or


[10/27/10 - 11:43 AM]
TNT Has Record Setting Ratings for NBA Season Opener
TNT spins the numbers for Tuesday, October 26.
[via press release from TNT]

TNT Has Record Setting Ratings for NBA Season Opener

Miami Heat vs. Boston Celtics is Most Watched Regular Season Game Ever on Cable

TNT's Doubleheader Ranks as Most-Watched Opening Night in Turner's 27 years Covering the NBA

Tipping off one of the most anticipated seasons in the league's history, TNT's exclusive doubleheader coverage of opening night of the 2010-11 NBA season delivered record-setting ratings and audience for the network, averaging a 3.5 US rating, 5,493,000 total viewers and 4,025,000 households. The opening game, featuring the Miami Heat vs. Boston Celtics, earned a 4.6 US rating and delivered 7,433,000 total viewers and 5,339,000 households, making it the most watched regular season NBA game on cable of all-time (topping the Chicago Bulls vs. LA Lakers on Feb. 2, 1996). Game two of the doubleheader, featuring the Houston Rockets @ Los Angeles Lakers at 10:30 p.m. (ET) delivered a 2.4 US rating, 3,719,000 total viewers and 2,823,000 households, making the doubleheader the most watched NBA Opening Night doubleheader in Turner's 27 years of tipping off the season.

Other highlights from TNT's exclusive doubleheader include:

TNT's opening night doubleheader saw double digit growth in ratings, total viewers, households and all key demos over last year's record setting exclusive openers (Celtics/Cavaliers, followed by LA Clippers/LA Lakers).

Locally the games delivered huge audiences in their home markets of Miami (15.5 HH rating), Boston (17.1 HH rating), LeBron James' former home market of Cleveland (10.6 HH rating), Houston (7.4 HH rating) and Los Angeles (9.7 HH rating).

TNT's exclusive coverage of the NBA continues on Thursday, Oct. 28, with a doubleheader featuring the debut of the league's 2010 overall #1 draft pick John Wall and the Washington Wizards visiting four-time All-Star Dwight Howard and the Orlando Magic (8 p.m. ET), followed by a showcase of two of the league's best point guards as Steve Nash and the Phoenix Suns take on Deron Williams and the Utah Jazz (10:30 p.m. ET).

TNT will broadcast 52 regular season games this season and will serve as the exclusive home to NBA All-Star Saturday Night and the 2011 NBA All-Star Game from Los Angeles, as well as over 40 NBA playoff games and the Eastern Conference Finals.

Turner Sports, a division of Turner Broadcasting System, Inc., presents some of the best and most popular sporting events worldwide and is a leader in televised and online sports programming. With events airing on TBS, TNT and truTV, Turner Sports' line-up includes NASCAR and NASCAR.COM, the NBA, Major League Baseball, the NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Tournament, professional golf, PGATOUR.COM and PGA.com. Turner Sports' diverse portfolio also offers a collection of mobile Web sites and apps featuring NBA, NASCAR and professional golf content, along with Turner Sports' first branded consumer product, SportsNOW. Turner Sports and the NBA also jointly manage NBA Digital, which includes NBA TV, NBA.com, NBA LEAGUE PASS, NBA LEAGUE PASS Broadband, NBA Mobile, NBADLEAUGE.com and WNBA.com.

TNT, one of cable's top-rated networks, is television's destination for drama. Available in 99.6 million households, the network is home to such original series as the acclaimed and highly popular detective drama The Closer, starring Kyra Sedgwick; Men of a Certain Age, with Ray Romano, Andre Braugher and Scott Bakula; HawthoRNe, with Jada Pinkett Smith; Leverage, starring Timothy Hutton; and Dark Blue, starring Dylan McDermott; the upcoming Rizzoli & Isles, starring Angie Harmon and Sasha Alexander; Memphis Beat, with Jason Lee; Southland, from Emmy�-winning producer John Wells (ER); and Saving Grace, starring Holly Hunter. TNT also presents such powerful dramas as Bones, CSI: NY and Numb3rs; broadcast premiere movies; compelling primetime specials, such as the Screen Actors Guild Awards�; and championship sports coverage, including NASCAR and the NBA. The NCAA men's basketball tournament will appear on TNT beginning in 2011. TNT is available in high-definition.

Turner Broadcasting System, Inc., a Time Warner company, creates and programs branded news, entertainment, animation and young adult media environments on television and other platforms for consumers around the world.

Source: Based on Nielsen Media Research Live + Same Day data stream. TNT Fast National data for the night of 10-26-10, compared to 2009-10 Opening Night on TNT. Historical live data from 09-27-93 to 12-25-2005, Live + Same data from 12-26-2005 to 10-26-10. Local metered market ratings based on Arianna data (10-26-10).





