Ratings Roundup: 2018 NBA and NHL Conference Finals Make Network History
25/05/2018
Friday, May 25, 2018 - 8:00 am
Print This Story
Story Highlights
Ratings roundup is a rundown of ratings news from the past week and is derived from press releases and reports around the industry. In this week's edition, ESPN saw record-setting viewership of the NBA 2018 Eastern Conference Finals, TNT attained positives with their presentation of the Western Conference Finals, the popularity of both Conference Finals of the 2018 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs increased every game, the Premier League gained more American interest this past season, the YES Network profited off of the Yankees recent play in May, Sunday Night Football on NBC received more accolades, and Top Rank Boxing on ESPN reached new heights after a particular fight.
ESPN Sees Big Numbers for NBA Eastern Conference Finals
The Boston Celtics defeated the Cleveland Cavaliers to take a 3-2 series lead in Game 5 and delivered a 5.7 metered market rating. It was the highest-rated telecast of the night across television based on metered market ratings from Nielsen. This is now ESPN's highest-rated Conference Finals in six years, since Boston vs. Miami in 2012. The 2018 Eastern Conference Finals is averaging a 5.8 metered market rating. Overall, the 2018 NBA Playoffs on ESPN is averaging a 3.4 metered market rating, up 17% from last year. Wednesday's Game 5 peaked with a 7.0 rating from 10:45-11 p.m. ET. The top five local markets were Cleveland (21.3), Boston (14.4), Columbus (11.0), Providence (9.9) and New Orleans (8.9).
ESPN drew its highest-rated Conference Finals Game 4 in six years on Monday night. The game delivered a 6.1 metered market rating, up 45% from the NBA Western Conference Finals Game 4 (Golden State Warriors vs. San Antonio Spurs, 4.2) in 2017, and up 15% from the 2017 Eastern Conference Finals Game 4 that drew a 5.3 rating. Monday's telecast peaked with a 7.2 rating from 11-11:15 p.m. ET. The top five local markets were Cleveland (24.6), Boston (12.9), Columbus (12.1), New Orleans (10.4) and Providence (9.2). NBA Countdown on ESPN generated a 1.3 metered market rating and rose 8% from the corresponding Game 4 pre-game show last year.
Game 3 of the NBA Eastern Conference Finals on ESPN was the networks' second-highest rated Game 3 ever, according to Nielsen. The telecast drew a 5.1 metered market rating, up 11% from ESPN's Western Conference Finals Game 3 last year, and up 2% from 2017's edition. Despite Cleveland's dominating 30-point victory over Boston, the telecast peaked with a 5.7 metered market rating three times: 9:15-9:30 p.m. ET, 10-10:15 p.m. and 10:15-10:30 p.m. The top five local markets were Cleveland (22.1), Boston (11.9), Columbus (9.7), Dayton (8.2), and Providence (8.0).
Game 2 of the NBA Eastern Conference Finals on ESPN generated a 6.5 metered market rating, making it the highest-rated Eastern Conference Finals Game 2 since 2012. Compared to last year's Eastern Conference Finals Game 2, this matchup was up 71% It was also up 51% from ESPN's Western Conference Finals Game 2 in 2017 and peaked with an 8.0 metered market rating in the final quarter-hour - 10:45 p.m.-11 p.m. ET. In the Boston market, the game generated a 16.0 rating, making it the highest-rated NBA game on ESPN in the market since the 2012 Eastern Conference Finals. In Cleveland, the telecast generated a 24.4 rating. The rest of the top five markets included Columbus (11.4), Providence (10.9), and San Francisco (9.0).
Sunday's NBA Eastern Conference Finals Game 1 on ABC - the Boston Celtics defeated the Cleveland Cavaliers 108-83 - generated a 5.4 metered market rating, making it the highest-rated Eastern Conference Finals Game 1 since 2015, according to Nielsen. It was up 15% from the same matchup last year (4.7) and up 32% from 2016 when Cleveland vs. Toronto drew a 4.1. The broadcast peaked with a 6.5 rating from 5:30-5:45 p.m. Based on the metered market data, Game 1 was the highest-rated live sports event of the weekend.
