or


[05/28/18 - 07:13 AM]
ESPN Matches Its Highest-Rated NBA Game Ever with 9.1 Metered Market Rating for Eastern Conference Finals Game 7
ESPN spins the numbers for Sunday, May 27.
[via press release from ESPN]

ESPN Matches its Highest-Rated NBA Game Ever with 9.1 Metered Market Rating for Eastern Conference Finals Game 7

Highest-Rated Quarter Hour for NBA Game on ESPN: 12.0 Peak Rating

ESPN matched its highest-rated NBA game ever with a 9.1 metered market rating for the Cleveland Cavaliers victory over the Boston Celtics in Game 7 of the 2018 Eastern Conference Finals, according to Nielsen. It matched Game 7 of the 2012 Eastern Conference Finals: the Miami Heat and LeBron James vs. the Boston Celtics. Last night's telecast peaked with a 12.0 rating from 10:45-11 p.m. ET. It is the highest-rated quarter hour of an NBA game on ESPN, as far as records go back.

Based on metered market ratings, Game 7 on ESPN was the highest-rated telecast across all of television for Sunday, May 27. The top five highest-rated local markets were Cleveland (27.6), Boston (21.9), Columbus (15.1), Providence (14.4) and New Orleans (12.9). The 21.9 rating in Boston is the highest-rated NBA Playoffs game ever on ESPN in the market.

Sunday's telecast is now the highest-rated game of the 2018 NBA Playoffs. ESPN's Conference Finals coverage averaged a 6.3 metered market rating, up 37 percent from the same matchup in the Eastern Conference Finals last year and up 34 percent from its Western Conference Finals coverage in 2017. Overall, the 2018 NBA Playoffs on ESPN - 19 games - averaged a 3.8 metered market rating, up 31 percent from last year.

The 2018 NBA Finals on ABC will tip off Thursday, May 31, at 9 p.m. ET. The Cleveland Cavaliers and LeBron James will visit either the Golden State Warriors or the Houston Rockets in Game 1.

Note: NBA Finals analysts Jeff Van Gundy and Mark Jackson will be available on a media conference call tomorrow (Tuesday) at 2 p.m. ET to discuss the event. Media members can call 866-548-4713 with the passcode 7186383.

ESPN Draws Second-Largest Audience Ever for NBA Game on ESPN: 13,305,000 Viewers (Based on Fast Nationals from Nielsen)

Largest Peak Audience Ever for NBA Game on ESPN: 17,463,000 Viewers from 10:30-11 P.M. ET

2018 NBA Playoffs on ESPN (19 Games): Second-Most Watched Ever and Up 30 Percent from 2017

ESPN drew its second-largest NBA audience ever for the Cleveland Cavaliers victory over the Boston Celtics in Eastern Conference Finals Game 7. It averaged 13,305,000 viewers, peaking with 17,463,000 viewers from 10:30-11 p.m. ET. It is the largest peak audience ever for an NBA game on ESPN. The data is based on Fast Nationals from Nielsen. Once all streaming and out-of-home viewership is included, last night's Game 7 is expected to be the most-watched NBA game ever on ESPN.

The audience is currently only 41,000 viewers behind 2012 Eastern Conference Finals Game 7 - the Miami Heat and LeBron James vs. the Boston Celtics.

Based on Fast Nationals from Nielsen, ESPN is expected to win the night across all of television for its coverage of NBA Eastern Conference Finals Game 7. Last night's telecast is now the most-watched game of the 2018 NBA Playoffs across networks.

The 2018 Eastern Conference Finals on ESPN averaged 8,449,000 viewers, up 34 percent from last year's Eastern Conference Finals, also a Cleveland vs. Boston series. It was up 29 percent from the 2017 Western Conference Finals - the Golden State Warriors vs. San Antonio Spurs - on ESPN.

Overall, the 2018 NBA Playoffs on ESPN (19 games) averaged 5,101,000 viewers, up 30 percent from 2017. It is the second-most watched NBA Playoffs ever on ESPN (back to 2003).

The 2018 NBA Finals on ABC will tip off Thursday, May 31, at 9 p.m. ET. The Cleveland Cavaliers and LeBron James will visit either the Golden State Warriors or the Houston Rockets in Game 1.

