeles, California. They play in the Pacific Division of the Western Conference in the National Basketball Association...
guard Magic Johnson
Magic Johnson
Earvin "Magic" Johnson Jr. is a retired American professional basketball player who played point guard for the Los Angeles Lakers of the National Basketball Association . After winning championships in high school and college, Johnson was selected first overall in the 1979 NBA Draft by the Lakers...
and rival Boston Celtics
Boston Celtics
The Boston Celtics are a National Basketball Association team based in Boston, Massachusetts. They play in the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference. Founded in 1946, the team is currently owned by Boston Basketball Partners LLC. The Celtics play their home games at the TD Garden, which...
forward Larry Bird
Larry Bird
Larry Joe Bird is a former American NBA basketball player and coach. Drafted into the NBA sixth overall by the Boston Celtics in 1978, Bird started at small forward and power forward for thirteen seasons, spearheading one of the NBA's most formidable frontcourts that included center Robert Parish...
. After the then-lowest Nielsen ratings
Nielsen Ratings
Nielsen ratings are the audience measurement systems developed by Nielsen Media Research, in an effort to determine the audience size and composition of television programming in the United States...
in NBA history in 1981
1981 NBA Finals
The 1981 NBA World Championship Series was the championship round of the 1980-81 NBA season, pitting the Boston Celtics against the Houston Rockets.-Houston Rockets:...
, Bird and Magic led the NBA to unprecedented popularity, and much higher ratings. Before the arrival of the two stars, and the recreation of the previously-fiery Lakers–Celtics rivalry, NBA ratings on CBS were so low that the network aired NBA Finals games in both 1980
1980 NBA Finals
The 1980 NBA World Championship Series was the championship round of the 1979–80 NBA season.Kareem Abdul-Jabbar was the league's MVP. But midway through Game 5, the Laker center suffered a severely sprained ankle. He managed to come back in the game in the 4th quarter to lead the Lakers to victory...
and 1981
1981 NBA Finals
The 1981 NBA World Championship Series was the championship round of the 1980-81 NBA season, pitting the Boston Celtics against the Houston Rockets.-Houston Rockets:...
on tape delay. From 1978
1978 NBA Finals
-Series summary:Bullets win series 4-3-Game 1:The Bullets, behind Kevin Grevey's 27 and Elvin Hayes's 21 points, held a 19-point lead in the fourth quarter at the Seattle Center Coliseum. But, the Sonics staged a comeback in front of the home crowd, led by "instant offense" guard Fred Brown...
to 1981, no NBA Finals achieved even a 10 average rating. Once the Lakers-Celtics rivalry heated up, ratings went up dramatically. CBS increased its commitment to the NBA, while America warmed up to the league nationally for the first time. In 1987, the NBA Finals
1987 NBA Finals
The 1987 NBA Finals was the championship round of the 1986-87 NBA season. The match took place between the Los Angeles Lakers and the Boston Celtics. The Lakers won 4–2, beating the Celtics in the Finals. The key moment of the series was Magic Johnson's junior sky hook in Game 4...
hit a then-record rating of 15.9. In 1988, CBS achieved its only 20+ rating for an individual NBA game when the network got a 21.2 rating for Game 7 of the 1988 NBA Finals
1988 NBA Finals
The 1988 NBA Finals was the championship round of the 1987–88 NBA season.One of Los Angeles Lakers head coach Pat Riley's most famous moments came when he promised the crowd a repeat championship during the Lakers' 1986-87 championship parade in downtown Los Angeles...
between the Lakers and the Detroit Pistons
Detroit Pistons
The Detroit Pistons are a franchise of the National Basketball Association based in Auburn Hills, Michigan. The team's home arena is The Palace of Auburn Hills. It was originally founded in Fort Wayne, Indiana as the Fort Wayne Pistons as a member of the National Basketball League in 1941, where...
. The Pistons would be in the next two NBA Finals, including a sweep the next year, and the lowest ratings CBS had seen in six years the year after that, with a 12.3 in 1990. The 1990 Finals
1990 NBA Finals
The 1990 NBA Finals was the championship round of the 1989-90 NBA season. The series pitted the Detroit Pistons against the Portland Trail Blazers...
was also CBS' last, after nearly two decades televising the NBA. While the network broadcast every Bird-Magic Finals, it never broadcast any Final involving Michael Jordan, who, starting the year after CBS ended involvement with the league, would dominate the NBA in a way that neither Bird or Magic had. In 1989-90
1989-90 NBA season
-Statistics leaders:-NBA awards:*Most Valuable Player: Magic Johnson, Los Angeles Lakers*Rookie of the Year: David Robinson, San Antonio Spurs*Defensive Player of the Year: Dennis Rodman, Detroit Pistons...
, the final year of the CBS deal, the regular season rating stood at a 5.2. (Each rating point represents 931,000 households.)
NBC (1990–2002)
| Net. | Year | Series | Rating |
|---|---|---|---|
| CBS CBS CBS Broadcasting Inc. is a major US commercial broadcasting television network, which started as a radio network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System. The network is sometimes referred to as the "Eye Network" in reference to the shape of... |
1976 1975-76 NBA season The 1975–76 NBA season was the 30th season of the National Basketball Association. The season ended with the Boston Celtics winning the NBA Championship, beating the Phoenix Suns 4 games to 2 in the NBA Finals.-Notable occurrences:... |
Boston Celtics 4, Phoenix Suns 2 1976 NBA Finals The 1976 NBA World Championship Series was the championship round for the 1975-76 NBA season.-Background:The Phoenix Suns finished the season with 42 wins and 40 losses, but beat the defending NBA champion Golden State Warriors in the playoffs and went on to play the Boston Celtics in the NBA... |
11.5 |
| CBS CBS CBS Broadcasting Inc. is a major US commercial broadcasting television network, which started as a radio network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System. The network is sometimes referred to as the "Eye Network" in reference to the shape of... |
1977 1976-77 NBA season The 1976–77 NBA season was the 31st season of the National Basketball Association. The season ended with the Portland Trail Blazers winning the NBA Championship, beating the Philadelphia 76ers 4 games to 2 in the NBA Finals.-Notable occurrences:... |
Portland Trail Blazers 4, Philadelphia 76ers 2 1977 NBA Finals The 1977 NBA World Championship Series was the championship round of the 1976-77 NBA season. The Portland Trail Blazers of the Western Conference played against the Philadelphia 76ers of the Eastern Conference, with the 76ers holding home-court advantage. Their 4 regular season meetings had been... |
12.7 |
| CBS CBS CBS Broadcasting Inc. is a major US commercial broadcasting television network, which started as a radio network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System. The network is sometimes referred to as the "Eye Network" in reference to the shape of... |
1978 1977-78 NBA season The 1977–78 NBA season was the 32nd season of the National Basketball Association. The season ended with the Washington Bullets winning the NBA Championship, beating the Seattle SuperSonics 4 games to 3 in the NBA Finals.-Notable occurrences:... |
Washington Bullets 4, Seattle Supersonics 3 1978 NBA Finals -Series summary:Bullets win series 4-3-Game 1:The Bullets, behind Kevin Grevey's 27 and Elvin Hayes's 21 points, held a 19-point lead in the fourth quarter at the Seattle Center Coliseum. But, the Sonics staged a comeback in front of the home crowd, led by "instant offense" guard Fred Brown... |
9.9 |
| CBS CBS CBS Broadcasting Inc. is a major US commercial broadcasting television network, which started as a radio network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System. The network is sometimes referred to as the "Eye Network" in reference to the shape of... |
1979 1978-79 NBA season The 1978–79 NBA season was the 33rd season of the National Basketball Association. The season ended with the Seattle SuperSonics winning the NBA Championship, beating the Washington Bullets 4 games to 1 in the NBA Finals, a rematch of the previous year's Finals, but with the opposite... |
Seattle Supersonics 4, Washington Bullets 1 1979 NBA Finals The 1979 NBA World Championship Series at the conclusion of the 1978-79 season were won by the Seattle SuperSonics defeating the Washington Bullets 4 games to 1. The series was a rematch of the 1978 NBA Finals which the Washington Bullets had won 4-3... |
7.2 |
| CBS CBS CBS Broadcasting Inc. is a major US commercial broadcasting television network, which started as a radio network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System. The network is sometimes referred to as the "Eye Network" in reference to the shape of... |
1980 1979-80 NBA season -Statistics leaders:-NBA awards:*Most Valuable Player: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Los Angeles Lakers*Rookie of the Year: Larry Bird, Boston Celtics*Coach of the Year: Bill Fitch, Boston Celtics*All-NBA First Team:**Paul Westphal, Phoenix Suns... |
Los Angeles Lakers 4, Philadelphia 76ers 2 1980 NBA Finals The 1980 NBA World Championship Series was the championship round of the 1979–80 NBA season.Kareem Abdul-Jabbar was the league's MVP. But midway through Game 5, the Laker center suffered a severely sprained ankle. He managed to come back in the game in the 4th quarter to lead the Lakers to victory... |
8.0 |
| CBS CBS CBS Broadcasting Inc. is a major US commercial broadcasting television network, which started as a radio network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System. The network is sometimes referred to as the "Eye Network" in reference to the shape of... |
1981 1980-81 NBA season -Statistics leaders:-NBA awards:*Most Valuable Player: Julius Erving, Philadelphia 76ers*Rookie of the Year: Darrell Griffith, Utah Jazz*Coach of the Year: Jack McKinney, Indiana Pacers*All-NBA First Team:**Larry Bird, Boston Celtics... |
Boston Celtics 4, Houston Rockets 2 1981 NBA Finals The 1981 NBA World Championship Series was the championship round of the 1980-81 NBA season, pitting the Boston Celtics against the Houston Rockets.-Houston Rockets:... |
6.7 |
| CBS CBS CBS Broadcasting Inc. is a major US commercial broadcasting television network, which started as a radio network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System. The network is sometimes referred to as the "Eye Network" in reference to the shape of... |
1982 1981-82 NBA season -Statistics leaders:-NBA awards:*Most Valuable Player: Moses Malone, Houston Rockets*Rookie of the Year: Buck Williams, New Jersey Nets*Coach of the Year: Gene Shue, Washington Bullets*All-NBA First Team:**Larry Bird, Boston Celtics... |
Los Angeles Lakers 4, Philadelphia 76ers 2 1982 NBA Finals The 1982 NBA World Championship Series was the championship round of the 1981-82 NBA season, the top level of competition in men's professional basketball in North America. The series saw the Los Angeles Lakers face the Philadelphia 76ers.... |
13.0 |
| CBS CBS CBS Broadcasting Inc. is a major US commercial broadcasting television network, which started as a radio network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System. The network is sometimes referred to as the "Eye Network" in reference to the shape of... |
1983 1982-83 NBA season -Statistics leaders:-NBA awards:*Most Valuable Player: Moses Malone, Philadelphia 76ers*Rookie of the Year: Terry Cummings, San Diego Clippers*Defensive Player of the Year: Sidney Moncrief, Milwaukee Bucks... |
Philadelphia 76ers 4, Los Angeles Lakers 0 1983 NBA Finals The 1983 NBA World Championship Series was the championship round of the 1982–83 NBA season.-Overview:The final piece of the Philadelphia 76ers' championship puzzle was completed before the 1982-83 season when they acquired center Moses Malone from the Houston Rockets... |
12.3 |
| CBS CBS CBS Broadcasting Inc. is a major US commercial broadcasting television network, which started as a radio network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System. The network is sometimes referred to as the "Eye Network" in reference to the shape of... |
1984 1983-84 NBA season -Statistics leaders:-Yearly awards:*Most Valuable Player: Larry Bird, Boston Celtics*Rookie of the Year: Ralph Sampson, Houston Rockets*Defensive Player of the Year: Sidney Moncrief, Milwaukee Bucks... |
Boston Celtics 4, Los Angeles Lakers 3 1984 NBA Finals The 1984 NBA World Championship Series was the championship round of the 1983-84 NBA season. In 1984, the Boston Celtics defeated the Los Angeles Lakers in a seven-game Finals, winning Game 7 111-102. Larry Bird averaged 27 points and 14 rebounds a game during the series, earning the award of... |
12.3 |
| CBS CBS CBS Broadcasting Inc. is a major US commercial broadcasting television network, which started as a radio network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System. The network is sometimes referred to as the "Eye Network" in reference to the shape of... |
1985 | Los Angeles Lakers 4, Boston Celtics 2 1985 NBA Finals The 1985 NBA World Championship Series was the championship round of the 1984–85 NBA season.The Boston Celtics were looking to repeat as NBA Champions for the first time since the . The Celtics had homecourt advantage for the second year in a row as they finished the regular season with a 63-19... |
13.7 |
| CBS CBS CBS Broadcasting Inc. is a major US commercial broadcasting television network, which started as a radio network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System. The network is sometimes referred to as the "Eye Network" in reference to the shape of... |
1986 1985-86 NBA season -Statistics leaders:-NBA awards:*Most Valuable Player: Larry Bird, Boston Celtics*Rookie of the Year: Patrick Ewing, New York Knicks*Defensive Player of the Year: Alvin Robertson, San Antonio Spurs... |
Boston Celtics 4, Houston Rockets 2 1986 NBA Finals The 1986 NBA Finals was the championship round of the 1985-86 NBA season. It pitted the Eastern Conference champion Boston Celtics against the Western Conference champion Houston Rockets. The Celtics defeated the Rockets four games to two to win their 16th NBA championship. The championship would... |
14.1 |
| CBS CBS CBS Broadcasting Inc. is a major US commercial broadcasting television network, which started as a radio network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System. The network is sometimes referred to as the "Eye Network" in reference to the shape of... |
1987 1986-87 NBA season -Statistics leaders:-Yearly awards:* Most Valuable Player: Magic Johnson, Los Angeles Lakers* Rookie of the Year: Chuck Person, Indiana Pacers* Defensive Player of the Year: Michael Cooper, Los Angeles Lakers... |
Los Angeles Lakers 4, Boston Celtics 2 1987 NBA Finals The 1987 NBA Finals was the championship round of the 1986-87 NBA season. The match took place between the Los Angeles Lakers and the Boston Celtics. The Lakers won 4–2, beating the Celtics in the Finals. The key moment of the series was Magic Johnson's junior sky hook in Game 4... |
15.9 |
| CBS CBS CBS Broadcasting Inc. is a major US commercial broadcasting television network, which started as a radio network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System. The network is sometimes referred to as the "Eye Network" in reference to the shape of... |
