or


[06/14/16 - 07:31 AM]
NBA Finals on ABC: Matches Last Year as Highest-Rated Game 5 Since 2004
ESPN spins the numbers for Monday, June 13.

[via press release from ESPN]

NBA Finals on ABC: Matches Last Year as Highest-Rated Game 5 Since 2004

· Most-Watched NBA Game Ever on WatchESPN Across Metrics

· The NBA Finals on ABC Expected to Win the Night Across Television for 53rd Consecutive Time

Last night's NBA Finals Game 5 - the Cleveland Cavaliers defeated the Golden State Warriors by 15 points (112-97) - matched last year's Game 5 with a 14.2 overnight rating, according to Nielsen. This is the highest-rated Game 5 since 2004 (Detroit Pistons-L.A. Lakers clincher, 15.5).

The telecast peaked with a 16.2 overnight rating from 11:30-11:45 p.m. ET. The NBA Finals on ABC is expected to win the night across all of television for the 53rd consecutive time.

WatchESPN Records

Monday's NBA Finals Game 5 was the most-watched NBA game ever on WatchESPN across metrics. It generated a record 1,187,000 million unique viewers, an average minute audience of 380,000 viewers and approximately 67 million total minutes streamed.

Top local markets on ABC: Game 5
Market Rating
Cleveland 38.5
San Francisco-Oakland* 36.9
Sacramento 20.4
Miami 20.1
Columbus 19.6
Memphis 19.4
Atlanta 19.1
San Antonio 18.0
Portland 17.5
Birmingham 16.4

*The 36.9 rating in San Francisco-Oakland is the second-highest rated NBA game ever in the market on ABC.

The 2016 NBA Finals on ABC will continue with Game 6 on Thursday, June 16, 2016, at 9 p.m. ET (coverage starting at 8:30 p.m.). The NBA Finals is also available on ESPN Deportes, WatchESPN and ESPN Radio.

Second-Most Watched NBA Finals Ever on ABC Through Five Games

· Game 5 Averages 20.5 Million Viewers, Peaks with Nearly 24 Million Viewers

· The NBA Finals on ABC Wins the Night for the 53rd Consecutive Time

The 2016 NBA Finals is the second-most watched ever on ABC through five games, according to Nielsen. The series is averaging 18,029,000 viewers (p2+).

Last night's Game 5 averaged 20,528,000 viewers and peaked with nearly 24 million viewers (23,967,000) from 11:15-11:30 p.m. ET.

The NBA Finals on ABC won the night across all of television for the 53rd consecutive time.

For Game 5 metered market ratings, local ratings and digital information, please visit ESPN Media Zone for today's earlier press release.

The 2016 NBA Finals on ABC will continue with Game 6 on Thursday, June 16, 2016, at 9 p.m. ET (coverage starting at 8:30 p.m.). The NBA Finals is also available on ESPN Deportes, WatchESPN and ESPN Radio.





  [june 2016]  
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
[05/26/26 - 12:01 PM]
Netflix Top 10: Week of May 18 - In Ruthless Pursuit, "Nemesis" Steals No. 1 in This Week's Top 10
Retirement in "The Boroughs" is anything but sleepy as the Duffer Brothers-produced sci-fi series took No. 2 on the list with 5.6 million views.

[05/26/26 - 11:00 AM]
"Dutton Ranch" Is the Biggest Original Series Debut in Paramount+ History
In addition to its record-setting performance on Paramount+, "Dutton Ranch" is also the #1 streaming series according to Nielsen based on average audience for the week of May 11 according to preliminary data.

[05/21/26 - 02:32 PM]
ESPN Delivered Most-Watched NBA Eastern Conference Finals Game 1 Since 2018
The New York Knicks overtime victory against the Cleveland Cavaliers on May 19 generated an average audience of 7.1 million viewers and peaked with 8.87 million viewers at 10:45 p.m. ET.

[05/21/26 - 02:00 PM]
"Survivor" Historic 50th Season Concludes with Most-Watched Finale Since 2020
The season finale drew an average of 5.78 million viewers, based on Nielsen Preliminary panel only data.

[05/21/26 - 07:01 AM]
NBC Sports' 2026 SuperMotocross Coverage Delivers Viewership Gains and Milestones
The seven races featured on NBC and Peacock averaged a Total Audience Delivery (TAD) of 468,000 viewers on NBC and Peacock, up 8% vs. 2025.

[05/20/26 - 03:05 PM]
NBC and Peacock Deliver the Most-Watched Western Conference Finals Game 1 Ever for Monday's Spurs-Thunder Double Overtime Thriller
Coverage peaked with 12.0 million viewers from 11:30-11:43 p.m. ET for the second overtime and game's conclusion.

[05/20/26 - 03:04 PM]
ESPN Aired Its Most Viewed 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs Second Round of the Current Rights Deal
Collectively all 11 Second Round games, with nine airing on ESPN and two on ABC, delivered 2.2 million viewers, up 76% year-over-year.

[05/20/26 - 07:36 AM]
After Record-Setting 2025 Season, "Sunday Night Football" Finishes Fall-Spring TV Season as Primetime's No. 1 Show for Unprecedented 15th Consecutive Year
The series averaged 23.5 million viewers in 2025, marking the show's best-ever viewership - up nearly 1 million viewers from the prior record for the series set a decade ago (22.6 million in 2015 season) and an increase of 9% over the '24 season (21.6 million).

[05/19/26 - 02:52 PM]
Subway Series Delivers Second Most-Watched FOX Saturday Baseball Telecast of the Season
2,500,000 viewers tuned-in to the two-game slate highlighted by the Mets' 6-3 victory over the Yankees in most of the country.

[05/19/26 - 02:01 PM]
Netflix Viewership Peaks with Nearly 17 Million Global Viewers for MVP MMA's Rousey vs. Carano, Averaging 12.4 Million Viewers Across the Triple Main Event
In the US, the triple-main card averaged 9.3 million viewers, peaking at 11.6 million viewers during Rousey vs. Carano.

[05/19/26 - 12:01 PM]
Netflix Top 10: Week of May 11 - "The Roast of Kevin Hart" Heats Up to No. 1 in This Week's Top 10
True crime audiences also streamed the second season of "Worst Ex Ever," which rose to the No. 2 spot on the English TV list with 8.1 million views.

[05/19/26 - 07:07 AM]
TNT Sports Posts Its Most-Watched NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs Second Round Ever
Thursday's Game 5 of the Montreal/Buffalo series averaged 1.9 million viewers, making it the most-watched, Second Round, Game 5 on cable ever featuring a Canadian team.

[05/18/26 - 04:03 PM]
"The Rookie" Season 8 Finale Surges to Over 9 Million Total Viewers
Setting new records with its exceptional momentum this season, "The Rookie" finale earned an all-time streaming high for the series based on views over seven days on Hulu and Hulu on Disney+.

[05/15/26 - 02:03 PM]
ABC News Is #1 in Total Viewers on Sunday Morning, in Late-Night and on Friday Night
"20/20" saw week-to-week increases in Adults 25-54 and Adults 18-49, hitting 4-week highs in both measures.

[05/14/26 - 10:07 AM]
"Rooster" Capped Off a Standout First Season, Becoming HBO's Most-Watched Comedy Debut in Over 15 Years
The series is averaging 6.5 million U.S. viewers per episode, with the finale reaching 2.2 million viewers in its first three days.