  [october 2010]  
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
[05/08/26 - 09:18 AM]
TNT Sports Delivers Its Most-Watched MLB Regular Season Start Since 2015
The Yankees/Mariners season opener on March 31 delivered 562,000 viewers and peaked at 735,000, making it the most watched opener on TBS since 2012.

[05/06/26 - 10:01 AM]
Strong Month of Sports Propels ESPN Studio Shows to Record Viewership for April
The entire lineup of ESPN studio shows was up 21% overall in viewership over April of 2025 and up 10% year-over-year (YOY) in the coveted Persons ages 18-49 demographic.

[05/05/26 - 03:52 PM]
ESPN Networks Aired Its Most Viewed First Round of the Current Rights Deal of the 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs
ESPN also delivered three of the top five matchups in the First Round including the Philadelphia Flyers-Pittsburgh Penguins Game 1 (2.1 million viewers).
[05/05/26 - 03:36 PM]
NBC and Peacock Deliver the Most-Watched First Round Game 7 in NBA History for Saturday Night's 76ers-Celtics
Saturday night's matchup between the Philadelphia 76ers and Boston Celtics averaged a Total Audience Delivery (TAD) of 11.0 million viewers on NBC and Peacock.
[05/05/26 - 02:33 PM]
TNT Sports Delivers Its Most Watched NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs First Round Ever
Game 7 of the Montreal/Tampa Bay series on Sunday, May 3 averaged 2.3 million viewers, the most-watched First Round game on cable ever featuring a Canadian team.
[05/05/26 - 02:24 PM]
FOX Saturday Baseball Flexes Double-Digit Season-to-Date Viewership Increase
2,130,000 viewers tuned-in to FOX on Saturday, May 2, for a two-game slate highlighted by the Cardinals' 3-2 Victory over the Dodgers in most of the country.
[05/05/26 - 12:01 PM]
Netflix Top 10: Week of April 27 - The Hunt Continues as "Apex" Takes No. 1 for a Second Week
Plus: Revenge might be a dish best served cold, but "Man on Fire" served it up hot, reaching No. 1 on the English TV list with 11 million views.
[05/03/26 - 02:40 PM]
NBC Sports Delivers the Most-Watched Kentucky Derby on Record, Averaging 19.6 Million Viewers on NBC & Peacock in Historic "Run for the Roses"
Viewership peaked at 24.4 million viewers from 7-7:15 p.m. ET, as jockey Jose Ortiz guided Golden Tempo around the final turn to win by a neck over Renegade, and made Cherie DeVaux the first woman to train a Kentucky Derby winner.

[05/01/26 - 01:33 PM]
"Live with Kelly and Mark" Jumps Back from Spring Break with Fifth Straight Week of Growth Among Both Total Viewers and Households
Dominating the New York market, "Live with Kelly and Mark" towers over its closest competition this season by double and triple digits in Total Viewers, Adults 25-54 and Women 25-54.
[05/01/26 - 08:05 AM]
NBC Sports' NBA Playoff Viewership on NBC & Peacock Up 58% vs. Comparable Coverage Last Year Through First 13 Games
This is the first time in 24 years that NBC Sports is presenting the NBA Playoffs.
[04/30/26 - 02:17 PM]
ABC News Is #1 in Total Viewers Sunday Morning and in Late-Night
ABC News' "Nightline" ranks No. 1 in Total Viewers (931,000) for the week of April 20.
[04/29/26 - 04:01 PM]
"American Idol" Scores 5.3 Million Total Viewers with Biggest Audience in Over 2 Months During Taylor Swift Night
Monday's episode was the No. 1 entertainment program on the night among Total Viewers (5.34 million) and Adults 18-49 (0.42 rating).
[04/29/26 - 02:41 PM]
Record Breaker! ESPN Airs Most-Viewed First Round Game 5 Ever on Cable, Extending Milestone Run of the 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs
Philadelphia Flyers-Pittsburgh Penguins on Monday averaged 2 million viewers, up 190% vs. ESPN's First Round Game 5 average last year.
[04/28/26 - 03:41 PM]
TNT Sports Continues Viewership Surge for 2026 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs
Minnesota's Game 4 victory over Dallas on Saturday averaged 1.9 million viewers on TBS, truTV and HBO Max.
[04/28/26 - 12:01 PM]
Netflix Top 10: Week of April 20 - Charlize Theron Climbs to No. 1 with "Apex" in This Week's Top 10
Another warning to be careful who you trust, the psychological thriller series "Unchosen" debuted at No. 1 on the English TV list with 10.4 million views.