Big ratings continue for TNT coverage of NBA Playoffs

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TNT’s exclusive coverage of the NBA’s Eastern Conference Finals series between the Chicago Bulls and Miami Heat continues to draw record ratings for the network.   The pivotal game three of the series became the second most-watched NBA game in cable history based on total viewership by delivering 10,889,000 million total viewers and a 6.4 U.S. HH rating. TNT’s coverage of the opening game of the 2011 Eastern Conference Finals set the record with 11.1 million total viewers and delivered a 6.2 U.S. HH Rating. 
 
Based on Total Viewership, TNT has delivered the Top 3 All-Time NBA Games on cable:
 
Game 1 of the 2011 ECF (Miami at Chicago): 11,109,000 viewers (05-15-2011)
Game 3 of the 2011 ECF (Chicago at Miami): 10,889,000 viewers (05-22-2011) 
2003 NBA All-Star Game (Jordan’s Last): 10,829,000 viewers (02-03-2003) 
 
Locally, the top five overnight metered markets for Game #3 of the ECF were Miami (24.9 HH Rtg), Chicago (22.5 HH Rtg), West Palm Beach (12.8 HH Rtg), Memphis (11.1 HH Rtg) and New Orleans (9.7 HH Rtg).
 
Through three games of TNT’s exclusive coverage of the Eastern Conference Finals, the network has averaged a 6.2 U.S. HH Rating (+35%), 10,667,000 Total Viewers (+42%) and 7,231,000 Households (+37%).
 
To date, TNT’s overall coverage of the NBA Playoffs continues to climb over the network’s coverage from a year ago, averaging a 3.3 U.S. HH Rating (+27%), 5,273,000 Total Viewers (+33%) and 3,819,000 Households (+30%). 
 
Overall, through 38 games, TNT’s 2011 NBA Playoffs coverage also has delivered strong double-digit growth across all key demos including:
 
·                   A18-34    +41%    (1,727,000 vs. 1,228,000)
·                   A18-49   +38%    (3,020,000 vs. 2,193,000)
·                   A25-54   +33%    (2,722,000 vs. 2,041,000)
·                     M18-34   +39%   (1,197,000 vs. 861,000)
·                     M18-49   +39%   (2,131,000 vs. 1,534,000)
·                     M25-54   +35%   (1,900,000 vs. 1,412,000)
  
 
Game Four of TNT’s live exclusive coverage of the Eastern Conference Finals continues on Tuesday, May 24 at 8:30 p.m. ET with the NBA Tip-Off presented by AutoTrader.com with Ernie Johnson (host), Charles Barkley (analyst), Kenny Smith (analyst) and Kevin McHale (analyst) beginning at 8:00 p.m. ET. The night will conclude with Inside the NBA presented by Hyundai.
 
The NBA on TNT and NBA TV host 65 days of wall-to-wall coverage of the NBA Playoffs with 40+ games televised on TNT, and nearly 1,500 hours of total coverage on NBA TV including 195 hours of live studio coverage.
 
About Turner Sports
Turner Sports, a division of Turner Broadcasting System, Inc., is an industry leader in televised and online sports programming, airing championship level sporting events on TBS, TNT and truTV, and managing some of the most popular sports sites on the Internet. Turner Sports’ television line-up includes the NBA, Major League Baseball, the NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Championship, NASCAR and professional golf. The company’s digital portfolio includes SI.com, NASCAR.COM, NCAA.com, PGATOUR.COM, GOLF.com and PGA.com, as well as an accompanying collection of mobile websites and connected device apps. Turner Sports and the NBA also jointly manage NBA Digital, which includes NBA TV, NBA.com, NBA LEAGUE PASS, NBA Mobile, the NBA Game Time App, NBADLEAGUE.com and WNBA.com. 
 
Source: Nielsen Media Research, Live + Same Day Data stream.  Nielsen Fast National Data also based on Live + SD data stream for 05/22/11).  Comparisons for the NBA Playoffs on TNT: Conference Finals Game 1 to-date; 37 games vs. 35 games (04/17/2011 – 05/18/2011) vs. (04/18/2010-5/18/ 2010).  Historical comparisons for NBA Round 1, 2 and Conference Finals through Cable only for seasons: 1984-2011.


(Source: TNT)