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[06/05/15 - 06:46 AM]
Highest-Rated NBA Finals Game 1 Ever on ABC: 12.9 Overnight Rating
ESPN spins the numbers for Thursday, June 4.
[via press release from ESPN]

Highest-Rated NBA Finals Game 1 Ever on ABC: 12.9 Overnight Rating

· Up 24 Percent From Last Year; Broadcast Peaked with 15.6 Rating

· NBA Finals Expected to Win the Night for 43rd Consecutive Time

Game One of the 2015 NBA Finals, in which the Golden State Warriors defeated the Cleveland Cavaliers in an overtime thriller, delivered a 12.9 overnight rating, making it the highest-rated NBA Finals Game 1 ever on ABC, according to Nielsen. The broadcast peaked with a 15.6 from 11:30 p.m.-11:45 p.m. ET.

NBA Finals Game 1 was also up 24 percent from a 10.4 for last year's Game 1 (Miami Heat-San Antonio Spurs).

It is expected that the NBA Finals will win the night across television for the 43rd consecutive time.

Record local numbers

Game 1 on ABC delivered a 41.4 rating in the Cleveland market and a 28.9 in the San Francisco market. Both are the highest-rated NBA games on ABC ever in the respective markets. Top 10 local markets:

Market Rating
Cleveland 41.4
San Francisco 28.9
Columbus 21.1
Memphis 19.9
Norfolk 16.5
Miami-Ft. Lauderdale 16.2
Sacramento 15.7
Atlanta 15.6
Richmond-Petersburg 15.2
Raleigh-Durham 15.0

Additionally, NBA Countdown - ABC's NBA Finals pre-game show - generated a 4.6 overnight rating, which is up 18 percent from 3.9 for the corresponding show leading into Game 1 in 2014.

The NBA Finals will continue with Game Two 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.





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