Report - published June 19, 2015

Record-Setting ‘Finals’ Assists ABC’s Rise

Record-Setting ‘Finals’ Assists ABC’s Rise

Key insights from this report:

  1. The sixth and final game of the 2015 NBA Finals on ABC scored the highest ratings of the series among households, viewers 18-49 and 25-54. It was also the most-watched game of the series. Household viewership grew throughout the series on a game-to-game basis. Viewership in the 18-49, 25-54 and in total viewers grew from Game 1 to Game 2, dropped in Game 3, and then grew in Game 4 through Game 6.
  2. When it comes to specific game viewership of the past nine NBA Finals (2007 - 2015), the 2015 edition had the top-rated Game 1, Game 2, Game 3 and Game 4 among viewers 18-49 during that span. We'll also find that by looking at a Finals in its entirety, this year's is the highest-rated over that same span (~7.64). Second is Celtics vs. Lakers in 2010, followed by 2011 Mavericks/Heat; 2012 Heat/Thunder; 2013 Spurs/Heat; Lakers/Celtics in 2008; Heat/Spurs in 2014; Magic/Lakers in 2009; and Cavaliers/Spurs in 2007.
  3. What type of impact does the NBA Finals have on the broadcast landscape each June? Well, FOX was the highest-rated top-four broadcaster in primetime back in 2007 and 2008. Since then? It's been ABC each year. In fact, with a 2.65 Live+SD rating in the 18-49 demo, ABC is in the midst of its highest-rated June in quite some time. In an era where demo viewership is supposedly declining, that's pretty good. Can the Alphabet keep up the pace? Probably not, but it's still on track to knock off the 2010 average of 2.35.

The 2015 NBA Finals, which ended this past Tuesday after a 12-day run, featured the Golden State Warriors and Cleveland Cavaliers. These aren’t considered marquee franchises from large media markets, but like any great scripted drama, the on-screen action was exciting, emotion-filled, and included strong personalities to go with myriad off-the-court storylines. Needless to say, all of these components resulted in strong TV ratings.

Those storylines? Well, the six-game series (won by Golden State) featured perhaps the two most exciting and recognizable players in the sport: LeBron James and new MVP Stephen Curry. In his first year back in his home state, the league’s best player (James) led the Cleveland Cavaliers to the NBA finals. The team lost star Kevin Love earlier in the playoffs, and lost its All Star point guard Kyrie Irving early in the series. As a result, James was essentially forced to carry an average squad to a potential championship.

Golden State has been one of the league’s least successful franchises since last winning the NBA title in 1975. Led by young sharpshooter Stephen Curry, and a deep, talented roster, Golden State came into the Finals with the league’s top record and a favorite to win it all. Both teams were led by rookie NBA head coaches, Golden State’s Steve Kerr, and Cleveland’s David Blatt, a longtime coach in Israel, but in his first year as an NBA head coach.

The Warriors won the title despite James’ superhero-like efforts.

Today’s report looks at the ratings, not only of this year’s Finals, but compared with previous Finals. How do these games compare? Who is tuning in, age-wise and gender-wise? How does the NBA viewer compare with those who watch the Super Bowl, The World Series, and other high-profile televised events, both sports and entertainment? Additionally, from a ratings standpoint, how has ABC benefited from televising the Finals each June? We’ll attempt to answer all of these questions right now:

The 2015 NBA Finals: By The Numbers (Live+SD Data)

The final game of the series, game six, scored the highest ratings among viewers 18-49, 25-54 and households. Interestingly, Game 1 was the lowest-rated and least-watched game of the entire series. This is something you don’t necessarily see in other programs, particularly in the 18-49 demo. The premiere episode of a series/season tends to be one of the highest-rated, due to general anticipation. Not in the case of the NBA Finals. Household viewership grew on a game-by-game basis. Viewership in the 18-49, 25-54 and total viewership grew from game 1 to game 2, dropped in game 3, and then grew on a game-by-game basis, starting with game 4.

Not shown in the graph are total viewership numbers, but here they are below:

Game 1 (Thursday, 6/4): 17.8 million total Live+SD viewers

Game 2 (Sunday, 6/7): 19.2 million total Live+SD viewers

Game 3 (Tuesday, 6/9): 18.8 million total Live+SD viewers

Game 4 (Thursday, 6/11): 19.8 million total Live+SD viewers

Game 5 (Sunday, 6/14): 20.9 million total Live+SD viewers

Game 6 (Tuesday, 6/16): 23.25 million total Live+SD viewers

How do these numbers and this game-to-game viewership trend come with numbers from previous Finals? Let’s take a look.