Note: NBA Finals analysts Jeff Van Gundy and Mark Jackson will be available on a media conference call tomorrow (Tuesday) at 2 p.m. ET to discuss the event. Media members can call 866-548-4713 with the passcode 7186383.





  [may 2018]  
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
[11/28/25 - 04:32 PM]
NBC's Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade Sets All-Time Viewership Record
The 99th Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade delivered 34.3 million viewers across NBC and Peacock, its biggest combined audience on record, outperforming last year's parade by +8% (2.5 million viewers).
[11/28/25 - 01:59 PM]
Thanksgiving Day Hoops Scores FOX's Most-Watched CBB Game in History
Michigan State's Thanksgiving Day win over UNC in the Fort Myers Tip-Off scored 5,488,000 viewers on FOX - the most-watched college basketball game ever on the network.
[11/26/25 - 02:31 PM]
"20/20" Is the Most-Watched in Adults 25-54 and Adults 18-49 in Time Period vs. CBS and NBC
"20/20" posted substantial increases week to week across the board.
[11/26/25 - 02:30 PM]
With Largest Viewership in 7 Weeks, ABC News' "Nightline" Ranks No. 1 in All Key Demos
"Nightline" improved on the previous week in Total Viewers, Adults 25-54, and Adults 18-49.
[11/26/25 - 02:21 PM]
"Everybody Loves Raymond: 30th Anniversary" Is the Season's Most-Watched Primetime Entertainment Special
The telecast delivered 6.32 million viewers and was the most-watched entertainment program Monday night.
[11/26/25 - 02:15 PM]
"Dancing with the Stars" Caps Spectacular Season 34 with 9.24 Million Total Viewers - Drawing Largest Finale Audience in 9 Years
Among Adults 18-49, the show nearly doubled last season's finale episode (+89% - 2.15 rating vs. 1.14 rating), hitting its strongest finale result in 10 years.
[11/25/25 - 03:45 PM]
"Center Stage: Countdown to the CMA Awards - Special Edition of 20/20" Rises Over Last Year's Performance in All Key Measures
"Center Stage" (434,000 and 326,000, respectively) ranked No. 1 in its hour in Adults 25-54 and Adults 18-49.
[11/25/25 - 03:05 PM]
ESPN Wins Week 13 with Stellar Showings for "College GameDay Built by The Home Depot," "SEC on ABC" and Friday College Football on ESPN
Texas Longhorns defeating the Arkansas Razorbacks 52-37 delivered 5.6 million viewers on November 22.
[11/25/25 - 02:57 PM]
"America's Game of the Week" on FOX Scores 27,816,000 Viewers in Week 12
The Dallas Cowboys win over the Philadelphia Eagles peaked with 28.4 million viewers from 7:30 PM - 7:45 PM ET.
[11/25/25 - 02:03 PM]
CBS Sports' Coverage of the 2025 NWSL Championship Is the First NWSL Match Ever to Surpass 1 Million Viewers!
The Gotham FC victory over Washington Spirit set a NWSL viewership record.
[11/25/25 - 02:00 PM]
Record Audience Watches Formula 1 Las Vegas Grand Prix on ESPN
ESPN's live telecast on Saturday night, November 22, averaged 1.5 million viewers, the largest audience to watch the event in its three-year history,
[11/25/25 - 12:01 PM]
Netflix Top 10: Week of November 17 - 3 Cheers for "Champagne Problems" at No. 1 in This Week's Top 10
Claire Danes and Matthew Rhys continued to keep audiences guessing in their psychological thriller "The Beast in Me," which took the No. 1 spot on the English TV list for a second week with 14.1 million views.
[11/21/25 - 12:00 PM]
CBS Series Top L+7 Multiplatform Competitive Charts
Seven weeks into the 2025/26 broadcast season, "Tracker" is the #1 series, averaging 14.2 million viewers across broadcast and streaming.
[11/20/25 - 04:55 PM]
"Dancing with the Stars" Jumps to Season Highs with Epic "Prince Night"
The show rose dramatically over its year-ago penultimate episode in Total Viewers, with its best semifinals performance in seven years.
[11/20/25 - 11:31 AM]
"Landman" Season 2 Premiere Delivers Record Breaking 9.2 Million Global Streaming Views in Its First Two Days on Paramount+
Views increased by +262% from the first season premiere, making it the most watched premiere for any original series for Paramount+.