or


[05/03/11 - 01:53 PM]
NBA Playoffs First Round on ESPN Highest-Rated and Most-Viewed Ever; Highest-Rated and Most-Viewed on ABC Since 2004
ESPN and ABC spin the numbers for their postseason coverage to date.

[via press release from ESPN]

NBA Playoffs First Round on ESPN Highest-Rated and Most-Viewed Ever; Highest-Rated and Most-Viewed on ABC Since 2004

Celtics/Heat Game 1 Second Most-Viewed Non-Finals NBA Playoff Broadcast on ABC

The NBA Playoffs on ESPN have averaged a 2.7 rating; 2,708,000 household impressions; and 3,667,000 viewers to become the network's highest-rated and most-viewed first round ever, according to Nielsen. Additionally, the NBA Playoffs on ABC netted a 3.5 rating; 4,083,000 household impressions; and 5,640,000 viewers to become the highest-rated and most-viewed first round on the network since 2004 (4.0 rating; 4,350,000 household impressions and 5,795,000 viewers for two broadcasts).

ABC's four first-round broadcasts were up 31 percent in viewership compared to 4,305,000 viewers for five first-round broadcasts in 2010 and up 25 percent over a 2.8 rating and 3,258,000 households last year. ESPN's eight telecasts netted a 20 percent improvement in viewership vs. 3,048,000 for nine telecasts last year; an 18 percent increase among households vs. 2,295,000; and a 17 percent ratings gain over a 2.3 in 2010.

ESPN and ABC also delivered double-digit growth across all key demos: ESPN - up 21 percent among men 18-34 (2.9 vs. 2.4); 23 percent in men 18-49 (2.7 vs. 2.2); and 24 percent in men 25-54 (2.6 vs. 2.1); ABC - up 20 percent in men 18-34 (3.0 vs. 2.5); 29 percent in men 18-49 (3.1 vs. 2.4); and 24 percent in men 25-54 (3.1 vs. 2.5).

Celtics/Heat Game 1 Second Most-Viewed Non-Finals NBA Playoff Broadcast on ABC

The Conference Semifinals Game 1 showdown between the Boston Celtics and Miami Heat (May 1 at 3:30 p.m. ET on ABC) delivered a 5.8 rating; 6,714,000 household impressions; and 9,219,000 viewers. The game became ABC's second most-viewed non-Finals NBA Playoff broadcast (trailing only Spurs/Lakers on May 15, 2003, which posted 6,946,000 households and 9,480,000 viewers).

Sunday's broadcast outpaced last year's equivalent game between the Utah Jazz and Los Angeles Lakers - also a Conference Semifinals Game 1 - by 55 percent among viewers (vs. 5,955,000), and 53 percent in both rating (vs. 3.8) and household impressions (vs. 4,375,000).

Exclusive Coverage of the NBA Playoffs Continues on ESPN & ABC

ESPN and ABC - the home of The Finals - will provide exclusive coverage of the following Conference Semifinal matchups this weekend:

Date Time (ET) Teams/Commentators Networks

Fri, May 6

7 p.m. Chicago at Atlanta, Game 3 Mike Tirico, Hubie Brown, Heather Cox ESPN, ESPN3.com, ESPN Mobile TV Mark Jones, Mike Brown ESPN 3D

9:30 p.m. L.A. Lakers at Dallas, Game 3 Mike Breen, Mark Jackson, Jeff Van Gundy, Lisa Salters ESPN, ESPN3.com, ESPN Mobile TV

Sat, May 7

4:30 p.m. Kia NBA Countdown ESPN, ESPN3.com, ESPN Mobile TV

5 p.m. Oklahoma City vs. Memphis, Game 3 Dave Pasch, Doris Burke, Ric Bucher

8 p.m. Buick Regal NBA Countdown ABC

8:15 p.m. Miami at Boston, Game 3 Breen, Jackson, Van Gundy, Salters ABC (available in SAP), ESPN Radio

Sun, May 8

3 p.m. Buick Regal NBA Countdown ABC

3:30 p.m. L.A. Lakers at Dallas, Game 3 Tirico, Brown, Cox ABC, ESPN Radio

Audience Increases Across ESPN.com, ESPN Mobile Web and ESPN3.com

The NBA section on ESPN.com logged 151.8 million page views and 39.3 million total visits, up 51 percent and 21 percent, respectively, compared to the first round of the 2010 NBA Playoffs. Total minutes were also up 35 percent to 238 million and average daily unique visitors were up 20 percent to 2.01 million.

