Warriors-Rockets Game 4 on ABC: Most-Watched First Round NBA Playoffs Game in 14 Years

Sundays' Golden State Warriors-Houston Rockets Game 4 on ABC was the most-watched first round NBA Playoffs game on any network in 14 years (since 2002), according to Nielsen. The broadcast averaged 7,238,000 viewers (p2+) and a 4.5 U.S. household rating. It peaked from 5:30- 6 p.m. ET with 8,346,000 viewers (p2+) and a 5.0 U.S. household rating.

Sunday's Game 4 on ABC was up 11 percent in viewership and 10 percent in rating from last year's comparable first round game between the L.A. Clippers-San Antonio Spurs which drew 6,514,000 (p2+) and a 4.1 U.S. rating.

The game is the most-watched first round NBA Playoffs game since April 21, 2002, when the L.A. Lakers played the Portland Trail Blazers.

Local markets

Game 4 delivered a 20.7 rating in the San Francisco market, making it the highest-rated first round NBA Playoffs game in the market across any network as far as records go back (2003). In Houston, the game drew a 10.9 rating, making it the second-highest rated NBA Playoffs first round game in the market, on any network, as far as records go back (2003).

WatchESPN

The Golden State Warriors-Houston Rockets Game 4 set cross-metric records for the first round of the NBA Playoffs on WatchESPN. The game streamed 16.4 million total minutes, drew 306,500 unique viewers and generated an average minute audience of 103,500 viewers.