NBA Western Conference Finals on TNT
Game 4 in California delivered the third most-watched program across all of television on Tuesday night, based on metered market delivery. Peaking with an average of 10.6 million viewers from 11:15-11:30 p.m. ET, the telecast averaged 8.3 million viewers for an increase of 43% over the 2017 WCF Game 4 and 18% vs. last year's ECF Game 4, based on Nielsen Fast Nationals. Overall, TNT's first four WCF telecasts have averaged 8.1 million viewers, up 27% over last year's Eastern Conference Finals airing on the network (Cavaliers/Celtics) and a gain of 24% vs. the 2017 WCF (Warriors/Spurs).
Game 3 of the series led to a 41-point blowout in favor of the Golden State Warriors, but still had a 4.6 rating with 7.80 million viewers on TNT. There was a 24% increase in ratings and 23% in viewership from Warriors-Spurs on ESPN last year, which aired on a Saturday night (3.7, 6.3M), but down a tick and 3% respectively from Warriors-Thunder on TNT in 2016 (4.7, 8.0M). 9.1 million viewers from 9:30-9:45 PM ET was the peak and is the second-most watched Game 3 of the West Finals since 2010 (Lakers-Suns: 8.5M). It ranks as the third-most watched game of the postseason.
NBA Western Conference Finals Game 2 earned a 4.6 rating and 7.50 million viewers on TNT, up 31% in ratings and 30% in viewership from Spurs-Warriors on ESPN last year (3.5, 5.8M) but down a tick and 1% respectively from Thunder-Warriors on TNT in 2016 (4.7, 7.57M). Compared to last year's conference final Game 2 on TNT, Cavaliers-Celtics on a Friday night, ratings increased 53% (from 3.0) and viewership 47% (from 5.1M). The game peaked with 8.7 million viewers from 10:45-11 PM ET, ranks as the second-most-watched Game 2 of the West Finals si
LINK: | https://www.sportsvideo.org/2018/05/25/ratings-roundup-2018-nba-and-nh... |
See more stories from svg |
North America Stories
28/03/2024
Sinclair Selects Embrace as Its Media Orchestration Engine
PARIS Embrace, a developer of advanced automation and orchestration software solutions, has announced that Sinclair Broadcast Group has selected Embrace's P...
28/03/2024
Nielsen and Circle City Broadcasting Renew Local TV Measurement Deal
NEW YORK Nielsen has a multi-year renewal with Circle City Broadcasting, Indianas only locally owned and operated broadcast and digital news media network, for ...
28/03/2024
JVC to Demo Its First Ever 40x Zoom PTZ Camera Series at 2024 NAB Show
LAS VEGAS JVC Professional Video has announced that it will debut its new KY-PZ540 Series PTZ Cameras with 40x zoom at 2024 NAB Show (Booth C4720)....
28/03/2024
Brightcove Launches Cloud Playout 2.0
BOSTON Brightcove has announced the launch of Cloud Playout 2.0, a platform that the company said will offer customers new ways to create linear channels, monet...
28/03/2024
NBC Sports Chicago to Air First-Ever Animated Real-Time Local Sports Telecast
The Chicago Blackhawks and NBC Sports Chicago have announced a collaboration with the NHL to bring fans the first-ever local animated real-time sports telecast....
28/03/2024
The Best News Coverage is Real, Live, Balanced, Professional
The Best News Coverage is Real, Live, Balanced, Professional Andy Marken March 28, 2024 0 Comments Hero image source News of the World, Perfect Wo...
27/03/2024
Inside the Archives: It's Lights, Curtains, Action When Sundance Films Become Stage Productions
By Jen Scott It's time to unwrap those noisy candies and put your phone on ...
27/03/2024
Sencore and Showfer Announce Collaboration at NAB 2024, With a Brand-New Content Management and Distribution Solution
Las Vegas, NV, April 14-17, Booth W2401 Sencore, a leading provider of profess...
27/03/2024
I Am L3Harris - Sam Bonelli
I'm proud to be a woman in aerospace making an impact on our world and among my peers, team and future generations of women in STEM....
27/03/2024
Bitmovin to Show Live Encoder Running on Akamai Cloud at NAB Show
DENVER Bitmovin has launched its Live Encoder running on the Akamai Cloud Computing, optimizing live streaming and reducing total streaming costs by up to 90%, ...
27/03/2024
Hulu Launches on Disney+
BURBANK, Calif. The Walt Disney Company has officially launched Hulu on Disney+ in the U.S. in a move that brings together the extensive Disney+ and Hulu librar...
