
TNT's Exclusive Coverage of NBA Opening Night Propels Network to Win the Night Across All of Cable Television in Primetime Wednesday, October 18, 2017
Share:
Share on facebook
Share on Twitter
Email this article
Download:
Download PDF
Image
Boston Celtics vs. Cleveland Cavaliers Averages 5.6 Million Viewers, Up 95%;
TNT's Second Most-Watched Opening Night Game of All Time
NBA Opening Night Scores Huge Double-Digit Increases Across All Turner Platforms
TNT's exclusive coverage of 2017 NBA Opening Night - the Boston Celtics vs. Cleveland Cavaliers and Houston Rockets vs. Golden State Warriors - led the network to win the night across all of cable television in primetime, based on metered market delivery. The network's Celtics/Cavs telecast averaged 5.6 million total viewers - up 95% over last year - to rank as the network's second most-watched Opening Night telecast of all time. Last night's Celtics/Cavs game is TNT's fifth most-viewed regular season NBA telecast ever.
Overall, TNT's NBA Opening Night doubleheader averaged 4.9 million viewers for an increase of 53% over the comparable games last year. Last night's doubleheader netted the network's most-watched NBA Opening Night coverage since 2010.
Additional highlights include:
Doubleheader Garners Double-Digit Growth Across All Demos
TNT's NBA Opening Night doubleheader delivered significant audience increases across all core demos including 53% increase in People 18-49 and growth of 47% in People 18-34 and 44% in Men 18-34.
Celtics/Cavs Peaks with 6.7 Million Viewers
TNT's Celtics/Cavs telecast peaked with an average of 6.7 million viewers from 10:15-10:30 p.m. ET. Top local markets included Cleveland (20.1 HH rating), Columbus, Ohio (8.3 HH rating) and Boston (7.8 HH rating).
Rockets/Warriors Viewership Up 22% vs. 2016
TNT's Rockets/Warriors telecast averaged 4.2 million viewers, up 22% over the network's comparable game last year. Locally, the game earned a 14.8 HH rating in San Francisco as the top-ranked metered market.
Inside the NBA Post-Game Show Up 20%
TNT's award-winning Inside the NBA studio show averaged a 1.2 HH rating from 1:30-2:30 a.m. ET, up 20% over the network's comparable telecast last year based on metered market ratings.
Turner's TV Everywhere Platforms Up 43%
Live streaming coverage of NBA Opening Night averaged 8.9 million minutes of consumption, up 43% over last year. The Celtics/Cavs game registered the largest streaming average audience ever for an NBA regular season game on Turner.
NBA Opening Night Generates 53 Million Social Impressions
Opening night content across Turner's Facebook and Twitter accounts netted 53 million social impressions and six million video views including 250,000 views for live streaming coverage of the Warrior's ring ceremony on Facebook.
Source: Linear-Nielsen Fast National data for 10/17/2017 compared to historical NBA on TNT Regular Season telecasts. Live +SD Data. Online TVE Live Stream Starts-Users by Quarter Hour (rounded based on actual game time) from Omniture SiteCatalyst; Mobile TVE Live Stream Starts, Users based on Virtual Heartbeat from Omniture. Connected Devices are provided by Omniture Virtual Heartbeat. Total TV Minutes are based on Nielsen Live + SD with a 1 min qualifier.
-30-
Most recent headlines
05/01/2027
Worlds first 802.15.4ab-UWB chip verified by Calterah and Rohde & Schwarz to be ...
07/10/2026
Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, today announced the latest Long-Term Supported (LTS) release of Dalet Flex. Build...
06/09/2026
June 9 2026, 23:00 (PDT) Dolby and MagentaTV Bring Fans Closer to the FIFA Worl...
04/08/2026
Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, t...
15/07/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
15/07/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
14/07/2026
South end zone videoboard, cloud-based control system will be ready for 2026 football season...
14/07/2026
Redesigned website, enhanced mobile app unify content, ticketing, and personalized fan engagement...
14/07/2026
Agreement spans sponsorship sales, digital monetization, radio production, and new practice facility naming rights...
14/07/2026
Independent league adds 14 regional sports network affiliates, growing distribut...
14/07/2026
New strategy aims to unify competitions, content, fan engagement, and commercial...
