or


[06/05/15 - 02:05 PM]
ABC Dominates Thursday with Coverage of the 2015 NBA Finals Game 1, Generating Its Strongest Performance on the Night in Nearly 2 Years
ABC spins the numbers for Thursday, June 4.

[via press release from ABC]

NBA Finals Delivers Largest Game 1 Audience Ever on ABC with Record 17.8 Million Viewers

A record 17,768,000 viewers (P2+) watched the Golden State Warriors' victory over the Cleveland Cavaliers on Thursday, making it the largest audience for an NBA Finals Game 1 ever on ABC, according to Nielsen. The broadcast peaked from 11:30-11:45 p.m. ET with nearly 22 million viewers (21,931,000).

The audience for last night's Game 1 was up 21 percent from 14,697,000 viewers for last year's corresponding game (San Antonio-Miami).

Additionally, for the 43rd consecutive time, the NBA Finals propelled ABC to win the night across all of television (broadcast and cable) and across all key demos. The NBA Finals on ABC more than doubled its competition on television Thursday night.

Game 1 generated a record 10.6 U.S. household rating, which makes it the highest-rated NBA Finals Game 1 ever on ABC. It peaked with a 13.0 rating from 11:30-11:45 p.m. The rating is up 24 percent from an 8.9 for last year's Game 1.

NBA Finals on ESPN3

NBA Finals Game 1 on ESPN3 delivered a record 677,669 unique viewers, which is up 117 percent from Game 1 in 2014.

The NBA Finals will continue with Game 2 on ABC this Sunday, June 7, at 8 p.m. ET. NBA Countdown will precede the broadcast at 7:30 p.m. For more details on ABC's and ESPN's NBA Finals coverage, visit ESPN Media Zone.

Quick Take for Thursday, June 4, 2015 (National Live + Same Day Program Ratings)

ABC Dominates Thursday with Coverage of the 2015 NBA Finals Game 1, Generating its Strongest Performance on the Night in Nearly 2 Years

"Jimmy Kimmel Live Game Night" Posts Big Gains Over its Late-Night Averages

Cavaliers-Warriors 2015 NBA Finals Game 1 Overshadows Primetime, Ranking as Thursday's No. 1 Show and as TV's Biggest Telecast Since April

The Finals Spikes by Double Digits Year to Year To Deliver the Most-Watched Game 1 in 14 Years

Thursday Primetime (8:00-11:00 p.m.)

Featuring primetime coverage of the 2015 NBA Finals Game 1 between the Cleveland Cavaliers and the Golden State Warriors, ABC shot to the top of Thursday night, outdistancing its nearest competitor by 6.8 million viewers (12.5 million vs. 5.7 million - CBS) and topping the other nets' combined by 55% in Adults 18-49 (4.8/18 vs. 3.1/12 - CBS, NBC, Fox and CW).

· In viewers and young adults, the Net marked in its strongest Thursday in nearly 2 years - since 6/20/13.

"Jimmy Kimmel Live Game Night 1" (Various Time Periods)

Airing around the NBA Finals in various time periods across the country, "Jimmy Kimmel Live Game Night 1" broadened the exposure for the ABC late-night talker in primetime. On average, "Kimmel Game Night" was up 31% in Total Viewers (3.8 million vs. 2.9 million) and 83% in Adults 18-49 (1.1/5 vs. 0.6/3) over the show's 2014-15 season averages in late-night. In fact, ABC's "Kimmel" just wrapped its most-watched season ever with its 5th straight year of growth in late-night.

"NBA Finals on ABC Game 1" (9:00 - 11:57 p.m. E.T.)

Game 1 of the Cavaliers-Warriors 2015 NBA Finals on ABC overshadowed its primetime competition and finished as Thursday's definitive No. 1 TV program in Total Viewers (17.8 million) and across each of the key Adult demographics: A18-34 (6.8/29), A18-49 (6.9/25) and A25-54 (7.2/22). Golden State won the opening game of the series in overtime by a score of 108-100 to lead the best-of-seven series 1-0. The NBA Finals also stood as Thursday's most-social TV telecast with 3,079,371 tweets.