1988 1987-88 NBA season -Statistics leaders:-NBA awards:*Most Valuable Player: Michael Jordan, Chicago Bulls*Rookie of the Year: Mark Jackson, New York Knicks*Defensive Player of the Year: Michael Jordan, Chicago Bulls... |
Los Angeles Lakers 4, Detroit Pistons 3 1988 NBA Finals The 1988 NBA Finals was the championship round of the 1987–88 NBA season.One of Los Angeles Lakers head coach Pat Riley's most famous moments came when he promised the crowd a repeat championship during the Lakers' 1986-87 championship parade in downtown Los Angeles... |
15.4 |
| CBS CBS CBS Broadcasting Inc. is a major US commercial broadcasting television network, which started as a radio network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System. The network is sometimes referred to as the "Eye Network" in reference to the shape of... |
1989 1988-89 NBA season -Statistics leaders:-NBA awards:*Most Valuable Player: Magic Johnson, Los Angeles Lakers*Rookie of the Year: Mitch Richmond, Golden State Warriors*Defensive Player of the Year: Mark Eaton, Utah Jazz... |
Detroit Pistons 4, Los Angeles Lakers 0 1989 NBA Finals The 1989 NBA Finals was the championship round of the 1988–89 NBA season. The series was a rematch of the previous year's championship round between the Detroit Pistons and the Los Angeles Lakers.... |
15.1 |
| CBS CBS CBS Broadcasting Inc. is a major US commercial broadcasting television network, which started as a radio network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System. The network is sometimes referred to as the "Eye Network" in reference to the shape of... |
1990 1989-90 NBA season -Statistics leaders:-NBA awards:*Most Valuable Player: Magic Johnson, Los Angeles Lakers*Rookie of the Year: David Robinson, San Antonio Spurs*Defensive Player of the Year: Dennis Rodman, Detroit Pistons... |
Detroit Pistons 4, Portland Trail Blazers 1 1990 NBA Finals The 1990 NBA Finals was the championship round of the 1989-90 NBA season. The series pitted the Detroit Pistons against the Portland Trail Blazers... |
12.3 |
| NBC NBC The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago... |
1991 1990-91 NBA season -Statistics leaders:-NBA awards:*Most Valuable Player: Michael Jordan, Chicago Bulls*Rookie of the Year: Derrick Coleman, New Jersey Nets*Defensive Player of the Year: Dennis Rodman, Detroit Pistons... |
Chicago Bulls 4, Los Angeles Lakers 1 1991 NBA Finals The 1991 NBA Finals was the championship round of the 1990–91 NBA season. It was also the first NBA Finals broadcast by NBC after 17 years with CBS.... |
15.8 |
| NBC NBC The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago... |
1992 1991-92 NBA season -Statistics leaders:-NBA awards:*Most Valuable Player: Michael Jordan, Chicago Bulls*Rookie of the Year: Larry Johnson, Charlotte Hornets*Defensive Player of the Year: David Robinson, San Antonio Spurs... |
Chicago Bulls 4, Portland Trail Blazers 2 1992 NBA Finals The 1992 NBA Finals was the championship round of the 1991–92 NBA season. The Chicago Bulls of the Eastern Conference took on the Portland Trail Blazers of the Western Conference for the title, with Chicago having home court advantage, as they had the best record in the NBA.The two teams appeared... |
14.2 |
| NBC NBC The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago... |
1993 1992-93 NBA season -Statistics leaders:-Yearly awards:*Most Valuable Player: Charles Barkley, Phoenix Suns*Rookie of the Year: Shaquille O'Neal, Orlando Magic*Defensive Player of the Year: Hakeem Olajuwon, Houston Rockets... |
Chicago Bulls 4, Phoenix Suns 2 1993 NBA Finals The 1993 NBA Finals was the championship round of the 1992-93 NBA season, featuring the Chicago Bulls, led by Michael Jordan, and the Phoenix Suns, winners of 62 games and led by regular season MVP Charles Barkley... |
17.9 |
| NBC NBC The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago... |
1994 1993-94 NBA season -Statistics leaders:-NBA awards:*Most Valuable Player: Hakeem Olajuwon, Houston Rockets*Rookie of the Year: Chris Webber, Golden State Warriors*Defensive Player of the Year: Hakeem Olajuwon, Houston Rockets... |
Houston Rockets 4, New York Knicks 3 1994 NBA Finals The 1994 NBA Finals was the championship round of the 1993–94 National Basketball Association season, featuring the Western Conference's Houston Rockets defeating the Eastern Conference's New York Knicks.... |
12.4 |
| NBC NBC The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago... |
1995 | Houston Rockets 4, Orlando Magic 0 1995 NBA Finals The 1995 NBA Finals was the championship round of the 1994–95 NBA season. The series pitted the Orlando Magic against the Houston Rockets. The pre-series hype and build-up of the Finals was centered around the meeting of the two centers Shaquille O'Neal of the Magic and Hakeem Olajuwon of the Rockets... |
13.9 |
| NBC NBC The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago... |
1996 1995-96 NBA season The 1995–96 NBA season was the 50th season of the National Basketball Association , although the league didn't celebrate this anniversary until the following season... |
Chicago Bulls 4, Seattle Supersonics 2 1996 NBA Finals The 1996 NBA Finals was the championship series of the 1995-96 NBA season of the National Basketball Association. The Seattle SuperSonics of the Western Conference took on the Chicago Bulls of the Eastern Conference, with the Bulls holding home court advantage... |
16.7 |
| NBC NBC The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago... |
1997 | Chicago Bulls 4, Utah Jazz 2 1997 NBA Finals The 1997 NBA Finals was the concluding series of the 1997 NBA Playoffs that determined the champion of the 1996–97 NBA season. The Utah Jazz of the Western Conference took on the Chicago Bulls of the Eastern Conference for the title, with the Bulls holding home court advantage... |
16.8 |
| NBC NBC The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago... |
1998 1997-98 NBA season The 1997–98 NBA season was the 52nd season of the National Basketball Association. The season ended with the Chicago Bulls winning their third straight championship and sixth in the last eight years, beating the Utah Jazz 4 games to 2 in the 1998 NBA Finals... |
Chicago Bulls 4, Utah Jazz 2 1998 NBA Finals The 1998 NBA Finals was the championship round of the 1997-98 National Basketball Association season. The Chicago Bulls of the Eastern Conference played against the Utah Jazz of the Western Conference, with the Jazz holding home-court advantage with the first 2 games in Salt Lake City... |
18.7 |
| NBC NBC The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago... |
1999 1998-99 NBA season The 1999 NBA season was the 53rd season of the National Basketball Association . Due to a lockout, the season did not start until February 5, 1999 after a new six year Collective Bargaining Agreement was reached between the NBA and the National Basketball Players Association... |
San Antonio Spurs 4, New York Knicks 1 1999 NBA Finals The 1999 NBA Finals was the championship round of the shortened 1998–99 NBA season or the 1999 season. The San Antonio Spurs of the Western Conference took on the New York Knicks of the Eastern Conference for the title, with the Spurs holding home court advantage... |
11.3 |
| NBC NBC The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago... |
2000 | Los Angeles Lakers 4, Indiana Pacers 2 2000 NBA Finals The 2000 NBA Finals was the championship round of the 1999-2000 National Basketball Association season. The Los Angeles Lakers of the Western Conference took on the Indiana Pacers of the Eastern Conference for the title, with the Lakers holding home court advantage... |
11.6 |
| NBC NBC The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago... |
2001 | Los Angeles Lakers 4, Philadelphia 76ers 1 2001 NBA Finals The 2001 NBA Finals was the championship round of the 2000-01 National Basketball Association season. The Los Angeles Lakers of the Western Conference took on the Philadelphia 76ers of the Eastern Conference for the title, with the Lakers holding home court advantage in a best-of-seven format.The... |
12.1 |
| NBC NBC The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago... |
2002 2001-02 NBA season -Statistics leaders:-Yearly awards:*Most Valuable Player: Tim Duncan, San Antonio Spurs*Rookie of the Year: Pau Gasol, Memphis Grizzlies*Defensive Player of the Year: Ben Wallace, Detroit Pistons... |
Los Angeles Lakers 4, New Jersey Nets 0 2002 NBA Finals The 2002 NBA Finals was the National Basketball Association championship series for the 2001–02 season. The best-of-seven playoff was contested between the Los Angeles Lakers, champions of the Western Conference and two-time defending NBA champions, and the New Jersey Nets, champions of the... |
10.2 |
| ABC American Broadcasting Company The American Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. Its first broadcast on television was in 1948... |
2003 2002-03 NBA season The 2002–03 NBA season was the 57th season of the National Basketball Association. The season ended with the San Antonio Spurs beating the New Jersey Nets 4-2 in the 2003 NBA Finals.-Notable occurrences:... |
San Antonio Spurs 4, New Jersey Nets 2 2003 NBA Finals The 2003 NBA Finals was the championship round of the 2002–03 NBA season. The San Antonio Spurs of the Western Conference took on the New Jersey Nets of the Eastern Conference for the title, with the Spurs holding home court advantage. The series was played under a best-of-seven format. The Spurs... |
6.5 |
| ABC American Broadcasting Company The American Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. Its first broadcast on television was in 1948... |
2004 2003-04 NBA season -Statistics leaders:-Yearly awards:*Most Valuable Player: Kevin Garnett, Minnesota Timberwolves*Rookie of the Year: LeBron James, Cleveland Cavaliers*Defensive Player of the Year: Ron Artest, Indiana Pacers... |
Detroit Pistons 4, Los Angeles Lakers 1 2004 NBA Finals The 2004 NBA Finals was the championship round of the 2003–04 National Basketball Association season. The Finals were between the Los Angeles Lakers of the Western Conference and the Detroit Pistons of the Eastern Conference; the Lakers held home court advantage... |
11.5 |
| ABC American Broadcasting Company The American Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. Its first broadcast on television was in 1948... |
2005 2004-05 NBA season The 2004–05 NBA season was the 59th season of the National Basketball Association . It began on November 2, 2004 and ended June 23, 2005. The season ended with the San Antonio Spurs defeating defending champion Detroit Pistons 4–3 in the NBA Finals.... |
San Antonio Spurs 4, Detroit Pistons 3 2005 NBA Finals The 2005 NBA Finals was the championship round of the 2004-05 National Basketball Association season. The San Antonio Spurs of the Western Conference faced the Detroit Pistons of the Eastern Conference for the title, with the Spurs holding home court advantage. The series was played under a... |
8.2 |
| ABC American Broadcasting Company The American Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. Its first broadcast on television was in 1948... |
2006 2005-06 NBA season The 2005–06 NBA season was the 60th season of the National Basketball Association. It began on November 1, 2005 and ran through April 19, 2006... |
Miami Heat 4, Dallas Mavericks 2 2006 NBA Finals The 2006 NBA Finals was the championship series of the 2005–06 National Basketball Association season. The Miami Heat won the championship in six games over the Dallas Mavericks, winning the final game at the American Airlines Center in Dallas, and becoming the third team to win a championship... |
8.5 |
| ABC American Broadcasting Company The American Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. Its first broadcast on television was in 1948... |
2007 2006-07 NBA season The 2006–07 NBA season was the 61st season of the National Basketball Association. The regular season began on October 31, 2006 and ran through April 18, 2007. The league fielded 30 teams, each playing an 82 game regular season schedule. The top eight seeds from each conference reached the NBA... |
San Antonio Spurs 4, Cleveland Cavaliers 0 2007 NBA Finals The 2007 NBA Finals was the championship series of the 2006-07 National Basketball Association season, and was the conclusion of the 2007 NBA Playoffs. The best-of-seven series was played between the Western Conference champion San Antonio Spurs and the Eastern Conference champion Cleveland... |
6.2 |
| ABC American Broadcasting Company The American Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. Its first broadcast on television was in 1948... |
2008 2007-08 NBA season The 2007–08 NBA season was the 62nd season of the National Basketball Association. The 1,230-game regular season began on Tuesday, October 30, 2007, and ended on Wednesday, April 16, 2008... |
Boston Celtics 4, Los Angeles Lakers 2 2008 NBA Finals The 2008 NBA Finals was the championship series of the 2007–08 NBA season, and the conclusion of the season's playoffs. The Boston Celtics, top-seeded champions of the Eastern Conference, defeated the Los Angeles Lakers, top-seeded champions of the Western Conference, four games to two in a... |
9.3 |
| ABC American Broadcasting Company The American Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. Its first broadcast on television was in 1948... |
2009 | Los Angeles Lakers 4, Orlando Magic 1 2009 NBA Finals The 2009 NBA Finals was the National Basketball Association championship series for the 2008-09 season. The best-of-seven playoff was contested between the Los Angeles Lakers, champions of the Western Conference and defending Western Conference champions, and the Orlando Magic, champions of the... |
8.4 |
| ABC American Broadcasting Company The American Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. Its first broadcast on television was in 1948... |
2010 | Los Angeles Lakers 4, Boston Celtics 3 2010 NBA Finals The 2010 NBA Finals was the National Basketball Association championship series for the 2009–10 season. The best-of-seven playoff was contested between the Los Angeles Lakers, champions of the Western Conference and defending NBA champions, and the Boston Celtics, champions of the Eastern Conference... |
10.6 |
| ABC American Broadcasting Company The American Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. Its first broadcast on television was in 1948... |
2011 | Dallas Mavericks 4, Miami Heat 2 2011 NBA Finals The 2011 NBA Finals was the championship series of the 2010–11 season of the National Basketball Association and the conclusion of the season's playoffs. The Western Conference champion Dallas Mavericks defeated the Eastern Conference champion Miami Heat, 4–2, to win their first NBA title... |
10.2 |
Record highs
Once Larry Bird and Magic Johnson retired, the NBA's ratings sank, at least for one year. The 1990 NBA Finals, (which was played before either Bird or Johnson retired) which registered a 12.3 rating (and was the last Finals CBSCBS
CBS Broadcasting Inc. is a major US commercial broadcasting television network, which started as a radio network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System. The network is sometimes referred to as the "Eye Network" in reference to the shape of...
aired) was the lone NBA Finals between the domination of Bird and Magic and the domination of then up-and-coming star Michael Jordan
Michael Jordan
Michael Jeffrey Jordan is a former American professional basketball player, active entrepreneur, and majority owner of the Charlotte Bobcats...