27/03/2024
WJLA Studio A Revamp Features Brightline Lighting
WASHINGTON D.C. WJLA, Sinclair Broadcast Group's flagship TV station in the nation's capital, has revamped its Studio A news studio with lighting soluti...
27/03/2024
NCAA: March Madness Sees Strong Audience Growth
The NCAA has released figures showing that the NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Championship and the Division 1 Women's Basketball Championship both saw...
27/03/2024
Mediahaus GmbH Brings SRT Live Streaming to the Mountain Attack with 5G and URSA Broadcast G2
Mediahaus GmbH Brings SRT Live Streaming to the Mountain Attack with 5G and URSA...
27/03/2024
Instant Latte: NVIDIA Gen AI Research Brews 3D Shapes in Under a Second
Instant Latte: NVIDIA Gen AI Research Brews 3D Shapes in Under a Second Isha Salian March 27, 2024 0 Comments The LATTE3D model rapidly transforms tex...
27/03/2024
NAB Show Exhibitor Insight Matrox Video
TV TECH: What do you anticipate will be the most significant technology trends at the 2024 NAB Show? TVT: What will be your most important product news? TVT: Ho...
27/03/2024
CueScript Poised to Transform the Prompting Experience wi...
CueScript, the leading developer of professional teleprompting solutions, is poised to transform the prompting experience with a line-up comprised of world firs...
27/03/2024
BeckTV to Focus on Systems Integration for Sports Venues...
Visit Beck TV at 2024 NAB Show at Booth C4035 BeckTV, a premier systems integrator for the broadcast media industry, will showcase its facility design, enginee...
27/03/2024
Arkona to Introduce BLADE master Control and Orchestratio...
arkona technologies GmbH, provider of IP core infrastructure solutions for top-tier broadcast productions, is cutting through the complexity of live production ...
27/03/2024
KRK Launches ROKIT Generation Five Studio Monitors
As the unwavering cornerstone of professional audio monitoring for over three decades, KRK earned its reputation through a rich history of innovation and precis...
27/03/2024
Join Maxon for NAB 2024
Maxon, developers of professional software solutions for editors, filmmakers, motion designers, visual effects artists, and creators of all types, is excited to...
27/03/2024
OpenDrives Reinvents Media Industry Infrastructure Invest...
OpenDrives, Inc., the global provider of software-defined media workflow solutions and data management capabilities, will unveil its new Atlas platform and busi...
27/03/2024
Pixotope NAB 2024 Virtual Production Showcase Shapes the...
Pixotope, the leading software platform for end-to-end real-time virtual production solutions, is ushering in a new era of immersive storytelling at NAB 2024. A...
27/03/2024
Dolby Atmos-enabled CMP Studio Tackles Immersive Mixing W...
Like many in the industry, Multi-platinum, Award-winning Producer, Engineer, Mixer, Songwriter and Musician Clint Murphy's latest work has been consumed by ...
27/03/2024
Ateliere Creative Technologies Unveils the Future of Medi...
Ateliere Locations: AWS Partner Village W1343 F, W1343 S and Fontainebleau Hotel Contact: Arianna Ruvalcaba, Arianna.Ruvalcaba@ateliere.com Century City, Cal...
27/03/2024
Imagine Enables Unified Control of Hybrid On-prem and Clo...
At the 2024 NAB Show (April 14-17, Las Vegas Convention Center, booth W2467), Imagine Communications is making it easier for media companies to efficiently oper...
27/03/2024
LG Studio Series DVLED Displays Make Virtual Production A...
LG Business Solutions USA, a leading innovator of cutting-edge display technologies, has introduced LG Studio Series DVLED, a new family of advanced giant-scree...
27/03/2024
ZTransform Appoints Bob Hawkanson as SVP of Sales for Nor...
Systems and solutions provider continues team expansion and accelerates nation-wide growth strategy ZTransform, a leading technology systems and solutions pro...
27/03/2024
Appear Showcases Groundbreaking Live Production Technolog...
Appear, the global leader in live production technology, will demonstrate its innovative solutions for contribution, remote production and distribution at NAB S...
27/03/2024
Grass Valley expands PHABRIX T and M inventory with QxP p...
Test & measurement innovator, PHABRIX, has announced that Grass Valley has expanded its already-extensive inventory of PHABRIX test & measurement (T&M) equipmen...
27/03/2024
Arrow Media Targets High-Efficiency Story-Telling with Li...
Arrow Media, an award-winning producer of documentary, factual and non-scripted content, creates high quality programming covering a wide range of subjects. Est...
