ABC outperformed the combined delivery of CBS, NBC and Fox by 30% on the evening. It was ABC’s 5th consecutive primetime win with coverage of the 2010 NBA Finals. With Continuing Coverage of the 2010 NBA Finals, ABC Wins Sunday By Wide Margins for the 2nd Straight Week in Viewers and Adults 18-49. ABC Scores Most-Watched Summer Sunday in 10 Years. For the 5th Straight Telecast of the 2010 Series, the “NBA Finals on ABC” Finishes as the No. 1 TV Program with Viewers and All Key Adult Demos.
Game 5 Stands as the Most-Watched for Any NBA Finals Game in 5 Years.
The NBA Finals Generates its Best Results in 6 Years, Registering the Second-Strongest-Ever Numbers on ABC.
Sunday Night (7:00-11:00 p.m. – “Fast Affiliate Ratings”) With continuing coverage of the 2010 NBA Finals (Celtics-Lakers Game 5), ABC towered over its competition for the 2nd straight Sunday. Based on Nielsen’s preliminary time-period-based “Fast Affiliate” ratings, ABC outpaced its nearest competition during primetime by 5.3 million viewers (12.8 million vs. 7.5 million – CBS w/”64th Annual Tony Awards”) and by 147% in Adults 18-49 (4.8/14 vs. 1.5/5 – Fox). In Adults 18-49, ABC outperformed the combined delivery of CBS, NBC and Fox by 30% on the evening (4.8/14 vs. 3.7/11). It was ABC’s 5th consecutive primetime win with coverage of the 2010 NBA Finals.
Based on projected National ratings, ABC scored its most-watched summer Sunday in 10 years and top-rated among Adults 18-49 in 6 years – since 6/11/00 and 6/13/04, respectively.
“NBA Finals on ABC – GM 5” (8:04 – 11:00 p.m., ET “Fast National Ratings”)
Based on Nielsen’s special-ordered program-based “Fast National” ratings, the “NBA Finals on ABC – GM 5” outpaced its primetime competitors to register as Sunday’s No. 1 TV program in Total Viewers (18.2 million) and across each of the key Adult demos: A18-34 (6.8 rating), A18-49 (7.0 rating) and A25-54 (7.3 rating). It was the 5th consecutive airing for the 2010 NBA Finals to qualify as the No. 1 TV show of the night in viewers and key adults. The Boston Celtics defeated the LA Lakers by a score of 92-86, to lead the best-of-seven series 3-2.
Game 5 stood as the strongest yet for the 2010 NBA Finals in Total Viewers and Adults 18-49. In fact it stood as the most-watched overall for any NBA Finals game in 5 years – since the series-clinching Game 7 of the 2005 Pistons-Spurs Series on 6/23/05. Furthermore, it was the largest overall audience for a non-series-clinching NBA Championship contest since 2004 – since Game 4 of the 2004 Lakers-Pistons Series on 6/13/04.
In viewers and young adults, it was the best Game 5 for the NBA Championship Series in 6 years and the second-highest-ever on ABC – since the series-clinching Game 5 of the 2004 Pistons-Lakers series on 6/15/04.
Based on 5-game averages, the 2010 NBA Championship Series continues to pull the highest numbers in 6 years (since 2004), its 2nd-strongest-ever on ABC in both Total Viewers (16.1 million) and Adults 18-49 (6.5/19). Versus the first five games of 2009 (Lakers-Magic), The Finals on ABC is growing year to year by 1.8 million viewers and by 10% in Adults 18-49 (14.3 million and 5.9/18).
A note about increasing DVR penetration and year-to-year rating comparisons: Year-to-year rating comparisons based on the Live + Same Day data stream are distorted by the level of DVR penetration in the Nielsen sample, which has jumped up to 36% currently, from 31% at the same point in 2009. More viewers are watching shows on their own timetables, which may not be reflected in the overnight next-day numbers. The only truly valid year-to-year comparison would be one based on the Live + 7 Day metric, once those stats are released by Nielsen.
(Source: ABC – The Nielsen Company (Fast Affiliate time period and Fast National Program Live + Same Day Ratings), 6/13/10.)