. In 1991, NBC's first year with the NBA, the network got its dream matchup. Jordan's Bulls finally broke through, after several years of being dominated by the Detroit Pistons
Detroit Pistons
The Detroit Pistons are a franchise of the National Basketball Association based in Auburn Hills, Michigan. The team's home arena is The Palace of Auburn Hills. It was originally founded in Fort Wayne, Indiana as the Fort Wayne Pistons as a member of the National Basketball League in 1941, where...
, and made it to the Finals. Jordan and the Bulls played Magic Johnson and the Lakers, who were making what was to be their last appearance in the NBA Finals for the next nine years. The hype for the star-studded series was robust, and the ratings were the highest since 1987, when the Celtics and Lakers played for the final time. The next year, Jordan's Bulls once again made the Finals. Their competition that year was the Portland Trail Blazers
Portland Trail Blazers
The Portland Trail Blazers, commonly known as the Blazers, are an American professional basketball team based in Portland, Oregon. They play in the Northwest Division of the Western Conference in the National Basketball Association . The Trail Blazers originally played their home games in the...
, a team with fewer stars and from a smaller city. The ratings fell to a 14.2, the second-lowest rating for the Finals since 1986. In 1993, the NBA hit a high point. The six-game series between the Bulls and the bombastic Charles Barkley
Charles Barkley
Charles Wade Barkley is a former American professional basketball player. Nicknamed "Sir Charles" and "The Round Mound of Rebound", Barkley established himself as one of the National Basketball Association's most dominating power forwards...
's Phoenix Suns
Phoenix Suns
The Phoenix Suns are a professional basketball team based in Phoenix, Arizona. They are members of the Pacific Division of the Western Conference in the National Basketball Association and the only team in their division not to be based in California. Their home arena since 1992 has been the US...
averaged a 17.9 rating, a mark that eclipsed the previous record of 15.9.
The 1993 Finals were Michael Jordan's last before his first retirement. The Houston Rockets
Houston Rockets
The Houston Rockets are an American professional basketball team based in Houston, Texas. The team plays in the Southwest Division of the Western Conference in the National Basketball Association . The team was established in 1967, and played in San Diego, California for four years, before being...
would take the next two titles consecutively. The ratings for those next two Finals decreased, but still had above-average views, and the 1995 Finals even came to within .3 ratings points of the 1995 Finals and featured Superstar Shaquille O'Neal
Shaquille O'Neal
Shaquille Rashaun O'Neal , nicknamed "Shaq" , is a former American professional basketball player. Standing tall and weighing , he was one of the heaviest players ever to play in the NBA...
making the finals with the Orlando Magic
Orlando Magic
The Orlando Magic is a professional basketball team based in Orlando, Florida. They play in the Southeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Basketball Association and are currently coached by Stan Van Gundy...
, which were swept 4-0 by the Rockets. After the two seasons, Jordan returned. Subsequently, and almost instantly, ratings greatly increased. Jordan's first game back, a March 19, 1995 game between the Bulls and the Indiana Pacers
Indiana Pacers
The Indiana Pacers are a professional basketball team based in Indianapolis, Indiana. They are members of the Central Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Basketball Association...
, scored a 10.9 rating for NBC, the highest rated regular-season NBA game of all time. Ratings for the Finals (which the Bulls played in the following three years) went up sharply as well. Game 1 of the 1996 NBA Finals
1996 NBA Finals
The 1996 NBA Finals was the championship series of the 1995-96 NBA season of the National Basketball Association. The Seattle SuperSonics of the Western Conference took on the Chicago Bulls of the Eastern Conference, with the Bulls holding home court advantage...
between the Chicago Bulls
Chicago Bulls
The Chicago Bulls are an American professional basketball team based in Chicago, Illinois, playing in the Central Division of the Eastern Conference in the National Basketball Association . The team was founded in 1966. They play their home games at the United Center...
and Seattle SuperSonics
Seattle SuperSonics
The Seattle SuperSonics were an American professional basketball team based in Seattle, Washington that played in the Pacific and Northwest Divisions of the National Basketball Association from 1967 until 2008. Following the 2007–08 season, the team relocated to Oklahoma City, and now plays as...
, the Bulls' 107-90 win at home in the United Center
United Center
The United Center is an indoor sports arena located in Chicago. It is named after its corporate sponsor, United Airlines. The United Center is home to both the Chicago Bulls of the National Basketball Association and the Chicago Blackhawks of the National Hockey League...
earned a 16.8 rating
Nielsen Ratings
Nielsen ratings are the audience measurement systems developed by Nielsen Media Research, in an effort to determine the audience size and composition of television programming in the United States...
and a 31 share on NBC. In addition, Game 1 was viewed in a then record 16,111,200 homes. On June 16, 1996, Game 6 of the NBA Finals (where the Bulls clinched their fourth NBA Championship in six years) drew an 18.8 rating and a 35 share. The six games of the 1996 NBA Finals averaged a 16.7 rating which ranks second all-time behind the 1993 NBA Finals. The six games of the 1993 NBA Finals
1993 NBA Finals
The 1993 NBA Finals was the championship round of the 1992-93 NBA season, featuring the Chicago Bulls, led by Michael Jordan, and the Phoenix Suns, winners of 62 games and led by regular season MVP Charles Barkley...
between the Bulls and Phoenix Suns
Phoenix Suns
The Phoenix Suns are a professional basketball team based in Phoenix, Arizona. They are members of the Pacific Division of the Western Conference in the National Basketball Association and the only team in their division not to be based in California. Their home arena since 1992 has been the US...
averaged a 17.9 rating. The next year, ratings for the Chicago Bulls-Utah Jazz
Utah Jazz
The Utah Jazz is a professional basketball team based in Salt Lake City, Utah. They are currently a part of the Northwest Division of the Western Conference in the National Basketball Association...
series were slightly better, before the 1998 Finals blew away the 1993 record, averaging an 18.7 rating—one which will likely not be matched by the NBA Finals for the foreseeable future. The deciding Game 6 (and Michael Jordan's final game with the Bulls) registered an NBA record 22.3 rating with a 38 share. The game was viewed by 72 million people, breaking the record set earlier that postseason by Game 7 of the 1998 Eastern Conference Finals
NBA Conference Finals
The National Basketball Association Conference Finals are the Eastern Conference and Western Conference Championship series of the National Basketball Association , a major professional basketball league in North America. The NBA was founded in 1946 as the Basketball Association of America...
between the Indiana Pacers
Indiana Pacers
The Indiana Pacers are a professional basketball team based in Indianapolis, Indiana. They are members of the Central Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Basketball Association...
and the Bulls (that same game set a record for highest-rated non-Finals NBA game with a 19.1/33). The 1998 Finals managed to best the ratings for that year's World Series
World Series
The World Series is the annual championship series of Major League Baseball, played between the American League and National League champions since 1903. The winner of the World Series championship is determined through a best-of-seven playoff and awarded the Commissioner's Trophy...
, the first of only three NBA Finals ever to do so.
Post-Jordan decline
The retirement of Michael JordanMichael Jordan
Michael Jeffrey Jordan is a former American professional basketball player, active entrepreneur, and majority owner of the Charlotte Bobcats...
set in motion the decline in NBA ratings which continues today. Ratings for the 1999 NBA Finals
1999 NBA Finals
The 1999 NBA Finals was the championship round of the shortened 1998–99 NBA season or the 1999 season. The San Antonio Spurs of the Western Conference took on the New York Knicks of the Eastern Conference for the title, with the Spurs holding home court advantage...
(which in fairness, came after a lockout shortened season
1998-99 NBA season
The 1999 NBA season was the 53rd season of the National Basketball Association . Due to a lockout, the season did not start until February 5, 1999 after a new six year Collective Bargaining Agreement was reached between the NBA and the National Basketball Players Association...
) were down significantly from the previous year, from an 18.7 to an 11.3. Primetime regular season games, which had become fairly routine (and highly-rated) during the Jordan years, set record lows for NBC once Jordan retired. With the rise of the Los Angeles Lakers
Los Angeles Lakers
The Los Angeles Lakers are an American professional basketball team based in Los Angeles, California. They play in the Pacific Division of the Western Conference in the National Basketball Association...
in the early part of the 2000s, ratings improved, but never to the level of the 80's or the 90's.The highest NBA Finals ratings on NBC after Jordan left was the 2001 Finals, which featured the dominant and then-defending champion Lakers with Shaq and Kobe Bryant
Kobe Bryant
Kobe Bean Bryant is an American professional basketball player who plays shooting guard for the Los Angeles Lakers of the National Basketball Association . Bryant enjoyed a successful high school basketball career at Lower Merion High School, where he was recognized as the top high school...
versus the polarizing Allen Iverson
Allen Iverson
Allen Ezail Iverson is an American professional basketball point guard and shooting guard. He was selected by the Philadelphia 76ers with the number one pick in the 1996 NBA Draft. He was named the NBA Rookie of the Year in the 1996–97 season...
and the underdog Philadelphia 76ers
Philadelphia 76ers
The Philadelphia 76ers are a professional basketball team based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. They play in the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Basketball Association . Originally known as the Syracuse Nationals, they are one of the oldest franchises in the NBA...
. The ratings for that series were a 12.1, still down 35 percent from 1998. NBC's last Finals, in 2002, came after a resurgence in playoff ratings (including a 14.2 rating for Game 7 of the Western Conference Finals). However, the Finals itself registered the lowest ratings the event had seen since 1981, topping out at a 10.2 average.
Record lows
| Net. | Year | Rating |
|---|---|---|
| NBC | 1996 1995-96 NBA season The 1995–96 NBA season was the 50th season of the National Basketball Association , although the league didn't celebrate this anniversary until the following season... |
5.0 |
| NBC | 1997 | 4.7 |
| NBC | 1998 1997-98 NBA season The 1997–98 NBA season was the 52nd season of the National Basketball Association. The season ended with the Chicago Bulls winning their third straight championship and sixth in the last eight years, beating the Utah Jazz 4 games to 2 in the 1998 NBA Finals... |
4.6 |
| NBC | 1999 1998-99 NBA season The 1999 NBA season was the 53rd season of the National Basketball Association . Due to a lockout, the season did not start until February 5, 1999 after a new six year Collective Bargaining Agreement was reached between the NBA and the National Basketball Players Association... |
4.3 |
| NBC | 2000 | 3.3 |
| NBC | 2001 | 3.0 |
| NBC | 2002 2001-02 NBA season -Statistics leaders:-Yearly awards:*Most Valuable Player: Tim Duncan, San Antonio Spurs*Rookie of the Year: Pau Gasol, Memphis Grizzlies*Defensive Player of the Year: Ben Wallace, Detroit Pistons... |
N/A |
| ABC | 2003 2002-03 NBA season The 2002–03 NBA season was the 57th season of the National Basketball Association. The season ended with the San Antonio Spurs beating the New Jersey Nets 4-2 in the 2003 NBA Finals.-Notable occurrences:... |
2.6 |
| ABC | 2004 2003-04 NBA season -Statistics leaders:-Yearly awards:*Most Valuable Player: Kevin Garnett, Minnesota Timberwolves*Rookie of the Year: LeBron James, Cleveland Cavaliers*Defensive Player of the Year: Ron Artest, Indiana Pacers... |
2.4 |
| ABC | 2005 2004-05 NBA season The 2004–05 NBA season was the 59th season of the National Basketball Association . It began on November 2, 2004 and ended June 23, 2005. The season ended with the San Antonio Spurs defeating defending champion Detroit Pistons 4–3 in the NBA Finals.... |
2.2 |
| ABC | 2006 2005-06 NBA season The 2005–06 NBA season was the 60th season of the National Basketball Association. It began on November 1, 2005 and ran through April 19, 2006... |
2.2 |
ABC's regular season NBA television ratings
Nielsen Ratings
Nielsen ratings are the audience measurement systems developed by Nielsen Media Research, in an effort to determine the audience size and composition of television programming in the United States...
have routinely finished between a 2.0 and a 2.5 ratings score. While these ratings compare favorably to the NHL's
National Hockey League
The National Hockey League is an unincorporated not-for-profit association which operates a major professional ice hockey league of 30 franchised member clubs, of which 7 are currently located in Canada and 23 in the United States...
Stanley Cup Finals, it is extremely low by NBA standards. Thirty-nine (or just over a third of) NBA games on ABC have registered a 2.1 or lower rating. Twice in March 2004, ABC registered a 1.1 rating with a 3 share, the lowest rating on a broadcast network in NBA history. ABC's March 28, 2004 telecast featuring the Dallas Mavericks
Dallas Mavericks
The Dallas Mavericks are a professional basketball team based in Dallas, Texas. They are members of the Southwest Division of the Western Conference of the National Basketball Association , and the reigning NBA champions, having defeated the Miami Heat in the 2011 NBA Finals.According to a 2011...
and the team with one of the worst records in the NBA, the Orlando Magic
Orlando Magic
The Orlando Magic is a professional basketball team based in Orlando, Florida. They play in the Southeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Basketball Association and are currently coached by Stan Van Gundy...
, was outdrawn by the NCAA Division II Basketball Championship game on CBS. ABC has routinely had games register ratings of below 2.0, and has set record lows for NBA network TV ratings in each of its first two seasons. Without the aid of the Shaquille O'Neal-Kobe Bryant matchup in the 2004–2005 season, ABC would have set another record low that year. Even with that aid, the network was only able to register a 2.4 average rating (which was even with the record low from the previous season). ABC set a record low for average playoff ratings during the 2005 NBA Playoffs
2005 NBA Playoffs
The 2005 NBA Playoffs was the postseason of the National Basketball Association's 2004–05 season.The San Antonio Spurs, the number two ranked team in the Western Conference, won the 2005 NBA Playoffs by defeating the defending champions, the Detroit Pistons, 4-3 in the NBA Finals...
