or


[05/28/18 - 07:13 AM]
ESPN Matches Its Highest-Rated NBA Game Ever with 9.1 Metered Market Rating for Eastern Conference Finals Game 7
ESPN spins the numbers for Sunday, May 27.
[via press release from ESPN]

ESPN Matches its Highest-Rated NBA Game Ever with 9.1 Metered Market Rating for Eastern Conference Finals Game 7

Highest-Rated Quarter Hour for NBA Game on ESPN: 12.0 Peak Rating

ESPN matched its highest-rated NBA game ever with a 9.1 metered market rating for the Cleveland Cavaliers victory over the Boston Celtics in Game 7 of the 2018 Eastern Conference Finals, according to Nielsen. It matched Game 7 of the 2012 Eastern Conference Finals: the Miami Heat and LeBron James vs. the Boston Celtics. Last night's telecast peaked with a 12.0 rating from 10:45-11 p.m. ET. It is the highest-rated quarter hour of an NBA game on ESPN, as far as records go back.

Based on metered market ratings, Game 7 on ESPN was the highest-rated telecast across all of television for Sunday, May 27. The top five highest-rated local markets were Cleveland (27.6), Boston (21.9), Columbus (15.1), Providence (14.4) and New Orleans (12.9). The 21.9 rating in Boston is the highest-rated NBA Playoffs game ever on ESPN in the market.

Sunday's telecast is now the highest-rated game of the 2018 NBA Playoffs. ESPN's Conference Finals coverage averaged a 6.3 metered market rating, up 37 percent from the same matchup in the Eastern Conference Finals last year and up 34 percent from its Western Conference Finals coverage in 2017. Overall, the 2018 NBA Playoffs on ESPN - 19 games - averaged a 3.8 metered market rating, up 31 percent from last year.

The 2018 NBA Finals on ABC will tip off Thursday, May 31, at 9 p.m. ET. The Cleveland Cavaliers and LeBron James will visit either the Golden State Warriors or the Houston Rockets in Game 1.

Note: NBA Finals analysts Jeff Van Gundy and Mark Jackson will be available on a media conference call tomorrow (Tuesday) at 2 p.m. ET to discuss the event. Media members can call 866-548-4713 with the passcode 7186383.

ESPN Draws Second-Largest Audience Ever for NBA Game on ESPN: 13,305,000 Viewers (Based on Fast Nationals from Nielsen)

Largest Peak Audience Ever for NBA Game on ESPN: 17,463,000 Viewers from 10:30-11 P.M. ET

2018 NBA Playoffs on ESPN (19 Games): Second-Most Watched Ever and Up 30 Percent from 2017

ESPN drew its second-largest NBA audience ever for the Cleveland Cavaliers victory over the Boston Celtics in Eastern Conference Finals Game 7. It averaged 13,305,000 viewers, peaking with 17,463,000 viewers from 10:30-11 p.m. ET. It is the largest peak audience ever for an NBA game on ESPN. The data is based on Fast Nationals from Nielsen. Once all streaming and out-of-home viewership is included, last night's Game 7 is expected to be the most-watched NBA game ever on ESPN.

The audience is currently only 41,000 viewers behind 2012 Eastern Conference Finals Game 7 - the Miami Heat and LeBron James vs. the Boston Celtics.

Based on Fast Nationals from Nielsen, ESPN is expected to win the night across all of television for its coverage of NBA Eastern Conference Finals Game 7. Last night's telecast is now the most-watched game of the 2018 NBA Playoffs across networks.

The 2018 Eastern Conference Finals on ESPN averaged 8,449,000 viewers, up 34 percent from last year's Eastern Conference Finals, also a Cleveland vs. Boston series. It was up 29 percent from the 2017 Western Conference Finals - the Golden State Warriors vs. San Antonio Spurs - on ESPN.

Overall, the 2018 NBA Playoffs on ESPN (19 games) averaged 5,101,000 viewers, up 30 percent from 2017. It is the second-most watched NBA Playoffs ever on ESPN (back to 2003).

The 2018 NBA Finals on ABC will tip off Thursday, May 31, at 9 p.m. ET. The Cleveland Cavaliers and LeBron James will visit either the Golden State Warriors or the Houston Rockets in Game 1.

Note: NBA Finals analysts Jeff Van Gundy and Mark Jackson will be available on a media conference call tomorrow (Tuesday) at 2 p.m. ET to discuss the event. Media members can call 866-548-4713 with the passcode 7186383.