27/03/2024
Planetcast Expands OTT Solutions with Acquisition of Switch Media
SYDNEY & DELHI Planetcast Media Services, a leading media technology services provider in India and Southeast Asia, has acquired one of its key partners, Switch...
27/03/2024
Sony Pictures Expands its FAST Business
Sony Pictures Entertainment (SPE) has announced plans to launch its portfolio of free, ad-supported streaming television (FAST) channels on LG Channels, Samsung...
27/03/2024
NFL Announces Two Exclusive Streaming Games for 2024 Season
More NFL games will be moving exclusively to streaming in the upcoming 2024 season, with the NFL announcing that both Peacock and Prime Video will have exclusiv...
27/03/2024
Adobe Announces Generative AI Solutions for Content Supply Chain
LAS VEGAS As part of the Adobe Summit, Adobe has announced a number of major product developments that will help companies optimize their entire content supply ...
27/03/2024
Peakto Search, the plugin for Lightroom, which instantly retrieves any photo or video across multiple catalogues
Peakto Search, the plugin for Lightroom, which instantly retrieves any photo or ...
27/03/2024
Nevion announces 100G add-on to its Virtuoso media node
Nevion announces 100G add-on to its Virtuoso media node Brie Clayton March 26, 2024 0 Comments The high-density Virtuoso UplinX can aggregate IP strea...
27/03/2024
Limecraft Highlights Media Intelligence and Real-Time Collaboration for NAB Show 2024
Limecraft Highlights Media Intelligence and Real-Time Collaboration for NAB Show...
27/03/2024
AbelCine Presents Online DaVinci Resolve Courses with Warren Eagles of the International Colorist Academy
AbelCine Presents Online DaVinci Resolve Courses with Warren Eagles of the Inter...
27/03/2024
15 Latin Artists Who Became Musical Idols
15 Latin Artists Who Became Musical Idols Listen to iconic Latin musicians across genres in this playlist and read about how they've influenced Berklee st...
27/03/2024
Software Developers Launch OpenUSD and Generative AI-Powered Product Configurators Built on NVIDIA Omniverse
From designing dream cars to customizing clothing, 3D product configurators are ...
27/03/2024
TRIBECA X ANNOUNCES 2024 HEADLINE SPEAKERS: JON BON JOVI & JESSE BONGIOVI, JENNA LYONS, AND CHRISTY TURLINGTON BURNS
TRIBECA X ANNOUNCES 2024 HEADLINE SPEAKERS: JON BON JOVI & JESSE BONGIOVI, JENNA...
27/03/2024
Netflix Celebrates Indonesia's National Film Day with a Pledge of Support for Local Cinema
Back to All News Netflix Celebrates Indonesia's National Film Day with a Pl...
27/03/2024
NVIDIA Hopper Leaps Ahead in Generative AI at MLPerf
It's official: NVIDIA delivered the world's fastest platform in industry-standard tests for inference on generative AI. In the latest MLPerf benchmarks...
27/03/2024
Viome's Guru Banavar Discusses AI for Personalized Health
In the latest episode of NVIDIA's AI Podcast, Viome Chief Technology Officer Guru Banavar spoke with host Noah Kravitz about how AI and RNA sequencing are r...
27/03/2024
Unlocking Peak Generations: TensorRT Accelerates AI on RTX PCs and Workstations
Editor's note: This post is part of the AI Decoded series, which demystifies AI by making the technology more accessible, and which showcases new hardware, ...
26/03/2024
Apantac and Utah Scientific Will Highlight Multiviewer and Router Integration at 2024 NAB Show
Apantac and Utah Scientific Will Highlight Multiviewer and Router Integration at...
26/03/2024
CHOOSE CHICAGO, CITY OF CHICAGO ANNOUNCE SUNDANCE INSTITUTE X CHICAGO 2024 COMING THIS SUMMER
New event championing creative independence will feature three days of screening...
26/03/2024
Superior Stability: WESCAM MX-Series EO/IR Systems Designed for Land Missions
The WESCAM MX -GCS EO/IR Independent Stabilized Sighting Systems - ideal for gunner sight, commander sight and situational awareness missions....
26/03/2024
Mediacom Launches Xumo Stream Box
MEDIACOM PARK, N.Y. Mediacom Communications is now making the Xumo Stream Box available to its Xtream Internet customers at no additional monthly cost....