, even as rival TNT (also experiencing lower ratings) set a record for the highest ratings the NBA had ever gotten on cable, thanks to Game 7 of the 2005 Eastern Conference Finals.
ABC tied its record low ratings mark from the 2004-05 season in 2005-06, scoring a 2.2 average overall. On March 19, 2006, a rained-out NASCAR
NASCAR
The National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing is a family-owned and -operated business venture that sanctions and governs multiple auto racing sports events. It was founded by Bill France Sr. in 1947–48. As of 2009, the CEO for the company is Brian France, grandson of the late Bill France Sr...
telecast got a higher television rating than ABC's presentation of the Los Angeles Lakers
Los Angeles Lakers
The Los Angeles Lakers are an American professional basketball team based in Los Angeles, California. They play in the Pacific Division of the Western Conference in the National Basketball Association...
-Cleveland Cavaliers
Cleveland Cavaliers
The Cleveland Cavaliers are a professional basketball team based in Cleveland, Ohio. They began playing in the National Basketball Association in 1970 as an expansion team...
game (featuring Kobe Bryant versus Lebron James). While the game itself had ratings 30 percent higher than the previous year, the situation was an embarrassment for both the NBA and the PGA Tour (which was also outdrawn by the rain delay). On April 30, 2006, another rained-out race outrated an NBA game (Miami Heat
Miami Heat
The Miami Heat is a professional basketball team based in Miami, Florida, United States. The team is a member of the Southeast Division in the Eastern Conference of the National Basketball Association . They play their home games at American Airlines Arena in Downtown Miami...
-Chicago Bulls
Chicago Bulls
The Chicago Bulls are an American professional basketball team based in Chicago, Illinois, playing in the Central Division of the Eastern Conference in the National Basketball Association . The team was founded in 1966. They play their home games at the United Center...
, First Round, Game 4). One factor in this is the fact that NASCAR usually outrates regular season NBA (as well as Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball is the highest level of professional baseball in the United States and Canada, consisting of teams that play in the National League and the American League...
and National Hockey League
National Hockey League
The National Hockey League is an unincorporated not-for-profit association which operates a major professional ice hockey league of 30 franchised member clubs, of which 7 are currently located in Canada and 23 in the United States...
) games by over 200 percent.
ABC's NBA ratings began to bounce back during the 2006 NBA Playoffs
2006 NBA Playoffs
The 2006 NBA Playoffs was the postseason of the National Basketball Association's 2005–06 season. The Miami Heat won the first championship in the history of the franchise by defeating the Dallas Mavericks 4-2 in the 2006 NBA Finals...
, led by their highest Sunday afternoon rating since taking over the NBA for Cleveland Cavaliers
Cleveland Cavaliers
The Cleveland Cavaliers are a professional basketball team based in Cleveland, Ohio. They began playing in the National Basketball Association in 1970 as an expansion team...
-Detroit Pistons
Detroit Pistons
The Detroit Pistons are a franchise of the National Basketball Association based in Auburn Hills, Michigan. The team's home arena is The Palace of Auburn Hills. It was originally founded in Fort Wayne, Indiana as the Fort Wayne Pistons as a member of the National Basketball League in 1941, where...
Game 7 (6.1/14). Overall, ABC's 2006 NBA Playoff coverage averaged a 3.8, up from 2005, but still down from 2004.
| Net. | | Year | | Game 1 | |Game 2 | | Game 3 | | Game 4 | | Game 5 | | Game 6 | | Game 7 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| NBC | 1997 | 15.8/27 | 15.1/27 | 14.2/27 | 16.9/30 | 20.1/35 | 18.5/35 | None |
| NBC | 1998 | 18.0/32 | 16.6/31 | 16.2/28 | 19.1/33 | 19.8/37 | 22.3/38 | None |
| NBC | 1999 | 11.5/20 | 9.6/19 | 12.1/21 | 12.0/22 | 11.0/22 | None | |
| NBC | 2000 | 10.5/18 | 9.9/20 | 10.9/19 | 13.1/24 | 10.0/20 | 14.7/26 | None |
| NBC | 2001 | 12.4/23 | 11.7/22 | 12.7/23 | 12.6/23 | 11.2/22 | None | |
| NBC | 2002 | 10.6/20 | 9.1/18 | 10.2/18 | 10.8/19 | None | ||
| ABC | 2003 | 6.4/11 | 5.2/10 | 7.0/12 | 6.6/12 | 6.2/12 | 7.5/14 | None |
| ABC | 2004 | 9.8/17 | 10.7/19 | 10.5/19 | 12.7/22 | 13.8/23 | None | |
| ABC | 2005 | 7.2/13 | 6.9/12 | 7.2/13 | 7.2/13 | 8.4/15 | 8.8/15 | 11.9/22 |
| ABC | 2006 | 7.8/14 | 8.0/14 | 8.0/14 | 7.8/14 | 9.0/17 | 10.1/18 | None |
| ABC | 2007 | 6.3/11 | 5.6/10 | 6.4/11 | 6.5/12 | None | ||
| ABC | 2008 | 8.7/16 | 8.5/15 | 9.2/16 | 8.7/16 | 10.2/19 | 10.7/19 | None |
| ABC | 2009 | 7.8/14 | 8.2/14 | 8.6/15 | 9.4/17 | 8.0/14 | None | |
| ABC | 2010 | 8.6/14 | 9.2/15 | 9.6/16 | 9.9/18 | 10.8/18 | 10.4/18 | 15.6/27 |
| ABC | 2011 | 9.0/15 | 9.3/15 | 9.1/15 | 9.6/16 | 10.8/18 | 13.3/23 | None |
The NBA Finals
ABC's ratings for the NBA Playoffs and Finals have been extremely low compared to NBC's ratings. In its last year televising the NBA, 20022001-02 NBA season
-Statistics leaders:-Yearly awards:*Most Valuable Player: Tim Duncan, San Antonio Spurs*Rookie of the Year: Pau Gasol, Memphis Grizzlies*Defensive Player of the Year: Ben Wallace, Detroit Pistons...
, NBC experienced a growth in playoff ratings, leading to the highest rated Western Conference Finals
NBA Conference Finals
The National Basketball Association Conference Finals are the Eastern Conference and Western Conference Championship series of the National Basketball Association , a major professional basketball league in North America. The NBA was founded in 1946 as the Basketball Association of America...
in NBA history, and a 14.2 rating for Game 7 of that series, which featured the Los Angeles Lakers
Los Angeles Lakers
The Los Angeles Lakers are an American professional basketball team based in Los Angeles, California. They play in the Pacific Division of the Western Conference in the National Basketball Association...
and Sacramento Kings
Sacramento Kings
The Sacramento Kings are a professional basketball team based in Sacramento, California, United States. They are currently members of the Western Conference of the National Basketball Association...
. ABC's highest rating overall was a 15.6 with which came in Game 7 of the 2010 NBA Finals
2010 NBA Finals
The 2010 NBA Finals was the National Basketball Association championship series for the 2009–10 season. The best-of-seven playoff was contested between the Los Angeles Lakers, champions of the Western Conference and defending NBA champions, and the Boston Celtics, champions of the Eastern Conference...
--lower than the 14.2 registered by the Lakers-Kings series. While other sports were also languishing with low ratings (i.e., baseball
Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball is the highest level of professional baseball in the United States and Canada, consisting of teams that play in the National League and the American League...
, which has seen three out of the last four World Series score near record-low ratings), the NBA joined the ratings-challenged NHL
National Hockey League
The National Hockey League is an unincorporated not-for-profit association which operates a major professional ice hockey league of 30 franchised member clubs, of which 7 are currently located in Canada and 23 in the United States...
as the only two out of the four major sports to have their championship ratings dip below a 10.0. (Baseball joined the family when the 2008
2008 World Series
The 2008 World Series was the 104th World Series between the American and National Leagues for the championship of Major League Baseball. The Philadelphia Phillies as champions of the National League and the Tampa Bay Rays, as American League champions, competed to win four games out of a possible...
, 2010
2010 World Series
The 2010 World Series was the 106th occurrence of Major League Baseball's championship series. The best-of-seven playoff, played between the American League champion Texas Rangers and the National League champion San Francisco Giants, began on Wednesday, , and ended on Monday, , with the Giants...
, and perhaps 2011 World Series
2011 World Series
The 2011 World Series was the 107th edition of Major League Baseball's championship series. The best-of-seven playoff was played between the American League champion Texas Rangers and the National League champion St...
all dipped below the 10 mark.)
2003 NBA Finals
During its twelve year run on NBC, the NBA never received a Championship Series TV ratingNielsen Ratings
Nielsen ratings are the audience measurement systems developed by Nielsen Media Research, in an effort to determine the audience size and composition of television programming in the United States...
lower than a 10.0. In 2003
2002-03 NBA season
The 2002–03 NBA season was the 57th season of the National Basketball Association. The season ended with the San Antonio Spurs beating the New Jersey Nets 4-2 in the 2003 NBA Finals.-Notable occurrences:...
, thanks in part to a playoff schedule in which the Finals began nearly a week after the Conference Finals ended, ratings for the series between the San Antonio Spurs
San Antonio Spurs
The San Antonio Spurs are an American professional basketball team based in San Antonio, Texas. They are part of the Southwest Division of the Western Conference in the National Basketball Association ....
and the New Jersey Nets
New Jersey Nets
The New Jersey Nets are a professional basketball team based in Newark, New Jersey. They are members of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference in the National Basketball Association...
plunged to a record-low 6.5. Game 6 of the series, the deciding game, ranked number 6 in number of households watched, and games were routinely beaten by reruns of series on CBS
CBS
CBS Broadcasting Inc. is a major US commercial broadcasting television network, which started as a radio network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System. The network is sometimes referred to as the "Eye Network" in reference to the shape of...
. Many attributed the drop to a relatively superstar-free Finals
2003 NBA Finals
The 2003 NBA Finals was the championship round of the 2002–03 NBA season. The San Antonio Spurs of the Western Conference took on the New Jersey Nets of the Eastern Conference for the title, with the Spurs holding home court advantage. The series was played under a best-of-seven format. The Spurs...
, which involved two small markets. Others pinned the massive ratings drop on bad play (the score at halftime of Game 3 was 33-30), and former ABC Sports Vice President Jim Spence was quoted as laying part of the blame on ABC itself:
In addition, unlike previous NBA Finals
NBA Finals
The NBA Finals is the championship series of the National Basketball Association . The series was named the NBA World Championship Series until 1986....
, games routinely began at 8:30 p.m. Eastern Time, nearly forty-five minutes earlier than normal. In what was viewed as an insult to some fans, ABC had movie reviewer Joel Siegel
Joel Siegel
Joel Siegel was an American film critic for the ABC morning news show Good Morning America for over 25 years. Born to a Jewish family of Romanian descent, and raised in Los Angeles, California, he graduated cum laude from UCLA. His Romanian-born grandmother from Botoşani survived the Triangle...
as a guest for halftime of Game 6. Siegel and Mike Tirico spent most of halftime talking about the upcoming summer movies, including featuring a look at music from Hulk
Hulk (film)
Hulk is a 2003 American superhero film based on the fictional Marvel Comics character of the same name. Ang Lee directed the film, which stars Eric Bana as Dr. Bruce Banner, as well as Jennifer Connelly, Sam Elliott, Josh Lucas, and Nick Nolte...
. The segment ended with Siegel and Tirico, both wearing toy Incredible Hulk
Hulk (comics)
The Hulk is a fictional character, a superhero in the . Created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby, the character first appeared in The Incredible Hulk #1 ....
hands, pounding fists. On the segment, the Sports Business Daily quoted Joe Hawk of the Review-Journal as saying:
No game in the series reached a 7.6 Nielsen rating, and none of the games reached a double-digit overnight rating. In addition to Game 2 of the 2005 NBA Finals, Games 1, 2, 4 and 5 of the 2003 series rank as the only championship games out of the NBA, MLB and NFL to have below a 7.0 rating. The poor ratings were a surprise to many in the media, and, while the overall quality of play in the series was criticized the most, ABC's telecasts also received a large amount of criticism. The New York Post
New York Post
The New York Post is the 13th-oldest newspaper published in the United States and is generally acknowledged as the oldest to have been published continuously as a daily, although – as is the case with most other papers – its publication has been periodically interrupted by labor actions...
's Andrew Marchand took notice of the fact that ABC's graphics had not been updated or changed in any way for the Finals, while Jim Sarni of The Miami Herald
The Miami Herald
The Miami Herald is a daily newspaper owned by The McClatchy Company headquartered on Biscayne Bay in the Omni district of Downtown Miami, Florida, United States...
noted that the announcing team of Brad Nessler
Brad Nessler
Bradley "Brad" Nessler is an American sportscaster, who currently calls college basketball and college football games for ESPN with occasional appearances on ESPN on ABC. He will also call Thursday Night Football on NFL Network beginning in 2011, and appears annually as a commentator in EA Sports'...
, Bill Walton
Bill Walton
William Theodore "Bill" Walton III is a retired American basketball player and television sportscaster. The "Big Red-Head", as he was called, achieved superstardom playing for John Wooden's powerhouse UCLA Bruins in the early '70s, winning three straight College Player of the Year Awards, while...
and Tom Tolbert
Tom Tolbert
Byron Thomas "Tom" Tolbert is an American retired professional basketball player and sports broadcaster. He played a total of seven seasons in the National Basketball Association...
was "as bad as the basketball."