  [may 2018]  
S
M
T
W
T
F
S
  


· SHOWATCH
(series past and present)
· DEVWATCH
(series in development)
· MOVIEWATCH
(tv movies and mini-series)




most recent ratings | view all posts
[04/16/24 - 08:56 AM]
San Diego Padres vs. Los Angeles Dodgers Is Most-Watched Non-New York Yankees or Boston Red Sox ESPN "Sunday Night Baseball" Game in Six Years
The San Diego Padres 6-3 victory over the Los Angeles Dodgers on April 14 delivered an average audience of nearly two million viewers (1,961,000) on ESPN, according to Nielsen.
[04/16/24 - 07:02 AM]
Warner Bros. Discovery Hits Highest Prime Viewership This Year - Driven by TNT Sports' NCAA Men's Final Four Coverage - with Nearly a 70 Percent Share Among Adults on Saturday, April 6
In total TV primetime that night, WBD's popular lifestyle, entertainment, sports and news brands secured a 54 percent share among Adults 18-49 and a 51 percent share among Adults 25-54.
[04/13/24 - 02:35 PM]
ESPN Has Largest Two-Day Viewership Average for Masters Tournament 3 p.m. ET Telecasts Since 2018
A two-day average of 3.4 million viewers watched the live coverage from Augusta National Golf Club, including 3.2 million for the first round on Thursday and 3.6 million for the second round on Friday.

[04/12/24 - 03:04 PM]
Masters Tournament First Round Thursday Viewership on ESPN Averages 3.2 Million Viewers, Highest Since 2015
Last year's first round of the Masters Tournament averaged 2.5 million viewers on ESPN.
[04/12/24 - 11:49 AM]
Hallmark Channel's Fan-Favorite Series "When Calls the Heart" Returns for Season 11 as #1 Most-Watched Entertainment Cable Program of the Week and Day
The season premiere reached 2.8 million Unduplicated Total Viewers on a L+3 Basis.
[04/11/24 - 09:44 AM]
ABC News and National Geographic Delivered 4.8 Million Viewers for "Eclipse Across America" Special
The ABC News special anchored by David Muir and Linsey Davis, featuring National Geographic talent and Explorers, ranked No. 1 in Total Viewers (4.448 million), Adults 25-54 (920,000) and Adults 18-49 (744,000) among the broadcast and cable networks.
[04/10/24 - 04:03 PM]
"9-1-1" Hits Season High in Third Week Delivering Best Telecast Since December 2021
After seven days of viewing across ABC, Hulu and digital platforms, ABC's hit drama "9-1-1" continues to build momentum hitting a season high in Total Viewers (10.72 million).
[04/10/24 - 10:02 AM]
ESPN Platforms Deliver Unprecedented Viewership Success During NCAA Division I Women's Basketball Season
Sunday's clash scored an impressive 18.9 million viewers, becoming the most-watched women's college basketball game ever.

[04/09/24 - 01:36 PM]
WrestleMania XL Sets Peacock Record as Top Entertainment Event of All Time
WrestleMania XL, which took place April 6-7 at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia, is now Peacock's most-streamed entertainment event ever with 1.3 billion live minutes across both nights.
[04/09/24 - 10:09 AM]
2024 NCAA Women's Championship and Final Four on ESPN Platforms Is Most Watched on Record
With final Nielsen reporting completed, Sunday's epic title bout between No. 1 women's seeds Iowa and South Carolina scored 18.9 million viewers, becoming the most-viewed women's college basketball game ever and ESPN platforms' most-viewed college basketball game (men's or women's) on record.

[04/09/24 - 09:09 AM]
Netflix Top 10 Week of Apr. 1: "3 Body Problem" Holds Strong at #1
Also retaining their spots in second and third place were the docudrama "Testament: The Story of Moses" (5.7M views) and Guy Ritchie's aristocratic gangster series "The Gentlemen" (5.6M views).
[04/08/24 - 02:01 PM]
2024 NCAA Women's Championship Delivers 18.7 Million Viewers on ABC & ESPN, Peaks at 24 Million - Based on Nielsen Fast Nationals
Iowa/South Carolina clash becomes second most-watched non-Olympic women's sporting event ever on U.S. television behind 2015 Women's World Cup Final.
[04/08/24 - 10:01 AM]
Warner Bros. Discovery Claimed Five Nights of More Than a 50 Percent Share of Primetime Cable Viewing Among Adults During First Quarter
Ratings drivers included TNT Sports' coverage of the 2024 NCAA Men's Tournament in March as well as Investigation Discovery's "Quiet on Set: The Dark Side of Kids TV," Food Network's "Tournament of Champions" and "Wildcard Kitchen" and Adult Swim's "Ninja Kamui."
[04/08/24 - 06:05 AM]
"The Way Home" Season Two Wraps as the #1 Most-Watched Original Series on Entertainment Cable Among Women 18+
The show's second season reached 5.7 million unduplicated total viewers.
[04/06/24 - 01:23 PM]
NCAA Semifinals on ESPN Shatter Viewership Records - UConn-Iowa Delivers 14.2 Million Viewers, Friday's NCAA Women's Final Four Scores Average Audience of 10.8 Million
UConn-Iowa, NC State-South Carolina peaked with 17 million viewers and 9 million viewers, respectively.