or


[06/20/16 - 07:16 AM]
Highest-Rated NBA Game Ever on ABC: 18.9 Overnight Rating for NBA Finals Game 7
ESPN spins the numbers for Sunday, June 19.

[via press release from ESPN]

Highest-Rated NBA Game Ever on ABC: 18.9 Overnight Rating for NBA Finals Game 7

· Ranks as Highest-Rated Sports Telecast on ABC or ESPN in a Decade (Since 2006)

· Telecast Peaked with 25.5 Overnight Rating

· Most-Watched NBA Game Ever on WatchESPN: More than 96 Million Total Minutes Streamed

Last night's NBA Finals Game 7 is the highest-rated NBA game ever on ABC, drawing an 18.9 overnight rating, according to Nielsen. The telecast, in which the Cleveland Cavaliers defeated the Golden State Warriors in an all-time classic - peaked with a 25.5 overnight rating from 10:30-10:45 p.m. ET.

The 18.9 overnight rating for Game 7 is the highest-rated sports telecast on ABC or ESPN in a decade (since 2006). Additionally, last night's Game 7 was up seven percent from the most recent NBA Finals Game 7 - Miami Heat vs. San Antonio Spurs in 2013 - which drew a 17.7 overnight rating.

The second-highest rated NBA game ever on ABC was Game 7 between the Los Angeles Lakers and Boston Celtics in 2010, which drew an 18.2 overnight rating.

The NBA Finals on ABC is expected to win the night across all of television for the 55th consecutive time.

Last night's Game 7 became the most-watched NBA game ever on WatchESPN across all metrics. It generated 96,276,000 total minutes streamed, 1,760,000 unique viewers and an average minute audience of 598,000 viewers, which is the most for a non-World Cup event ever on WatchESPN.

NBA Finals Game 7 on ABC delivered a 46.3 in the Cleveland market, making it the second-highest rated NBA game ever in the market. In San Francisco, the game generated a 39.4 rating, which also ranks second all-time for an NBA Game.

ESPN's NBA coverage continues this Thursday, June 23 with the 2016 NBA Draft presented by State Farm. It airs at 7 p.m. ET and will also be available on ESPN Radio and WatchESPN.

Most-Watched NBA Game in ABC History: Record 30.8 Million Viewers for NBA Finals Game 7

Most-Watched NBA Finals Since 1998

Game 7 Audience Peaked with 44.5 Million Viewers

Largest Audience for NBA Game Ever on WatchESPN

Last night's NBA Finals Game 7 on ABC drew a massive average audience of 30,799,000 viewers (p2+), making it the most-watched NBA game since Game 6 of the 1998 NBA Finals, according to Fast Nationals from Nielsen. In addition, it generated a 15.7 U.S. household rating, making it the highest-rated NBA game since Game 6 of the 1998 NBA Finals. ABC's Game 7 viewership peaked with 44,511,000 viewers and a 22.5 U.S. rating from 10:30-10:40 p.m. ET.

The 2016 NBA Finals on ABC, in which the Cleveland Cavaliers defeated the Golden State Warriors 4-3 in a rematch from last year, was the most-watched NBA Finals since 1998. The series averaged 20,166,000 viewers and an 11.3 U.S. rating for its seven games. The back-to-back Cavaliers-Warriors NBA Finals in 2015 and 2016 are the two-most-watched and highest-rated NBA Finals ever on ABC.

The NBA Finals on ABC won the night across all of television for the 55th consecutive time.

WatchESPN NBA Audience Records

Last night's Game 7 became the most-watched NBA game ever on WatchESPN across all metrics. It generated 96,276,000 total minutes streamed, 1,760,000 unique viewers and an average minute audience of 598,000 viewers, which is the most for a non-World Cup event ever on WatchESPN.

Top local markets on ABC

NBA Finals Game 7 on ABC delivered a 46.3 in the Cleveland market, making it the second-highest rated NBA game ever in the market. In San Francisco, the game generated a 39.4 rating, which also ranks second all-time for an NBA Game. The rest of the top 10 markets included Columbus (30.1), Miami (24.3), San Antonio (23.6), Sacramento (23.3), Memphis (21.7), Atlanta (21.3), Dayton (21.0) and Norfolk (20.7).

2016 NBA Draft on ESPN

ESPN's NBA coverage continues this Thursday, June 23, with the exclusive telecast of the 2016 NBA Draft presented by State Farm. It airs at 7 p.m. ET and will also be available on ESPN Radio and WatchESPN.