Also, 2003 was the only year that ABC broadcast both the NBA Finals and the Stanley Cup Finals that involved teams from one city in the same year. During Game 3 of the NBA Finals at Continental Airlines Arena on June 8, 2003, Nessler, Walton, and Tolbert indicated that the New Jersey Devils
New Jersey Devils
The New Jersey Devils are a professional ice hockey team based in Newark, New Jersey, United States. They are members of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League...
would be playing the Anaheim Mighty Ducks
Anaheim Ducks
The Anaheim Ducks are a professional ice hockey team based in Anaheim, California, USA. They are members of the Pacific Division of the Western Conference of the National Hockey League...
in Game 7 of their finals
2003 Stanley Cup Finals
The 2003 Stanley Cup Finals was a best-of-seven playoff series that determined the champion of the National Hockey League for the 2002–03 season...
at Continental Airlines Arena the following night and that ABC would be broadcasting it. The following night, Gary Thorne
Gary Thorne
Gary Thorne is a play-by-play announcer for ESPN and ABC, working Major League Baseball, College football and Frozen Four hockey contests. He is also the television play-by-play voice of the Baltimore Orioles...
, Bill Clement, and John Davidson all indicated that ABC broadcast crews were in a situation having to broadcast two games from Continental Airlines Arena in as many nights: first Game 3 of the NBA Finals, then Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Finals. Bob Cole
Bob Cole (announcer)
Robert Cecil "Bob" Cole is a Canadian television announcer and former competitive curler.Cole was the primary play-by-play announcer for Hockey Night in Canada 'HNIC' on CBC, usually for Toronto Maple Leafs games, from 1980 to 2008. Aside from the Leafs broadcasts, he was also a staple for the...
and Harry Neale
Harry Neale
Harold Watson Neale is a hockey colour commentator, who currently works for the Buffalo Sabres on the Sabres Hockey Network...
also indicated the situation ABC was in during their broadcast
Hockey Night in Canada
Hockey Night in Canada is the branding used for CBC Sports' presentations of the National Hockey League...
of Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Finals on the CBC
Canadian Broadcasting Corporation
The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, commonly known as CBC and officially as CBC/Radio-Canada, is a Canadian crown corporation that serves as the national public radio and television broadcaster...
.
2004 NBA Finals
| Rating | Game | Playoff/Date |
|---|---|---|
| 15.6/27 | Boston Celtics vs Los Angeles Lakers | Game 7, 2010 NBA Finals |
| 13.8/23 | Los Angeles Lakers vs. Detroit Pistons | Game 5, 2004 NBA Finals |
| 12.8/17 | Los Angeles Lakers vs. Boston Celtics | Game 5, 2010 NBA Finals |
| 12.7/17 | Los Angeles Lakers vs. Detroit Pistons | Game 4, 2004 NBA Finals |
| 11.9/22 | Detroit Pistons vs. San Antonio Spurs | Game 7, 2005 NBA Finals |
| 10.7/19 | Detroit Pistons vs. Los Angeles Lakers | Game 2, 2004 NBA Finals |
| 10.5/19 | Los Angeles Lakers vs. Detroit Pistons | Game 3, 2004 NBA Finals |
| 10.1/18 | Miami Heat vs. Dallas Mavericks | Game 6, 2006 NBA Finals |
| 9.8/17 | Detroit Pistons vs. Los Angeles Lakers | Game 1, 2004 NBA Finals |
| 9.0/17 | Dallas Mavericks vs. Miami Heat | Game 5, 2006 NBA Finals |
| 8.8/15 | Detroit Pistons vs. San Antonio Spurs | Game 6, 2005 NBA Finals |
| 8.4/15 | San Antonio Spurs vs. Detroit Pistons | Game 5, 2005 NBA Finals |
In 2004
2003-04 NBA season
-Statistics leaders:-Yearly awards:*Most Valuable Player: Kevin Garnett, Minnesota Timberwolves*Rookie of the Year: LeBron James, Cleveland Cavaliers*Defensive Player of the Year: Ron Artest, Indiana Pacers...
, ratings for the Finals
2004 NBA Finals
The 2004 NBA Finals was the championship round of the 2003–04 National Basketball Association season. The Finals were between the Los Angeles Lakers of the Western Conference and the Detroit Pistons of the Eastern Conference; the Lakers held home court advantage...
between the Los Angeles Lakers
Los Angeles Lakers
The Los Angeles Lakers are an American professional basketball team based in Los Angeles, California. They play in the Pacific Division of the Western Conference in the National Basketball Association...
and the Detroit Pistons
Detroit Pistons
The Detroit Pistons are a franchise of the National Basketball Association based in Auburn Hills, Michigan. The team's home arena is The Palace of Auburn Hills. It was originally founded in Fort Wayne, Indiana as the Fort Wayne Pistons as a member of the National Basketball League in 1941, where...
went up significantly right from the start, helped largely by the presence of Shaquille O'Neal
Shaquille O'Neal
Shaquille Rashaun O'Neal , nicknamed "Shaq" , is a former American professional basketball player. Standing tall and weighing , he was one of the heaviest players ever to play in the NBA...
and Kobe Bryant
Kobe Bryant
Kobe Bean Bryant is an American professional basketball player who plays shooting guard for the Los Angeles Lakers of the National Basketball Association . Bryant enjoyed a successful high school basketball career at Lower Merion High School, where he was recognized as the top high school...
. As the series went on, and the heavily-favored Lakers were toppled by the underdog Pistons, ratings gained momentum, eventually topping out at an 11.5 overall average, the best Finals rating since 2001
2001 NBA Finals
The 2001 NBA Finals was the championship round of the 2000-01 National Basketball Association season. The Los Angeles Lakers of the Western Conference took on the Philadelphia 76ers of the Eastern Conference for the title, with the Lakers holding home court advantage in a best-of-seven format.The...
. Some reasons for the improved ratings, in addition to the presence of the star-studded Lakers, include the fact that the NBA pushed the games' start times back to 9:00 p.m. Eastern Time. Also, games were shifted from the traditional Wednesday-Friday-Sunday rotation to a Tuesday-Thursday-Sunday rotation, eliminating games airing on low-rated Friday nights
Friday night death slot
The Friday night death slot is a perceived graveyard slot in American television, referring to the concept that a television program in the United States scheduled on Friday evenings is destined for imminent cancellation....
.
Commercial promotion was ramped up for the 2004 Finals
2004 NBA Finals
The 2004 NBA Finals was the championship round of the 2003–04 National Basketball Association season. The Finals were between the Los Angeles Lakers of the Western Conference and the Detroit Pistons of the Eastern Conference; the Lakers held home court advantage...
as well. Whereas the 2003 Finals
2003 NBA Finals
The 2003 NBA Finals was the championship round of the 2002–03 NBA season. The San Antonio Spurs of the Western Conference took on the New Jersey Nets of the Eastern Conference for the title, with the Spurs holding home court advantage. The series was played under a best-of-seven format. The Spurs...
received very little fanfare on ABC or corporate partner ESPN, the 2004 Finals were promoted more on both networks. Even so, NBA-related promotions on ABC
American Broadcasting Company
The American Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. Its first broadcast on television was in 1948...
were still down significantly from promotions on NBC; NBA promos took up 3 minutes and 55 seconds of airtime on ABC during the week of May 23, 2004 according to the Sports Business Daily, comparable to 2 minutes and 45 seconds for the Indianapolis 500
Indianapolis 500
The Indianapolis 500-Mile Race, also known as the Indianapolis 500, the 500 Miles at Indianapolis, the Indy 500 or The 500, is an American automobile race, held annually, typically on the last weekend in May at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Speedway, Indiana...
. Promotions for the Indianapolis 500 outnumbered promotions for the NBA Finals fourteen-to-nine from the hours of 9:00 pm to 11:00 pm.
2005 NBA Finals
While the 2004 Finals showed improvement for ABC, the 2005 Finals2005 NBA Finals
The 2005 NBA Finals was the championship round of the 2004-05 National Basketball Association season. The San Antonio Spurs of the Western Conference faced the Detroit Pistons of the Eastern Conference for the title, with the Spurs holding home court advantage. The series was played under a...
sank back towards record-low levels. The series between the previous two champions, the Detroit Pistons
Detroit Pistons
The Detroit Pistons are a franchise of the National Basketball Association based in Auburn Hills, Michigan. The team's home arena is The Palace of Auburn Hills. It was originally founded in Fort Wayne, Indiana as the Fort Wayne Pistons as a member of the National Basketball League in 1941, where...
and San Antonio Spurs
San Antonio Spurs
The San Antonio Spurs are an American professional basketball team based in San Antonio, Texas. They are part of the Southwest Division of the Western Conference in the National Basketball Association ....
, was widely panned by the media as a slow, boring, defensive-minded series without any captivating stars. On Tuesday, June 7, 2005, the night after Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Finals
NBA Conference Finals
The National Basketball Association Conference Finals are the Eastern Conference and Western Conference Championship series of the National Basketball Association , a major professional basketball league in North America. The NBA was founded in 1946 as the Basketball Association of America...
between the Pistons and Miami Heat
Miami Heat
The Miami Heat is a professional basketball team based in Miami, Florida, United States. The team is a member of the Southeast Division in the Eastern Conference of the National Basketball Association . They play their home games at American Airlines Arena in Downtown Miami...
, ESPN's SportsCenter
SportsCenter
SportsCenter is a daily sports news television show, and the flagship program of American cable network ESPN since the network launched on September 7, 1979. Originally broadcast only daily, SportsCenter is now shown up to twelve times a day, replaying the day's scores and highlights from major...
went as far as to air a segment between host Dan Patrick
Dan Patrick
Daniel Patrick Pugh , professionally known as Dan Patrick, is an American sportscaster, radio personality, and actor from Mason, Ohio...
and analyst Ric Bucher
Ric Bucher
Ric Bucher is an NBA analyst for ESPN and ESPN.com. Bucher is also a senior writer for ESPN The Magazine and a columnist for ESPN.com.Born in Cincinnati, Ohio, Bucher is a 1983 graduate of Dartmouth College, where he played four years on the varsity soccer team. Bucher has covered the NBA since...
going over the reasons why sports fans should tune into the series. Some fans felt as if this was a knock against the Spurs and Pistons, noting that ESPN usually did not have to give reasons why to watch a championship sporting event.
The series got off to a shaky start, with four consecutive blowouts, and ratings below double digits in every game. While games 1, 3 and 4 had at least a 7.0 rating (on a Thursday, Tuesday and another Thursday respectively), Game 2 (on a Sunday night) fell to a 6.9. Games 5, 6 and 7 of the series stemmed the tide, with each game getting progressively higher ratings. All three games scored double-digit overnight ratings, and Game 7 achieved the only double-digit final rating of the series, an 11.9. The rating was only ABC's fifth double-digit final rating ever in covering the NBA; NBC had six double-digit ratings alone in 2002. The rating would also go down as one of the lowest ever ratings for a major sport championship Game 7 (joining several Stanley Cup Final game sevens). Overall, ratings for the series averaged an 8.2, the second-lowest average in league history. Many in the media and the viewing public complained that games in the 2005 Finals began too late, making it harder for those on the East Coast
East Coast of the United States
The East Coast of the United States, also known as the Eastern Seaboard, refers to the easternmost coastal states in the United States, which touch the Atlantic Ocean and stretch up to Canada. The term includes the U.S...
to view the end.
2006 NBA Finals
| Game | Viewers | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| Game 1 | 11.5 million | 5 for the week |
| Game 2 | 12.4 million | tie-2 for the week |
| Game 3 | 12.2 million | 3 for the week |
| Game 4 | 11.5 million | 4 for the week |
| Game 5 | 14.3 million | 1 for the week |
| Game 6 | 15.7 million | 1 for the week |
Though the 2006 NBA Finals featured stars (Shaquille O'Neal
Shaquille O'Neal
Shaquille Rashaun O'Neal , nicknamed "Shaq" , is a former American professional basketball player. Standing tall and weighing , he was one of the heaviest players ever to play in the NBA...
, Dwyane Wade
Dwyane Wade
Dwyane Tyrone Wade, Jr. nicknamed Flash or D-Wade, is an American professional basketball player for the Miami Heat. Awarded 2006 Sportsman of the Year by Sports Illustrated, Wade has established himself as one of the most well-known and popular players in the league...
, Dirk Nowitzki
Dirk Nowitzki
Dirk Werner Nowitzki is a German professional basketball player who plays for the Dallas Mavericks of the National Basketball Association...
and even Dallas Mavericks
Dallas Mavericks
The Dallas Mavericks are a professional basketball team based in Dallas, Texas. They are members of the Southwest Division of the Western Conference of the National Basketball Association , and the reigning NBA champions, having defeated the Miami Heat in the 2011 NBA Finals.According to a 2011...
owner Mark Cuban
Mark Cuban
Mark Cuban is an American business magnate and investor. He is the owner of the National Basketball Association's Dallas Mavericks, Landmark Theatres, and Magnolia Pictures, and the chairman of the HDTV cable network HDNet....
), the series between the Miami Heat
Miami Heat
The Miami Heat is a professional basketball team based in Miami, Florida, United States. The team is a member of the Southeast Division in the Eastern Conference of the National Basketball Association . They play their home games at American Airlines Arena in Downtown Miami...
and Dallas Mavericks
Dallas Mavericks
The Dallas Mavericks are a professional basketball team based in Dallas, Texas. They are members of the Southwest Division of the Western Conference of the National Basketball Association , and the reigning NBA champions, having defeated the Miami Heat in the 2011 NBA Finals.According to a 2011...
was only slightly up from the 2005 Finals. While single-digit ratings were predicted, most notably by Houston Chronicle
Houston Chronicle
The Houston Chronicle is the largest daily newspaper in Texas, USA, headquartered in the Houston Chronicle Building in Downtown Houston. , it is the ninth-largest newspaper by circulation in the United States...
television sports writer David Barron, that the series finished with only an 8.5 ratings average served as a statement that the league's ratings would likely not return to even 2001 levels.
Even though the ratings were lower than expected, they were still higher than 2005 and much higher than 2003. In addition, ratings for the event dramatically bested the U.S. Open
U.S. Open (golf)
The United States Open Championship, commonly known as the U.S. Open, is the annual open golf tournament of the United States. It is the second of the four major championships in golf, and is on the official schedule of both the PGA Tour and the European Tour...
