or


[05/27/11 - 11:01 AM]
2011 NBA Playoffs on TNT Were Most Watched in Cable Television History
TNT spins the numbers for its postseason coverage to date.

[via press release from TNT]

2011 NBA PLAYOFFS ON TNT WERE MOST WATCHED IN CABLE TELEVISION HISTORY; TNT AVERAGED 5.5 MILLION TOTAL VIEWERS AND A 3.5 U.S. HH RATING

GAME #5 OF THE NBA'S EASTERN CONFERENCE FINALS DELIVERED 10.4 MILLION TOTAL VIEWERS AND A 6.3 OVERALL U.S. HH RATING

TNT's coverage of the 2011 NBA Playoffs is one for the record books. The network's 40-game coverage of the NBA Playoffs set ratings and viewership records for cable television and soared over TNT's coverage last year, averaging a 3.5 U.S. HH Rating (+25%), 5,534,000 Total Viewers (+29%) and 3,999,000 Households (+26%).

The network's six weeks of Playoffs coverage culminated on Thursday with TNT's exclusive coverage of the NBA's Eastern Conference Finals Game #5 featuring the Miami Heat @ Chicago Bulls. TNT's final game of the 2011 NBA Playoffs delivered 10.4 million total viewers and a 6.3 U.S. HH rating.

Overall, TNT's 2011 NBA Playoffs coverage also delivered strong double-digit year-over-year growth across all key demos including:

A18-34 +37% (1,803,000 vs. 1,312,000)

A18-49 +33% (3,165,000 vs. 2,371,000)

A25-54 +29% (2,868,000 vs. 2,224,000)

M18-34 +36% (1,245,000 vs. 916,000)

M18-49 +35% (2,222,000 vs. 1,648,000)

M25-54 +30% (1,995,000 vs. 1,530,000)

Source: Nielsen Media Research. Live +Same Day data. 4/17/11-5/26/11 vs 4/18/10-5/29/10.

With the NBA Playoffs performing at record levels, TNT topped the ad-supported cable rankings as the #1 network in primetime throughout its six weeks of coverage (4/17-5/24). Additionally, TNT won the night in key adult demos for both broadcast and cable 15 of 22 nights for M18-34, 10 times in M18-49, five times in P18-34, six times for M25-54 and twice for P18-49.

Source: Nielsen Media Research. Live +Same Day data. 4/17/11-5/24/11.

NBA Digital, co-managed by Turner Sports and the NBA, has seen similar record-breaking traffic to-date for its online and mobile coverage. NBA.com has delivered 1.5 billion page views and a 545 million video streams, up 40% and 134%, respectively. While NBA Mobile downloads for the NBA GameTime are up 75% compared to last year.

NBA.com:

1.5 billion page views were viewed, an increase of 40% from last year's coverage.

545 million videos were viewed, an increase of 134% from 2010.

8 million average daily uniques, an increase of 78% from 2010.

Source: Omniture, NBA Internal Data

NBA Mobile:

Since the start of the playoffs, NBA mobile apps have received more than 681,000 downloads an increase of 75% YOY. (Sources: Apple, Google, RIM)

"This was one of the most thrilling seasons in NBA history, leading to record-breaking ratings and enormous success for TNT," said David Levy, president of sales, distribution and sports, Turner Broadcasting System, Inc. "From the tip-off of our 52-game regular season to All-Star Weekend to TNT's coverage of 40 Playoff games, this NBA season was about setting new records and creating winning nights of television. Through a multiplatform strategy, we also achieved more than great ratings. We used all of our television, broadband and mobile assets to connect everywhere our audiences watch the NBA, building the largest possible viewership across all platforms."

The five-game Heat-Bulls series, won by Miami, was the most-watched Conference Finals in cable television history, averaging 6.2 U.S. HH Rating (+29% year-over-year), 10,413,000 Total Viewers (+33%) and 7,190,000 Households (+30%).

The Heat-Bulls series featured three of the top four most-watched games in cable television history, led by Game #1, delivering 11.1 million total viewers, with a 6.2 U.S. HH rating.

Game #3 was the second most-watched NBA game in cable television history with nearly 10.9 million total viewers and 6.4 U.S. HH rating.

Game #5 was the fourth most-watched NBA game in cable television history with 10.4 million total viewers, and with a 6.3 U.S. HH rating.

Source: Nielsen Media Research. Live +Same Day data. 5/15/11-5/26/11.

TNT's postseason success follows the network's record-setting regular season which averaged a 1.6 U.S. household rating (+45% vs. 1.1 for last year's corresponding coverage); 2,453,000 total viewers (+42% vs. 1,723,000); and 1,826,000 households (+39% vs. 1,315,000). In addition, this season's audience is +30% larger than Turner's second-best regular-season audience from 1995-96 (1,885,000). Also, TNT aired three of the top five all-time most watched NBA regular-season games in cable television history this season and scored significant growth in all key demos:

A18-34 +49% (810,000 vs. 544,000)

A18-49 +47% (1,378,000 vs. 937,000)

A25-54 +42% (1,221,000 vs. 857,000)

M18-34 +43% (567,000 vs. 396,000)

M18-49 +45% (970,000 vs. 667,000)

M25-54 +40% (855,000 vs. 609,000)

Source: Nielsen Media Research. Live +Same Day data. 10/26/10-4/12/11.