  [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
[07/17/25 - 01:31 PM]
Netflix: What We Watched the First Half of 2025
This report, which captures ~99% of all viewing in the first half of 2025, shows that people watched a lot of Netflix - over 95B hours - spanning a wide range of genres and languages.

[07/17/25 - 09:57 AM]
"Dexter: Resurrection" Debuts to a Killer 3.1 Million Cross-Platform Viewers
Said premiere was up 44% versus "Dexter: Original Sin" and 79% versus "Dexter: New Blood."

[07/16/25 - 04:01 PM]
ESPN Airs Another of Its Most-Watched WNBA Games Ever: Indiana Fever vs Connecticut Sun Averaged 1.7 Million Viewers, Up 48% from Last Year's ESPN Average
Said telecast peaked with 2 million viewers.

[07/15/25 - 02:06 PM]
Viewership for 2025 T-Mobile Home Run Derby Exclusively on ESPN Platforms Up Five Percent From Last Year
An average audience of 5,729,000 viewers watched the event, compared to 5,451,000 viewers in 2024.

[07/15/25 - 01:04 PM]
ABC News' "Nightline" Ranks No. 1 in Total Viewers and Adults 18-49 vs. CBS' "After Midnight" and NBC's "Late Night with Seth Meyers" for 2nd Consecutive Week
"Nightline" posted Total Viewer gains both week to week and year to year.

[07/15/25 - 12:01 PM]
Netflix Top 10 Week of July 7: "KPop Demon Hunters" Spends Another Golden Week at No. 1 in This Week's Top 10
"The Sandman's" second season entered the Top 10 in 89 countries last week, while claiming the No. 1 spot in English TV with 5.9 million views.

[07/15/25 - 09:04 AM]
ABC Airs Another of Its Most-Watched WNBA Games Ever: Dallas Wings vs Indiana Fever Averaged 2.1 Million Viewers, Up 69% from Last Year's ABC Average
Said audience peaked with 2.5 million viewers.

[07/14/25 - 06:08 PM]
"Celebrity Family Feud" Returns with Best Premiere in Three Years
Overall, the season 11 premiere notched the show's best performance for any telecast in Total Viewers (4.16 million) and Adults 18-49 (0.42 rating) since 8/28/22 and 8/13/23, respectively.

[07/14/25 - 12:01 PM]
Netflix and MVP's Taylor-Serrano 3 Goes the Distance with Nearly 6 Million Global Viewers
In the US, an estimated AMA of 4.2 million viewers tuned in to the main event (Live+1) according to VideoAmp and Netflix, making it the most-watched professional women's sports event of 2025.

[07/11/25 - 12:45 PM]
ABC Concludes September to May Season with Top Five Shows Among Adults 18-49 Including "High Potential," "Abbott Elementary," "The Rookie," "Shifting Gears" and "9-1-1"
Continuing to lead among broadcast series, ABC's "High Potential" stood as the No. 1 new drama among Total Viewers (16.41 million) and No. 1 new show among Adults 18-49 (3.85 rating).

[07/11/25 - 11:28 AM]
"Big Brother: Summer of Mystery" Premiere Up +10% from Last Summer
Last night, season 27 premiered to nearly 3 million viewers.

[07/09/25 - 03:03 PM]
ABC News' "Nightline" Ranks No. 1 in Total Viewers and Adults 18-49 vs. CBS' "After Midnight" and NBC's "Late Night with Seth Meyers"
"Nightline" saw gains on the same week last year in Total Viewers (+3% - 663,000 vs. 644,000) and Adults 18-49 (+4% - 96,000 vs. 92,000).

[07/08/25 - 06:05 PM]
ESPN Formula 1 Coverage Enjoying Record-Breaking Season of Viewership
11 of 12 races held so far this season have had year-over-year viewership growth and seven of the 12 have set event viewership records.

[07/08/25 - 12:01 PM]
Netflix Top 10 Week of June 30: "Squid Game" Season 3 Leads Top 10 Globally, Climbs to No. 3 on Most Popular
Plus: "The Waterfront" maintained its Top 10 empire as the No. 1 English show in its third week with 5.6 million views.

[07/08/25 - 06:30 AM]
New AMC/AMC+ Epic Adventure Drama "Nautilus" Surfaces with 2.6 Million Premiere Night Viewers on Linear TV
The highly anticipated series premiered on Sunday, June 29 on AMC and AMC+, with new episodes premiering weekly on Sundays until the thrilling two-episode season finale on August 17.