(which, partially due to star Tiger Woods
Tiger Woods
Eldrick Tont "Tiger" Woods is an American professional golfer whose achievements to date rank him among the most successful golfers of all time. Formerly the World No...
missing the cut, got its lowest ever Saturday rating) and the Stanley Cup Finals. The 2006 Finals would stand as only the second Final on ABC to have every game get at least a 7.8 rating (higher than every game of the 2003 Finals and all but three games of the 2005 Finals). Still, two of the games were below an 8.0, and two games matched the number. Prior to ABC's involvement in the NBA, 8.0 was the lowest the Finals had gone since the tape-delay days in the early eighties
1980s
File:1980s decade montage.png|thumb|400px|From left, clockwise: The first Space Shuttle, Columbia, lifted off in 1981; American President Ronald Reagan and Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev eased tensions between the two superpowers, leading to the end of the Cold War; The Fall of the Berlin Wall in...
, when the O.J. Simpson car chase upstaged Game 5 of the 1994 NBA Finals
1994 NBA Finals
The 1994 NBA Finals was the championship round of the 1993–94 National Basketball Association season, featuring the Western Conference's Houston Rockets defeating the Eastern Conference's New York Knicks....
.
Game 6 of the series was only ABC's sixth NBA game to ever achieve a double-digit rating (10.1). While the series ranked as the third-lowest of the prime time
Prime time
Prime time or primetime is the block of broadcast programming during the middle of the evening for television programing.The term prime time is often defined in terms of a fixed time period—for example, from 19:00 to 22:00 or 20:00 to 23:00 Prime time or primetime is the block of broadcast...
era (since 1982
1982 NBA Finals
The 1982 NBA World Championship Series was the championship round of the 1981-82 NBA season, the top level of competition in men's professional basketball in North America. The series saw the Los Angeles Lakers face the Philadelphia 76ers....
), ABC press releases managed to spin the ratings in a positive light:
The ratings from the 2006 Finals signaled that the Spurs' two championships (in 2003 and 2005, which netted ABC a 6.5 and 8.2 rating respectively) were not isolated incidents of diminished interest, but instead a trend for the NBA on television. As NBA commissioner David Stern
David Stern
David Joel Stern is the commissioner of the National Basketball Association. He started with the Association in 1966 as an outside counsel, joined the NBA in 1978 as General Counsel, and became the league's Executive Vice President in 1980. He became Commissioner in 1984 succeeding Larry O'Brien...
is planning to, by the end of 2006, renew and extend his TV deal with ABC, ESPN and TNT (a deal that relegated most playoff games to cable and may be the most responsible for the downturn in television ratings), it is unlikely that the league will return to double digit averages for its championship series for many years.
2007 NBA Finals
While the 2007 NBA Finals2007 NBA Finals
The 2007 NBA Finals was the championship series of the 2006-07 National Basketball Association season, and was the conclusion of the 2007 NBA Playoffs. The best-of-seven series was played between the Western Conference champion San Antonio Spurs and the Eastern Conference champion Cleveland...
featured LeBron James
LeBron James
LeBron Raymone James is an American professional basketball player for the Miami Heat of the National Basketball Association . Nicknamed "King James", he was a three-time "Mr. Basketball" of Ohio in high school, and was highly promoted in the national media as a future NBA superstar while a...
making his first appearance, according to ESPN, the 2007 NBA Finals
2007 NBA Finals
The 2007 NBA Finals was the championship series of the 2006-07 National Basketball Association season, and was the conclusion of the 2007 NBA Playoffs. The best-of-seven series was played between the Western Conference champion San Antonio Spurs and the Eastern Conference champion Cleveland...
series was a television bust in the United States. San Antonio
San Antonio Spurs
The San Antonio Spurs are an American professional basketball team based in San Antonio, Texas. They are part of the Southwest Division of the Western Conference in the National Basketball Association ....
's four-game sweep of Cleveland
Cleveland Cavaliers
The Cleveland Cavaliers are a professional basketball team based in Cleveland, Ohio. They began playing in the National Basketball Association in 1970 as an expansion team...
finished with a record-low 6.2 television rating and 11 share on ABC, Nielsen Media Research said on June 15, 2007.
That was down 27 percent from the 8.5/15 for Miami
Miami Heat
The Miami Heat is a professional basketball team based in Miami, Florida, United States. The team is a member of the Southeast Division in the Eastern Conference of the National Basketball Association . They play their home games at American Airlines Arena in Downtown Miami...
's six-game victory over Dallas
Dallas Mavericks
The Dallas Mavericks are a professional basketball team based in Dallas, Texas. They are members of the Southwest Division of the Western Conference of the National Basketball Association , and the reigning NBA champions, having defeated the Miami Heat in the 2011 NBA Finals.According to a 2011...
from the previous year
2006 NBA Finals
The 2006 NBA Finals was the championship series of the 2005–06 National Basketball Association season. The Miami Heat won the championship in six games over the Dallas Mavericks, winning the final game at the American Airlines Center in Dallas, and becoming the third team to win a championship...
and 5 percent under the previous low, a 6.5/12 for San Antonio's six-game win over New Jersey
New Jersey Nets
The New Jersey Nets are a professional basketball team based in Newark, New Jersey. They are members of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference in the National Basketball Association...
in 2003
2003 NBA Finals
The 2003 NBA Finals was the championship round of the 2002–03 NBA season. The San Antonio Spurs of the Western Conference took on the New Jersey Nets of the Eastern Conference for the title, with the Spurs holding home court advantage. The series was played under a best-of-seven format. The Spurs...
. The NBA Finals averaged 9.3 million viewers this year.
San Antonio's series-winning 83-82 victory on Thursday night got a 6.5/12, down 17 percent from the 7.8/14 for Game 4 in 2006.
The ratings of the 2007 NBA Finals surpassed that of the 2003 NBA Finals
2003 NBA Finals
The 2003 NBA Finals was the championship round of the 2002–03 NBA season. The San Antonio Spurs of the Western Conference took on the New Jersey Nets of the Eastern Conference for the title, with the Spurs holding home court advantage. The series was played under a best-of-seven format. The Spurs...
as the lowest-rated series in NBA Finals history. It is suggested that these poor ratings have been attributed to numerous things, such as the fact that Cleveland and San Antonio are generally smaller markets in comparison to Los Angeles
Los Angeles Lakers
The Los Angeles Lakers are an American professional basketball team based in Los Angeles, California. They play in the Pacific Division of the Western Conference in the National Basketball Association...
, Dallas
Dallas Mavericks
The Dallas Mavericks are a professional basketball team based in Dallas, Texas. They are members of the Southwest Division of the Western Conference of the National Basketball Association , and the reigning NBA champions, having defeated the Miami Heat in the 2011 NBA Finals.According to a 2011...
, Miami
Miami Heat
The Miami Heat is a professional basketball team based in Miami, Florida, United States. The team is a member of the Southeast Division in the Eastern Conference of the National Basketball Association . They play their home games at American Airlines Arena in Downtown Miami...
and Detroit
Detroit Pistons
The Detroit Pistons are a franchise of the National Basketball Association based in Auburn Hills, Michigan. The team's home arena is The Palace of Auburn Hills. It was originally founded in Fort Wayne, Indiana as the Fort Wayne Pistons as a member of the National Basketball League in 1941, where...
, cities that recently had its NBA teams in the finals. Also game two occurred on the same night as The Sopranos
The Sopranos
The Sopranos is an American television drama series created by David Chase that revolves around the New Jersey-based Italian-American mobster Tony Soprano and the difficulties he faces as he tries to balance the often conflicting requirements of his home life and the criminal organization he heads...
series finale.
Additionally, there has been criticism that both teams didn't score many points in the series which can also be attributed to the low ratings. The series was to bill LeBron James at the highest point in his career. He did account for a vast majority of the Cavaliers' performance in the playoffs, but was unable to deliver in the end.
Additionally, ESPN on ABC's coverage of the Finals placed far more emphasis on the legacy of the game. In other words, more attention was directed towards league stars Michael Jordan
Michael Jordan
Michael Jeffrey Jordan is a former American professional basketball player, active entrepreneur, and majority owner of the Charlotte Bobcats...
, Magic Johnson
Magic Johnson
Earvin "Magic" Johnson Jr. is a retired American professional basketball player who played point guard for the Los Angeles Lakers of the National Basketball Association . After winning championships in high school and college, Johnson was selected first overall in the 1979 NBA Draft by the Lakers...
, and Larry Bird
Larry Bird
Larry Joe Bird is a former American NBA basketball player and coach. Drafted into the NBA sixth overall by the Boston Celtics in 1978, Bird started at small forward and power forward for thirteen seasons, spearheading one of the NBA's most formidable frontcourts that included center Robert Parish...
, three players responsible for the leagues success in the 1980s and 1990s. In addition, ABC's coverage placed more emphasis on celebrity and cross-network promotion. Eva Longoria
Eva Longoria
Eva Jacqueline Longoria is an American actress, best known for portraying Gabrielle Solis on the ABC television series Desperate Housewives...
, star of ABC's Desperate Housewives
Desperate Housewives
Desperate Housewives is an American television comedy-drama series created by Marc Cherry and produced by ABC Studios and Cherry Productions. Executive producer Cherry serves as Showrunner. Other executive producers since the fourth season include Marc Cherry, Bob Daily, George W...
and then-fiancee of Spurs' point guard Tony Parker
Tony Parker
William Anthony "Tony" Parker is a French professional basketball player who currently plays for the San Antonio Spurs of the NBA....
was featured at times during the games.
2008 NBA Finals
The 2008 NBA Finals2008 NBA Finals
The 2008 NBA Finals was the championship series of the 2007–08 NBA season, and the conclusion of the season's playoffs. The Boston Celtics, top-seeded champions of the Eastern Conference, defeated the Los Angeles Lakers, top-seeded champions of the Western Conference, four games to two in a...
featured the Los Angeles Lakers
Los Angeles Lakers
The Los Angeles Lakers are an American professional basketball team based in Los Angeles, California. They play in the Pacific Division of the Western Conference in the National Basketball Association...
and the Boston Celtics
Boston Celtics
The Boston Celtics are a National Basketball Association team based in Boston, Massachusetts. They play in the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference. Founded in 1946, the team is currently owned by Boston Basketball Partners LLC. The Celtics play their home games at the TD Garden, which...
renewing their historic rivalry with their first meeting since 1987
1987 NBA Finals
The 1987 NBA Finals was the championship round of the 1986-87 NBA season. The match took place between the Los Angeles Lakers and the Boston Celtics. The Lakers won 4–2, beating the Celtics in the Finals. The key moment of the series was Magic Johnson's junior sky hook in Game 4...
. With this, the ratings had great improvement from the previous year's Finals. The six-game series garnered a 9.3 rating and an average of 14.9 million viewers, a 50% increase from 2007 and the highest Finals numbers since 2004. The series-clinching Game 6 finished with a 10.7 rating and drew 16.9 million viewers.
2009 NBA Finals
The 2009 NBA Finals2009 NBA Finals
The 2009 NBA Finals was the National Basketball Association championship series for the 2008-09 season. The best-of-seven playoff was contested between the Los Angeles Lakers, champions of the Western Conference and defending Western Conference champions, and the Orlando Magic, champions of the...
featured the Lakers for the second straight time facing off against the Orlando Magic
Orlando Magic
The Orlando Magic is a professional basketball team based in Orlando, Florida. They play in the Southeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Basketball Association and are currently coached by Stan Van Gundy...
. These Finals had a slight drop from the previous year's Finals. The five-game series finished with an 8.4 rating, a 9.7% decrease from 2008, with the series averaging 14.3 million viewers. The series-clinching Game 5 had an 8.0 rating and garnered 14.2 million viewers.
2010 NBA Finals
The 2010 NBA Finals2010 NBA Finals
The 2010 NBA Finals was the National Basketball Association championship series for the 2009–10 season. The best-of-seven playoff was contested between the Los Angeles Lakers, champions of the Western Conference and defending NBA champions, and the Boston Celtics, champions of the Eastern Conference...
featured a rematch of 2008 with a renewal of the classic rivalry between the Lakers and Celtics and proved to be a smash hit in the ratings. With the historic rivalry between the two most successful teams in the league being the marquee matchup once again and the Finals going seven games for the first time since 2005, the series achieved a 10.6 rating and an average of 18.1 million viewers, the highest numbers since 2004. This was a 26% increase from 2009 and a 14% increase from 2008, the last time the Lakers and the Celtics met. The deciding Game 7 garnered an 15.6 rating and a tally of 28.2 million viewers, making it the most-watched NBA game since Game 6 of the 1998 NBA Finals
Game 6 of the 1998 NBA Finals
Game 6 of the 1998 NBA Finals took place on June 14, 1998 in Salt Lake City between the visiting Chicago Bulls and the Utah Jazz at the Delta Center, now known as EnergySolutions Arena, in Salt Lake City. The Bulls won 87–86, clinching their sixth NBA title in eight years...
, which had a 22.3 rating and drew 72 million viewers. In addition, the seventh game bested the previous Game 7 in 2005 by 31%. Game 7 is as of now the most-watched NBA game in ABC's current eight-season run with the league.
2011 NBA Finals
The 2011 NBA Finals2011 NBA Finals
The 2011 NBA Finals was the championship series of the 2010–11 season of the National Basketball Association and the conclusion of the season's playoffs. The Western Conference champion Dallas Mavericks defeated the Eastern Conference champion Miami Heat, 4–2, to win their first NBA title...
, a rematch of 2006
2006 NBA Finals
The 2006 NBA Finals was the championship series of the 2005–06 National Basketball Association season. The Miami Heat won the championship in six games over the Dallas Mavericks, winning the final game at the American Airlines Center in Dallas, and becoming the third team to win a championship...
, featured, arguably, pro sports' most scrutinized team -- the 2011 Miami Heat -- against perennial playoff underachievers, and underdogs, in the Dallas Mavericks. The six-game series, which had better ratings for games 1, 3, and 5 (as compared to 2010), would drop slightly from that Final, with a 10.2 rating. The highest-ranked game, Game 6, registered a 13.3 rating and is now the third-most watched game in modern NBA on ABC history. The series is the second consecutive Finals to reach double-digits, and the third in the ABC era to do so.
Cable ratings
In the 2005–2006 NBA season2005-06 NBA season
The 2005–06 NBA season was the 60th season of the National Basketball Association. It began on November 1, 2005 and ran through April 19, 2006...