· Game 1 surged by double digits year to year in Total Viewers (+19% - 17.8 million vs. 14.9 million) and Adults 18-49 (+15% - 6.9/25 vs. 6.0/20), marking the most-watched-ever start for The Finals on ABC - ABC began carriage in 2003. In fact it was the biggest overall audience for Game 1 of The Finals in 14 years - since the 2001 Lakers-76ers matchup on NBC. In Adults 18-49 and Adults 18-34, it equaled the 2nd-highest Game 1 numbers on ABC.

· Among Total Viewers and across all key Adult demos, the 2015 NBA Finals Game 1 was TV's No. 1 telecast since the early April - since 4/6/15.

Source: The Nielsen Company, National, Live + Same Day Program Ratings for 06/04/15. Nielsen Socialguide 06/04/15, Total Tweets +/- 3hrs during telecast.





  [june 2015]  
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
[10/24/25 - 02:54 PM]
ESPN's Third-Most Watched NBA Season-Opening Wednesday Ever
The two-game slate averaged 2.33 million viewers, up 44 percent from last year.

[10/24/25 - 02:02 PM]
"20/20" Is Friday's Most-Watched Newsmagazine Across the Board
In addition, "20/20" posted its best Adults 25-54 in more than four months.

[10/24/25 - 02:01 PM]
ABC News' "Nightline" Ranks No. 1 Across the Board, Leading NBC in All Key Demos for the 4th Straight Week
"Nightline" grew year to year across the board: Total Viewers, Adults 25-54, and Adults 18-49.

[10/24/25 - 01:05 PM]
"Dancing with the Stars" Makes Television History - Rising for Fifth Straight Week
The October 21 episode scored 6.63 million Total Viewers and a 1.38 rating among Adults 18-49, hitting new season highs in both demographics.

[10/23/25 - 02:33 PM]
Largest Audience for "NBA Tip-Off" Doubleheader Since 2010 as NBA Returned to NBC and Debuted on Peacock
Tuesday night's audience across NBC and Peacock peaked at 7.1 million viewers from 10:45-11 p.m. ET as Shai Gilgeous-Alexander led the defending champion Oklahoma City Thunder to a one-point win over the Houston Rockets in double overtime.

[10/23/25 - 11:28 AM]
"High Potential" Rises to Season High as Show Nears Fall Finale
ABC's popular drama rose to a multiplatform season high in Total Viewers (12.50 million) and Adults 18-49 (2.31 rating) after seven days of viewing on ABC, Hulu, Hulu on Disney+ and digital platforms.

[10/22/25 - 03:06 PM]
FOX Sports Delivers Most-Watched ALCS Game Since 2017
9,028,000 viewers tuned in across FOX, FS1, FOX Deportes & FOX Sports streaming services for the Toronto Blue Jays' ALCS Game 7 victory over the Seattle Mariners.

[10/22/25 - 08:07 AM]
ESPN College Football on ABC Delivers Top Three Games Across All Networks for Saturday, Oct. 18 - Off to Best Start Since '09
Coverage of Ole Miss at Georgia averaged 9.8 million viewers.

[10/22/25 - 08:03 AM]
FOX NFL's America's Game of the Week Delivers 25,630,000 Average Viewers for Commanders-Cowboys
Season-to-date, the NFL on FOX is off to its best start to the season since 2014, averaging 19,646,000 viewers and up +4% over last year's season-to-date average.

[10/22/25 - 07:44 AM]
"9-1-1: Nashville" Debuts with Over 12 Million Total Audience to Date
The star-studded, high-octane first-responder drama delivered 7.80 million Total Viewers and 1.51 rating among Adults 18-49, excluding encores.

[10/22/25 - 06:21 AM]
ABC's Telecast of Formula 1 U.S. Grand Prix Draws Event's Largest TV Audience on Record
Viewership peaked at 1.6 million between 4:15-4:30 p.m. as Max Verstappen drove to victory, further tightening up the battle for the F1 driver's championship with only five races left in the season.

[10/21/25 - 12:01 PM]
Netflix Top 10 Week of October 13: "The Woman in Cabin 10" Sails Smoothly to No. 1 in This Week's Top 10
In the final stretch to Halloween, those lured in by the story of the OG horror villain put "Monster: The Ed Gein Story" at No. 1 on the English TV list with 9.5 million views.

[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.