14/07/2026
ESPN and Disney+ become exclusive home of PFL events in key international MMA market...
14/07/2026
Gill will oversee engineering, technology, and sports operations across the company's 64 local television stations...
14/07/2026
Submitted by North American Broadcasters Association (NABA)
As broadcasters con...
14/07/2026
Modernized mobile unit combines HOME Apps, mc 56 console, and IP infrastructure ...
14/07/2026
Every match of the 32-team tournament will air across ION and Scripps Sports platforms in English and Spanish...
14/07/2026
FloHockey to stream every game of the annual international tournament under four...
14/07/2026
Victory+ telecasts to be simulcast on TEGNA-owned station, expanding free local distribution...
14/07/2026
Plug-ins for heavy music
Avalanche Tones is the brainchild of Ava Toton, a 17-year-old musician and developer who says her goal is to make the lives of gui...
14/07/2026
Launched alongside new Singer Showcase purchase model
IK Multimedia's innovative vocal-synthesis software has just gained its latest voice add-on, the R...
14/07/2026
Registration open until 1 September 2026
The MIDI Association have revealed that the registration deadline for this year's MIDI Innovation Awards has no...
14/07/2026
88-note model completes MK4 range
Novation have just introduced the final model in their flagship MIDI controller keyboard range, the Launchkey MK4 88. Roun...
14/07/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
14/07/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
14/07/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
14/07/2026
IBC2026 has unveiled a powerful Conference programme bringing together global media leaders, technology innovators, creators, sports organisations, broadcasters...
14/07/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
14/07/2026
Broadcast Solutions, a leading systems integrator and provider of innovative solutions for the broadcast media industry, has delivered two highly capable outsid...
14/07/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
14/07/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
14/07/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
14/07/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
14/07/2026
Editor's note: This post is part of the Nemotron Labs blog series, which exp...
14/07/2026
Techtel Successfully Relocates AICD Broadcast Studio to New Sydney Headquarters
BroadcastBroadcast EquipmentLive StreamingBroadcast Studio2026
14 July Writ...
14/07/2026
Tuesday 14 July 2026
First look revealed for Friday the 13th prequel, Crystal ...
14/07/2026
When immersive audio dominates industry headlines, it's easy to assume that every broadcaster is preparing for an Atmos future. The reality is quite differ...
14/07/2026
Emma and Sophie from ICG's marketing team joined thousands of fellow marketers, brands and agencies at MAD//Fest London 2026, one of the UK's biggest ma...
14/07/2026
Why Trusted and Secure Media Operations Matter In this series, we explore the technologies, architectures and operational realities shaping modern media operati...
14/07/2026
Pilot Project Shows How Retailers Are Prepared for the Next Step in the Evolution of Digital Commerce
Arvato Systems Drives Agentic Commerce Forward
G terslo...
14/07/2026
As part of this commitment, weve joined the SME Climate Hub, publicly pledging to:
measure our greenhouse gas emissions
reduce them in line with a net zero p...
14/07/2026
Power is AI infrastructure's inescapable constraint. How many tokens an AI factory can generate within a fixed power budget determines its revenue and profi...
13/07/2026
The Braves opted to keep production in-house rather than hand it off to MLB...
13/07/2026
Behind The Mic provides a roundup of recent news regarding on-air talent, including new deals, departures, and assignments compiled from press releases and repo...
13/07/2026
Eurovision Sport is making live athletics more accessible to fans than ever befo...
13/07/2026
The Milwaukee Bucks will return to full-season over-the-air television for the 2...
13/07/2026
SMPTE has announced an expanded education pathway for media technology professio...
13/07/2026
Vizrt has announced that its graphics technology was used by broadcast design agency Girraphic for Netflix's debut MVP MMA event, broadcast live from the In...
13/07/2026
ARRI has announced an agreement to sell its global rental activities in Europe, the United Kingdom, and North America to H2 Equity Partners through a management...
13/07/2026
DAZN has announced a partnership with Premier Boxing Champions (PBC) to bring PBC fight nights to DAZN subscribers globally. The partnership begins Saturday, Ju...
13/07/2026
TikTok and WSC Sports have announced a strategic partnership that gives sports r...