, ESPN and TNT's ratings were up slightly in the regular season and up significantly in the playoffs. TNT's ratings for second round playoff games were up 22 percent from the previous year, while ESPN posted double digit increases in both the first and second rounds of the playoffs. ESPN's Conference Final ratings were up 20 percent from the previous year, from a 4.0 to a 4.8. TNT's Conference Final ratings fell to their lowest level since 2003.
Turner Sports
| Year | Net. | Games | Conf. | Teams | Rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2003 2002-03 NBA season The 2002–03 NBA season was the 57th season of the National Basketball Association. The season ended with the San Antonio Spurs beating the New Jersey Nets 4-2 in the 2003 NBA Finals.-Notable occurrences:... |
ESPN ESPN Entertainment and Sports Programming Network, commonly known as ESPN, is an American global cable television network focusing on sports-related programming including live and pre-taped event telecasts, sports talk shows, and other original programming.... |
2, 4 | East | NJN New Jersey Nets The New Jersey Nets are a professional basketball team based in Newark, New Jersey. They are members of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference in the National Basketball Association... 4, DET Detroit Pistons The Detroit Pistons are a franchise of the National Basketball Association based in Auburn Hills, Michigan. The team's home arena is The Palace of Auburn Hills. It was originally founded in Fort Wayne, Indiana as the Fort Wayne Pistons as a member of the National Basketball League in 1941, where... 0 |
2.8 |
| TNT Turner Network Television Turner Network Television is an American cable television channel created by media mogul Ted Turner and currently owned by the Turner Broadcasting System division of Time Warner... |
All | West | SAS San Antonio Spurs The San Antonio Spurs are an American professional basketball team based in San Antonio, Texas. They are part of the Southwest Division of the Western Conference in the National Basketball Association .... 4, DAL Dallas Mavericks The Dallas Mavericks are a professional basketball team based in Dallas, Texas. They are members of the Southwest Division of the Western Conference of the National Basketball Association , and the reigning NBA champions, having defeated the Miami Heat in the 2011 NBA Finals.According to a 2011... 2 |
4.6 | |
| 2004 2003-04 NBA season -Statistics leaders:-Yearly awards:*Most Valuable Player: Kevin Garnett, Minnesota Timberwolves*Rookie of the Year: LeBron James, Cleveland Cavaliers*Defensive Player of the Year: Ron Artest, Indiana Pacers... |
ESPN ESPN Entertainment and Sports Programming Network, commonly known as ESPN, is an American global cable television network focusing on sports-related programming including live and pre-taped event telecasts, sports talk shows, and other original programming.... |
All | East | DET Detroit Pistons The Detroit Pistons are a franchise of the National Basketball Association based in Auburn Hills, Michigan. The team's home arena is The Palace of Auburn Hills. It was originally founded in Fort Wayne, Indiana as the Fort Wayne Pistons as a member of the National Basketball League in 1941, where... 4, IND Indiana Pacers The Indiana Pacers are a professional basketball team based in Indianapolis, Indiana. They are members of the Central Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Basketball Association... 2 |
3.8 |
| TNT Turner Network Television Turner Network Television is an American cable television channel created by media mogul Ted Turner and currently owned by the Turner Broadcasting System division of Time Warner... |
All | West | LAL Los Angeles Lakers The Los Angeles Lakers are an American professional basketball team based in Los Angeles, California. They play in the Pacific Division of the Western Conference in the National Basketball Association... 4, MIN Minnesota Timberwolves The Minnesota Timberwolves are an American professional basketball team based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. They play in the Northwest Division of the Western Conference in the National Basketball Association . Founded in 1989, the team is currently owned by Glen Taylor... 2 |
6.3 | |
| 2005 2004-05 NBA season The 2004–05 NBA season was the 59th season of the National Basketball Association . It began on November 2, 2004 and ended June 23, 2005. The season ended with the San Antonio Spurs defeating defending champion Detroit Pistons 4–3 in the NBA Finals.... |
ESPN ESPN Entertainment and Sports Programming Network, commonly known as ESPN, is an American global cable television network focusing on sports-related programming including live and pre-taped event telecasts, sports talk shows, and other original programming.... |
2, 3, 5 | West | SAS San Antonio Spurs The San Antonio Spurs are an American professional basketball team based in San Antonio, Texas. They are part of the Southwest Division of the Western Conference in the National Basketball Association .... 4, PHO Phoenix Suns The Phoenix Suns are a professional basketball team based in Phoenix, Arizona. They are members of the Pacific Division of the Western Conference in the National Basketball Association and the only team in their division not to be based in California. Their home arena since 1992 has been the US... 1 |
4.0 |
| TNT Turner Network Television Turner Network Television is an American cable television channel created by media mogul Ted Turner and currently owned by the Turner Broadcasting System division of Time Warner... |
All | East | DET Detroit Pistons The Detroit Pistons are a franchise of the National Basketball Association based in Auburn Hills, Michigan. The team's home arena is The Palace of Auburn Hills. It was originally founded in Fort Wayne, Indiana as the Fort Wayne Pistons as a member of the National Basketball League in 1941, where... 4, MIA Miami Heat The Miami Heat is a professional basketball team based in Miami, Florida, United States. The team is a member of the Southeast Division in the Eastern Conference of the National Basketball Association . They play their home games at American Airlines Arena in Downtown Miami... 3 |
5.0 | |
| 2006 2005-06 NBA season The 2005–06 NBA season was the 60th season of the National Basketball Association. It began on November 1, 2005 and ran through April 19, 2006... |
ESPN ESPN Entertainment and Sports Programming Network, commonly known as ESPN, is an American global cable television network focusing on sports-related programming including live and pre-taped event telecasts, sports talk shows, and other original programming.... |
1, 2, 3, 5, 6 | East | MIA Miami Heat The Miami Heat is a professional basketball team based in Miami, Florida, United States. The team is a member of the Southeast Division in the Eastern Conference of the National Basketball Association . They play their home games at American Airlines Arena in Downtown Miami... 4, DET Detroit Pistons The Detroit Pistons are a franchise of the National Basketball Association based in Auburn Hills, Michigan. The team's home arena is The Palace of Auburn Hills. It was originally founded in Fort Wayne, Indiana as the Fort Wayne Pistons as a member of the National Basketball League in 1941, where... 2 |
4.8 |
| TNT Turner Network Television Turner Network Television is an American cable television channel created by media mogul Ted Turner and currently owned by the Turner Broadcasting System division of Time Warner... |
All | West | DAL Dallas Mavericks The Dallas Mavericks are a professional basketball team based in Dallas, Texas. They are members of the Southwest Division of the Western Conference of the National Basketball Association , and the reigning NBA champions, having defeated the Miami Heat in the 2011 NBA Finals.According to a 2011... 4, PHO Phoenix Suns The Phoenix Suns are a professional basketball team based in Phoenix, Arizona. They are members of the Pacific Division of the Western Conference in the National Basketball Association and the only team in their division not to be based in California. Their home arena since 1992 has been the US... 2 |
4.6 | |
The NBA on TNT (and previously TBS
NBA on TBS
The NBA on TBS debuted in the 1984-1985 season under a four year contract, where they shared the NBA package along with CBS.-Coverage:...
) has been on the air for over two decades. In the last three years, NBA coverage on TNT
Turner Network Television
Turner Network Television is an American cable television channel created by media mogul Ted Turner and currently owned by the Turner Broadcasting System division of Time Warner...
(with help from various dramatic telecasts, including in 2005, The Closer
The Closer
The Closer is an American crime drama, starring Kyra Sedgwick as Deputy Chief Brenda Leigh Johnson, a Georgia police detective who often closes her cases using sometimes-questionable methods...
and Into the West) has helped the network to season wins on cable television. In 2004, the ratings for the NBA Playoffs helped TNT become the #1 ranked cable outlet for the sweeps month of May. Also in 2004
2003-04 NBA season
-Statistics leaders:-Yearly awards:*Most Valuable Player: Kevin Garnett, Minnesota Timberwolves*Rookie of the Year: LeBron James, Cleveland Cavaliers*Defensive Player of the Year: Ron Artest, Indiana Pacers...
, TNT set a record for most viewed NBA playoff game in cable history, with 6.5 million households for Game 6 of the Western Conference Finals between the Los Angeles Lakers
Los Angeles Lakers
The Los Angeles Lakers are an American professional basketball team based in Los Angeles, California. They play in the Pacific Division of the Western Conference in the National Basketball Association...
and Minnesota Timberwolves
Minnesota Timberwolves
The Minnesota Timberwolves are an American professional basketball team based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. They play in the Northwest Division of the Western Conference in the National Basketball Association . Founded in 1989, the team is currently owned by Glen Taylor...
. A year later, TNT broke that record, with 6.75 million households for Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Finals between the Detroit Pistons
Detroit Pistons
The Detroit Pistons are a franchise of the National Basketball Association based in Auburn Hills, Michigan. The team's home arena is The Palace of Auburn Hills. It was originally founded in Fort Wayne, Indiana as the Fort Wayne Pistons as a member of the National Basketball League in 1941, where...
and Miami Heat
Miami Heat
The Miami Heat is a professional basketball team based in Miami, Florida, United States. The team is a member of the Southeast Division in the Eastern Conference of the National Basketball Association . They play their home games at American Airlines Arena in Downtown Miami...
. That Game 7, which scored a 6.2 national rating, was not only a record, "but it out delivered all of its broadcast television competition on the night among targeted adult demos, including adults 18-34, adults 18-49, men 18-34, men 18-49, and men 25-54. Game 7 on Turner also produced a higher U.S. household rating cumulatively than shows on all broadcast networks except for those on CBS.". However, ratings for that year's Conference Final were down 20.6 percent. Overall, TNT's ratings have been better than counterpart ESPN
ESPN
Entertainment and Sports Programming Network, commonly known as ESPN, is an American global cable television network focusing on sports-related programming including live and pre-taped event telecasts, sports talk shows, and other original programming....
's since 2002 (the first year the networks began competing against each other). During the 2005 NBA Playoffs
2005 NBA Playoffs
The 2005 NBA Playoffs was the postseason of the National Basketball Association's 2004–05 season.The San Antonio Spurs, the number two ranked team in the Western Conference, won the 2005 NBA Playoffs by defeating the defending champions, the Detroit Pistons, 4-3 in the NBA Finals...
, TNT recorded its highest first round playoff ratings in its history of carrying the NBA; the number fell by 1 percent for the first round of the 2006 playoffs
2006 NBA Playoffs
The 2006 NBA Playoffs was the postseason of the National Basketball Association's 2005–06 season. The Miami Heat won the first championship in the history of the franchise by defeating the Dallas Mavericks 4-2 in the 2006 NBA Finals...
.
The May 4, 2006 telecast of Game 6 of the Phoenix Suns
Phoenix Suns
The Phoenix Suns are a professional basketball team based in Phoenix, Arizona. They are members of the Pacific Division of the Western Conference in the National Basketball Association and the only team in their division not to be based in California. Their home arena since 1992 has been the US...
-Los Angeles Lakers
Los Angeles Lakers
The Los Angeles Lakers are an American professional basketball team based in Los Angeles, California. They play in the Pacific Division of the Western Conference in the National Basketball Association...
first round series was seen in 3,713,000 homes, setting a record for a cable first round NBA playoff game. The previous record had been 3,606,000 for a 1995 game between the Chicago Bulls (who had just recently had Michael Jordan return from his first retirement) and the then-Charlotte Hornets.
TNT's May 22, 2006 Game 7 doubleheader produced high ratings. The first game of the doubleheader (Dallas Mavericks
Dallas Mavericks
The Dallas Mavericks are a professional basketball team based in Dallas, Texas. They are members of the Southwest Division of the Western Conference of the National Basketball Association , and the reigning NBA champions, having defeated the Miami Heat in the 2011 NBA Finals.According to a 2011...
-San Antonio Spurs
San Antonio Spurs
The San Antonio Spurs are an American professional basketball team based in San Antonio, Texas. They are part of the Southwest Division of the Western Conference in the National Basketball Association ....
) generated a 5.7 rating, while the second game (Los Angeles Clippers
Los Angeles Clippers
The Los Angeles Clippers are a professional basketball team based in Los Angeles, California, United States. They play in the Pacific Division of the Western Conference of the National Basketball Association...
-Phoenix Suns
Phoenix Suns
The Phoenix Suns are a professional basketball team based in Phoenix, Arizona. They are members of the Pacific Division of the Western Conference in the National Basketball Association and the only team in their division not to be based in California. Their home arena since 1992 has been the US...
) scored a 4.9.