On the ESPN Mobile Web, the NBA section logged 92.3 million page views and 31.9 million total visits, both up 62 percent. Additionally, total minutes were up 72 percent to 195.1 million and average daily unique visitors were up 52 percent to 1.5 million.

First-round NBA Playoff games on ESPN3.com generated 32.6 million minutes consumed, up 177 percent compared to the first round in 2010.





  [may 2011]  
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
[10/17/25 - 01:16 PM]
"Live with Kelly and Mark" Hits Season Highs with Best Audience Performance Since July
"Live" has now ranked as the No. 1 talk show in syndication for 139 consecutive weeks across all key measures.

[10/17/25 - 10:38 AM]
"Dancing with the Stars" Continues Historic Hot Streak - Rising for Fourth Straight Week Since Premiere with 6 Million Total Viewers
Plus: "High Potential" dominated the 10 p.m. hour with 4.15 million Total Viewers and a 0.33 rating among Adults 18-49.

[10/16/25 - 06:01 AM]
ESPN's Monumental 2025 WNBA Season Sets New Viewership Records
Across all networks, the 2025 WNBA Postseason was the most-viewed since 1999.

[10/15/25 - 04:02 PM]
"20/20" Is Friday's No. 1 Program on Broadcast TV
"20/20" increased its lead week to week over "Dateline" in Total Viewers to post its largest of the season.

[10/15/25 - 04:01 PM]
ABC News' "Nightline" Ranks No. 1 in Total Viewers, Adults 25-54 and Adults 18-49, Leading NBC in All Key Demos for the 3rd Straight Week
"Nightline" saw double-digit gains in the year-ago week in Adults 25-54 and Adults 18-49.

[10/14/25 - 03:06 PM]
ESPN Records the Most-Watched WNBA Postseason Ever Across Its Networks
Across 24 games, the '25 WNBA postseason averaged 1.2 million viewers, up 5% from last year.

[10/14/25 - 03:03 PM]
"College GameDay Built by The Home Depot" Delivers Most-Watched West Coast Episode Ever; ESPN College Football on ABC Scores Top Three Programs Across All Networks and Content for Saturday, Oct. 11
The Texas Longhorns' upset victory over the Oklahoma Sooners averaged 8.7 million viewers.

[10/14/25 - 02:50 PM]
ALCS Game 1 on FOX and FOX Deportes Draws 5.3 Million Viewers
The Mariners victory over the Blue Jays averaged 5,310,000 viewers across FOX, FOX Deportes and FOX Sports streaming services.

[10/14/25 - 02:39 PM]
FOX Sports Delivers Most-Watched LDS on FOX/FS1 Since Launch of Postseason Baseball on FS1 in 2014
On Friday, 8,723,000 viewers tuned in for the Mariners' historic 15-inning ALDS Game 5 victory.

[10/14/25 - 02:15 PM]
"Sunday Night Football" Registers Record Fourth Blockbuster Audience of 25+ Million Viewers This Season, As Lions-Chiefs Averages 27.3 Million Viewers on NBC & Peacock
Lions-Chiefs averaged 27.3 million viewers across NBC and Peacock, based on official Nielsen Big Data + Panel and digital data from Adobe Analytics, marking the second-most watched October audience in the history of NBC "SNF."

[10/14/25 - 01:45 PM]
ABC Wednesday Comedies Return Strong for New Seasons
"Shifting Gears" earned the biggest audience since the show's Valentine's Day episode; while "Abbott Elementary" jumped over the show's season four premiere among Total Viewers as well as the season four average.

[10/14/25 - 12:01 PM]
Netflix Top 10 Week of October 6: "The Woman in Cabin 10" Rocks the Boat as No. 1 Debut in This Week's Top 10
In the spirit of the season of chills, "Monster: The Ed Gein Story" claimed the No. 1 spot on the English TV list, rising to the top in its second week with 20.7 million views.

[10/10/25 - 03:07 PM]
3,287,000 Viewers Tuned in on Average Through Game 4 of the ALDS Across FOX, FS1 and FS2
Through Game 4, coverage of the ALDS across FOX, FS1 and FS2 is up +11% from 2024 and +31% over 2023.

[10/10/25 - 09:04 AM]
"Dancing with the Stars" Scores Historic Growth in Week Four
"Dancing with the Stars" rose for the third straight week following its season premiere, for the first time in the show's history, in both Total Viewers and Adults 18-49.

[10/09/25 - 05:01 PM]
3,177,000 Viewers Tuned in on Average Through Game 3 of the ALDS Across FOX, FS1 and FS2
Through Game 3, coverage of the ALDS across FOX, FS1 and FS2 is up +14% from 2024 and +28% over 2023.