About Turner Sports

Turner Sports, a division of Turner Broadcasting System, Inc., is an industry leader in televised and online sports programming, airing championship level sporting events on TBS, TNT and truTV, and managing some of the most popular sports sites on the Internet. Turner Sports' television line-up includes the NBA, Major League Baseball, the NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Championship, NASCAR and professional golf. The company's digital portfolio includes SI.com, NASCAR.COM, NCAA.com, PGATOUR.COM, GOLF.com and PGA.com, as well as an accompanying collection of mobile websites and connected device apps. Turner Sports and the NBA also jointly manage NBA Digital, which includes NBA TV, NBA.com, NBA LEAGUE PASS, NBA Mobile, the NBA Game Time App, NBADLEAGUE.com and WNBA.com.

Source: Nielsen Media Research, Live + Same Day Data stream. . Comparisons for the NBA Playoffs on TNT: Conference Finals through Game 4 to-date; 39 games vs. 37 games (04/17/2011 - 05/24/2011) vs. (04/18/2010-5/25/ 2010). Historical comparisons for NBA Round 1, 2 and Conference Finals through Cable only for seasons: 1984-2011.





  [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
[08/26/25 - 12:01 PM]
Netflix Top 10 Week of August 18: "KPop Demon Hunters" Reigns as Netflix's Most Popular Film, Claims No. 1 in Top 10
"Wednesday" stayed on top of the English TV list for a third week with Wednesday Season 2, Part 1 claiming another 13.4 million views.

[08/26/25 - 08:24 AM]
"Sunday Night Baseball Presented by Capital One": Boston Red Sox vs. New York Yankees Draws ESPN's Second-Largest Audience of MLB Season: 2,572,000 Viewers
The game peaked with 2,889,000 viewers at 8:15 p.m. ET, according to Nielsen.

[08/20/25 - 11:07 AM]
Alicia Silverstone-Led Crime Drama "Irish Blood" Is the Biggest New Series Premiere in Acorn TV History
The August 11 premiere also drove the biggest day of subscriber sign-ups on Acorn TV's direct-to-consumer platforms in nearly two years.

[08/19/25 - 04:03 PM]
FX's "Alien: Earth" Premiere Episode Launches with 9.2 Million Views Globally After Six Days of Streaming
Future episodes of the eight-episode season will premiere each following Tuesday on Hulu beginning at 8 p.m. ET and on FX at 8 p.m. ET/PT.

[08/19/25 - 12:01 PM]
Netflix Top 10 Week of August 11: "Wednesday" Charms at No. 1 For Another Top 10 Week
"Fit for TV: The Reality of the Biggest Loser," a three-part documentary exploring the reality show's biggest scandals, debuted at No. 2 in English TV with 7.5 million views.

[08/19/25 - 10:13 AM]
NBC Sports Delivers Most-Watched Premier League Opening Weekend in U.S., Headlined by Record-Setting Manchester United-Arsenal Match on NBC & Peacock
The Manchester United-Arsenal match on NBC, Peacock, and NBC Sports Digital platforms on Sunday, featuring 2024-25 PL runner-up Arsenal earning a 1-0 victory, averaged 2.0 million viewers.

[08/19/25 - 09:03 AM]
FOX Sports Delivers Network's Most-Watched NFL Preseason Game Since 2021
This past Sunday, 5.1 million viewers tuned in to FOX's preseason coverage of the Chicago Bears 38-0 victory over the Buffalo Bills.

[08/14/25 - 01:33 PM]
With 5 Million Cross-Platform U.S. Viewers in Its First Three Days, Sunday's Season Finale Episode of "The Gilded Age" Is the Fifth Consecutive Episode to Clinch a Series High
This season is well on track to become the most watched of the series.

[08/12/25 - 12:01 PM]
Netflix Top 10 Week of August 4: "Wednesday" Wins the Week - Season 2 Snaps Its Way to No. 1 in Top 10
Like the view from the top of El Capitan, "Untamed" held its place among the metaphorical clouds of the English TV List, now in the No. 3 spot with 7.2 million views.

[08/12/25 - 07:44 AM]
August 10 Edition of ESPN "Sunday Night Baseball Presented by Capital One" Draws Nearly Two Million Viewers for Chicago Cubs vs. St. Louis Cardinals Game
The audience peaked with 2,115,000 viewers at 9:15 p.m. ET.

[08/08/25 - 09:10 AM]
"Live with Kelly and Mark" Notches Summertime Win with Best Total Viewer Audience in Over Three Months
In addition, the show earned its best rating among Households in nine weeks and its best numbers among both Women 18-49 and Women 25-54 in five weeks.

[08/05/25 - 12:01 PM]
Netflix Top 10 Week of July 28: "Happy Gilmore 2" Continues to Swing Big at No. 1 in This Week's Top 10
The Yosemite National Park-set thriller "Untamed" maintained the No. 1 spot on the English TV List for a third week with another 12.2 million views added to its accumulated 59.6 million total.

[08/05/25 - 11:01 AM]
ESPN's "Sunday Night Baseball" Featuring the Detroit Tigers vs. Philadelphia Phillies Averaged 2 Million Viewers - Up 72% from Last Year's Comparable Game
"Sunday Night Baseball" is averaging 1,680,000 million viewers, up seven percent from last year.

[08/05/25 - 10:27 AM]
ABC Airs One of Its Most-Watched WNBA Games This Season
The Indiana Fever's win over the Seattle Storm averaged 1.6 million viewers, peaking with 2.0 million.

[08/01/25 - 01:56 PM]
Matt Damon and Ken Jennings' Million Dollar Win Scores Big in Ratings for "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire"
The series owns ABC's top two entertainment telecasts in Total Viewers summer to date with its week 2 episode (4.46 million) and season premiere (4.24 million).