The All-Star Game
| Net. | Year | Result | Rating |
|---|---|---|---|
| NBC | 1991 1990-91 NBA season -Statistics leaders:-NBA awards:*Most Valuable Player: Michael Jordan, Chicago Bulls*Rookie of the Year: Derrick Coleman, New Jersey Nets*Defensive Player of the Year: Dennis Rodman, Detroit Pistons... |
East 116, West 114 | 7.8/21 |
| NBC | 1992 1991-92 NBA season -Statistics leaders:-NBA awards:*Most Valuable Player: Michael Jordan, Chicago Bulls*Rookie of the Year: Larry Johnson, Charlotte Hornets*Defensive Player of the Year: David Robinson, San Antonio Spurs... |
West 153, East 113 | 12.8/26 |
| NBC | 1993 1992-93 NBA season -Statistics leaders:-Yearly awards:*Most Valuable Player: Charles Barkley, Phoenix Suns*Rookie of the Year: Shaquille O'Neal, Orlando Magic*Defensive Player of the Year: Hakeem Olajuwon, Houston Rockets... |
West 135, East 132 | 14.3/22 |
| NBC | 1994 1993-94 NBA season -Statistics leaders:-NBA awards:*Most Valuable Player: Hakeem Olajuwon, Houston Rockets*Rookie of the Year: Chris Webber, Golden State Warriors*Defensive Player of the Year: Hakeem Olajuwon, Houston Rockets... |
East 127, West 118 | 9.1/14 |
| NBC | 1995 | West 139, East 112 | 10.7/17 |
| NBC | 1996 1995-96 NBA season The 1995–96 NBA season was the 50th season of the National Basketball Association , although the league didn't celebrate this anniversary until the following season... |
East 129, West 118 | 11.7/20 |
| NBC | 1997 | East 132, West 120 | 11.2/19 |
| NBC | 1998 1997-98 NBA season The 1997–98 NBA season was the 52nd season of the National Basketball Association. The season ended with the Chicago Bulls winning their third straight championship and sixth in the last eight years, beating the Utah Jazz 4 games to 2 in the 1998 NBA Finals... |
East 135, West 114 | 10.6/17 |
| NBC | 1999 1998-99 NBA season The 1999 NBA season was the 53rd season of the National Basketball Association . Due to a lockout, the season did not start until February 5, 1999 after a new six year Collective Bargaining Agreement was reached between the NBA and the National Basketball Players Association... |
Lockout - game canceled | None |
| NBC | 2000 | East 137, West 126 | 6.9/12 |
| NBC | 2001 | East 111, West 110 | 5.1/8 |
| NBC | 2002 2001-02 NBA season -Statistics leaders:-Yearly awards:*Most Valuable Player: Tim Duncan, San Antonio Spurs*Rookie of the Year: Pau Gasol, Memphis Grizzlies*Defensive Player of the Year: Ben Wallace, Detroit Pistons... |
West 135, East 120 | 8.2/15 |
| TNT | 2003 2002-03 NBA season The 2002–03 NBA season was the 57th season of the National Basketball Association. The season ended with the San Antonio Spurs beating the New Jersey Nets 4-2 in the 2003 NBA Finals.-Notable occurrences:... |
West 155, East 145 (2OT) | 6.6/12 |
| TNT | 2004 2003-04 NBA season -Statistics leaders:-Yearly awards:*Most Valuable Player: Kevin Garnett, Minnesota Timberwolves*Rookie of the Year: LeBron James, Cleveland Cavaliers*Defensive Player of the Year: Ron Artest, Indiana Pacers... |
West 136, East 132 | 5.1/10 |
| TNT | 2005 2004-05 NBA season The 2004–05 NBA season was the 59th season of the National Basketball Association . It began on November 2, 2004 and ended June 23, 2005. The season ended with the San Antonio Spurs defeating defending champion Detroit Pistons 4–3 in the NBA Finals.... |
East 125, West 115 | 4.9/8 |
| TNT | 2006 2005-06 NBA season The 2005–06 NBA season was the 60th season of the National Basketball Association. It began on November 1, 2005 and ran through April 19, 2006... |
East 122, West 120 | 4.3/8 |
| TNT | 2007 2007 NBA All-Star Game The 2007 NBA All-Star Game was played on Sunday, February 18, 2007 at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas's Thomas and Mack Center in Las Vegas, Nevada, United States. It was the 56th annual All-Star Game. It was the first time the All-Star Game was played in a city without an NBA franchise and... |
West 153, East 132 | 4.2/-- |
TNT began airing the NBA All-Star Game in 2003
2003 NBA All-Star Game
The 2003 NBA All-Star Game was the 52nd edition of the All-Star Game. The event was held at the Philips Arena in Atlanta. This was the last All-Star game to be hosted in an Eastern Conference arena until 2012.-Voting:...
. That year, the All-Star Game featured NBA legend Michael Jordan
Michael Jordan
Michael Jeffrey Jordan is a former American professional basketball player, active entrepreneur, and majority owner of the Charlotte Bobcats...
's last appearance in the event, and the ratings were exceptionally strong. The game was the second most viewed NBA All-Star Game since the NBA lockout
Lockout (industry)
A lockout is a work stoppage in which an employer prevents employees from working. This is different from a strike, in which employees refuse to work.- Causes :...
in 1999
1998-99 NBA season
The 1999 NBA season was the 53rd season of the National Basketball Association . Due to a lockout, the season did not start until February 5, 1999 after a new six year Collective Bargaining Agreement was reached between the NBA and the National Basketball Players Association...
, even though it was on cable and the previous All-Star Games had been on network television (NBC). The game averaged 10.83 million viewers and captured a 6.6 rating. The telecast, according to Time Warner
Time Warner
Time Warner is one of the world's largest media companies, headquartered in the Time Warner Center in New York City. Formerly two separate companies, Warner Communications, Inc...
, topped ABC
American Broadcasting Company
The American Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. Its first broadcast on television was in 1948...
and FOX
Fox Broadcasting Company
Fox Broadcasting Company, commonly referred to as Fox Network or simply Fox , is an American commercial broadcasting television network owned by Fox Entertainment Group, part of Rupert Murdoch's News Corporation. Launched on October 9, 1986, Fox was the highest-rated broadcast network in the...
in the time period. However, following this success, ratings for the event fell over the next three years. The 2005, 2006 and 2007 games each set record lows of 4.9 (2005), 4.3 (2006) and 4.2 (2007). Despite setting record lows, the All-Star Game is usually the highest rated and most viewed event on cable during the first quarter (January to March) of the cable television season.
ESPN
ESPN's NBA Friday and NBA Wednesday coverage has averaged ratings similar to (but slightly lower than) TNT's regular season coverage since the network began televising NBA games in 2002. On January 17, 2003, ESPN achieved the then-second highest regular season rating on cable in NBA history when it televised the first showdown between then-Los Angeles LakersLos Angeles Lakers
The Los Angeles Lakers are an American professional basketball team based in Los Angeles, California. They play in the Pacific Division of the Western Conference in the National Basketball Association...
star Shaquille O'Neal
Shaquille O'Neal
Shaquille Rashaun O'Neal , nicknamed "Shaq" , is a former American professional basketball player. Standing tall and weighing , he was one of the heaviest players ever to play in the NBA...
and Houston Rockets
Houston Rockets
The Houston Rockets are an American professional basketball team based in Houston, Texas. The team plays in the Southwest Division of the Western Conference in the National Basketball Association . The team was established in 1967, and played in San Diego, California for four years, before being...
then-rookie Yao Ming
Yao Ming
Yao Ming is a retired Chinese professional basketball player who last played for the Houston Rockets of the National Basketball Association...
. The game set a record for most watched basketball game on ESPN, with a rating of 3.82. On Christmas Day
NBA on Christmas Day
The National Basketball Association's Christmas Games is a series of games played on Christmas Day. It has been an annual occurrence since the league's inception in 1946, like their National Football League's November holiday counterparts, the Thanksgiving Classic games...
2004, ESPN's Indiana Pacers
Indiana Pacers
The Indiana Pacers are a professional basketball team based in Indianapolis, Indiana. They are members of the Central Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Basketball Association...
-Detroit Pistons
Detroit Pistons
The Detroit Pistons are a franchise of the National Basketball Association based in Auburn Hills, Michigan. The team's home arena is The Palace of Auburn Hills. It was originally founded in Fort Wayne, Indiana as the Fort Wayne Pistons as a member of the National Basketball League in 1941, where...
game (a rematch of their brawl) got a 3.5 rating.
In 2004, ESPN set a record for most watched basketball game on the network, with Game 6 of the Eastern Conference Finals between the Detroit Pistons
Detroit Pistons
The Detroit Pistons are a franchise of the National Basketball Association based in Auburn Hills, Michigan. The team's home arena is The Palace of Auburn Hills. It was originally founded in Fort Wayne, Indiana as the Fort Wayne Pistons as a member of the National Basketball League in 1941, where...
and Indiana Pacers
Indiana Pacers
The Indiana Pacers are a professional basketball team based in Indianapolis, Indiana. They are members of the Central Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Basketball Association...
. The game scored a 5.0 rating and averaged 4.4 million households. In 2006
2006 NBA Playoffs
The 2006 NBA Playoffs was the postseason of the National Basketball Association's 2005–06 season. The Miami Heat won the first championship in the history of the franchise by defeating the Dallas Mavericks 4-2 in the 2006 NBA Finals...
, Game 5 of the Detroit Pistons
Detroit Pistons
The Detroit Pistons are a franchise of the National Basketball Association based in Auburn Hills, Michigan. The team's home arena is The Palace of Auburn Hills. It was originally founded in Fort Wayne, Indiana as the Fort Wayne Pistons as a member of the National Basketball League in 1941, where...
-Miami Heat
Miami Heat
The Miami Heat is a professional basketball team based in Miami, Florida, United States. The team is a member of the Southeast Division in the Eastern Conference of the National Basketball Association . They play their home games at American Airlines Arena in Downtown Miami...
Eastern Conference Final bested that rating, netting a 5.5 with 4.9 million viewers. The game was ESPN's highest rated 2nd quarter program in network history. Game 6 of the same series got a 5.4 rating and slightly fewer viewers. The 2006 Eastern Conference Finals
NBA Conference Finals
The National Basketball Association Conference Finals are the Eastern Conference and Western Conference Championship series of the National Basketball Association , a major professional basketball league in North America. The NBA was founded in 1946 as the Basketball Association of America...
between the Miami and Detroit was the highest rated Conference Finals ESPN has aired, finishing with a 4.8 average.
On April 22, 2006, ESPN aired Game 1 of the Chicago Bulls
Chicago Bulls
The Chicago Bulls are an American professional basketball team based in Chicago, Illinois, playing in the Central Division of the Eastern Conference in the National Basketball Association . The team was founded in 1966. They play their home games at the United Center...
-Miami Heat
Miami Heat
The Miami Heat is a professional basketball team based in Miami, Florida, United States. The team is a member of the Southeast Division in the Eastern Conference of the National Basketball Association . They play their home games at American Airlines Arena in Downtown Miami...
first round playoff series on "ESPN Full Circle" (a treatment previously given to a Duke
Duke University
Duke University is a private research university located in Durham, North Carolina, United States. Founded by Methodists and Quakers in the present day town of Trinity in 1838, the school moved to Durham in 1892. In 1924, tobacco industrialist James B...
-North Carolina
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill is a public research university located in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, United States...
college basketball game earlier that year). The 'traditional' game telecast aired on ESPN (called by Mike Tirico
Mike Tirico
Michael Todd Tirico is an announcer for ESPN's presentation of Monday Night Football, and second lead broadcaster for ESPN's presentation of the NBA. In addition, Tirico hosts a multitude of programming on ESPN/ABC. He was the host of ABC's golf coverage from 1996 to 2007, and continues in that...
, Steve Jones
Steve Jones (basketball)
Stephen Howard "Snapper" Jones is one of the most esteemed and watched National Basketball Association television analysts.-Basketball career:...
and Bill Walton
Bill Walton
William Theodore "Bill" Walton III is a retired American basketball player and television sportscaster. The "Big Red-Head", as he was called, achieved superstardom playing for John Wooden's powerhouse UCLA Bruins in the early '70s, winning three straight College Player of the Year Awards, while...
) while a telecast shown exclusively from the 'above-the-rim' camera aired on ESPN2, called by John Saunders, Greg Anthony
Greg Anthony
Gregory Carlton Anthony is an American former National Basketball Association basketball player and former personality on the ESPN family of networks. He is currently an analyst for CBS's college basketball coverage...
, Tim Legler
Tim Legler
Timothy Eugene Legler is a retired American professional basketball player who played in the NBA. He is currently an ESPN basketball analyst.-La Salle:...
and Scottie Pippen
Scottie Pippen
Scottie Maurice Pippen is a retired American professional basketball player who played in the National Basketball Association . He is most remembered for his time with the Chicago Bulls, with whom he was instrumental in six NBA Championships and their record 1995–96 season of 72 wins...
from ESPN's Times Square
Times Square
Times Square is a major commercial intersection in the borough of Manhattan in New York City, at the junction of Broadway and Seventh Avenue and stretching from West 42nd to West 47th Streets...
studios. Additional forms of the game telecast aired on several ESPN platforms (including ESPN360 and ESPN Mobile). The Full Circle presentation resulted in a total 45 percent increase in viewership from the previous year. ESPN itself received a 26 percent increase from the previous year's presentation of a Indiana Pacers
Indiana Pacers
The Indiana Pacers are a professional basketball team based in Indianapolis, Indiana. They are members of the Central Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Basketball Association...
-Boston Celtics
Boston Celtics
The Boston Celtics are a National Basketball Association team based in Boston, Massachusetts. They play in the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference. Founded in 1946, the team is currently owned by Boston Basketball Partners LLC. The Celtics play their home games at the TD Garden, which...
playoff game, and the game following (Los Angeles Clippers
Los Angeles Clippers
The Los Angeles Clippers are a professional basketball team based in Los Angeles, California, United States. They play in the Pacific Division of the Western Conference of the National Basketball Association...
versus the Denver Nuggets
Denver Nuggets
The Denver Nuggets are a professional basketball team based in Denver, Colorado. They play in the National Basketball Association . They were founded as the Denver Rockets in 1967 as a charter franchise of the American Basketball Association, and became one of that league's more successful teams...
) was up 17 percent over the previous year.
ESPN scored its most viewed first or second round NBA playoff game with their May 19, 2006 broadcast of the San Antonio Spurs
San Antonio Spurs
The San Antonio Spurs are an American professional basketball team based in San Antonio, Texas. They are part of the Southwest Division of the Western Conference in the National Basketball Association ....
-Dallas Mavericks
Dallas Mavericks
The Dallas Mavericks are a professional basketball team based in Dallas, Texas. They are members of the Southwest Division of the Western Conference of the National Basketball Association , and the reigning NBA champions, having defeated the Miami Heat in the 2011 NBA Finals.According to a 2011...
Game 6, until the Lakers and Rockets in 2009.
See also
- NBA on ABC
- NBA on NBC
- NBA on CBS
- NBA on TNT
- NBA on ESPN
- NBA WednesdayNBA WednesdayNBA Wednesday is a weekly presentation of the National Basketball Association on ESPN. Debuting in 2002, NBA Wednesday starts the first Wednesday of the NBA season and runs throughout the entire season. Games typically air at 9:00 p.m EST, following an ESPN's presentation of ACC Wednesday college...
- NBA Friday
- NBA Wednesday
- Nielsen ratingsNielsen RatingsNielsen ratings are the audience measurement systems developed by Nielsen Media Research, in an effort to determine the audience size and composition of television programming in the United States...