*Note: Our data only goes back to the 2007 Finals:

NBA Finals Ratings Performance in Recent Years: Game-By-Game

NBA Finals GAME 1 P 18-49 Rtg% GAME 2 P 18-49 Rtg% GAME 3 P 18-49 Rtg% GAME 4 P 18-49 Rtg% GAME 5 P 18-49 Rtg% GAME 6 P 18-49 Rtg% GAME 7 P 18-49 Rtg%
CLEVELAND AT SAN ANTONIO – ( ’07) 3.72 3.41 3.81 3.97
LA LAKERS AT BOSTON – ( ’08) 5.39 5.54 6.02 5.61 7.28 6.90
ORLANDO AT LA LAKERS – ( ’09) 5.38 5.84 5.86 6.43 5.70
BOSTON AT LA LAKERS – (’10) 5.69 6.45 6.66 6.62 7.17 7.13 11.43
DALLAS AT MIAMI – (’11) 6.50 6.46 6.12 6.74 7.45 9.66
MIAMI AT OKLAHOMA – (’12) 6.86 7.10 6.51 7.45 7.63
SAN ANTONIO AT MIAMI – (’13) 5.69 5.81 5.76 6.73 6.32 8.48 10.62
MIAMI AT SAN ANTONIO – (’14) 5.96 5.89 5.89 5.96 6.76
CLEVELAND AT GOLDEN STATE – (’15) 6.92 7.43 7.34 7.60 7.63 8.91

When it comes to viewership of the past nine NBA Finals among Adults 18-49, the 2015 edition had the top-rated Game 1, Game 2, Game 3 and Game 4. Game 5 of Golden State vs. Cleveland was tied with Game 5 of the 2012 Finals between Miami and Oklahoma City for top-rated Finals Game 5. That particular game was the series-clincher for Miami.

Game 6 of Dallas/Miami is the highest-rated Game 6 of the past nine Finals. Similar to Golden State/Cleveland, it was the series-clincher, this time for Dallas.

Two of the past nine NBA Finals have gone to a Game 7: Celtics/Lakers (2010) and Spurs/Heat (2013).  The former edged the latter, and is the highest-rated NBA Finals game of the past nine installments.

Seven of the past nine Finals have seen the series-clincher be the highest-rated game of that series. The exceptions are the 2008 Celtics/Lakers series (which went six games but saw Game 5 score the highest ratings), and 2009 Magic/Lakers (which went five games but saw Game 4 score the highest-ratings).

 NBA Finals Series Averages
If we perform a rough average of each series, we’ll find that Cleveland/Golden State is the highest-rated over the past nine Finals (~7.64). Second is Celtics at Lakers in 2010 followed by 2011 Mavericks/Heat; 2012 Heat/Thunder; 2013 Spurs/Heat; Lakers/Celtics in 2008; Heat/Spurs in 2014; Magic/Lakers in 2009; and Cavs/Spurs in 2007.

Below is a more substantial table which shows not only each game, but night of week, start time, reported duration,total, male and female viewership. One can sort in a variety of ways:

NBA Finals: 2007 – 2015 Master Chart (Live+SD)

Date Episode Common Day of The Week Telecast Start Time Reported Duration P2+ Est. Median Age P 2+ Proj (000s) Male 2+ Proj (000s) Female 2+ Proj (000s) MALE VIEWERSHIP FEMALE VIEWERSHIP TOTAL Live+SD VIEWERS
06/16/2015 GOLDEN STATE AT CLEVELAND – GM 6 TUESDAY 09:00 PM 180 42.8 23254 14257 8997 61.3% 38.7% 2007: 9.3 Million
06/14/2015 CLEVELAND AT GOLDEN STATE – GM 5 SUNDAY 08:00 PM 180 44.1 20860 12878 7982 61.7% 38.3% 2008: 14.9 Million
06/11/2015 GOLDEN STATE AT CLEVELAND – GM 4 THURSDAY 08:59 PM 174 42.6 19844 12338 7506 62.2% 37.8% 2009: 14.3 Million
06/09/2015 GOLDEN STATE AT CLEVELAND – GM 3 TUESDAY 09:00 PM 175 42.3 18773 11808 6965 62.9% 37.1% 2010: 18.1 Million
06/07/2015 CLEVELAND AT GOLDEN STATE – GM 2 SUNDAY 08:00 PM 205 42.9 19168 12099 7069 63.1% 36.9% 2011: 17.4 Million
06/04/2015 CLEVELAND AT GOLDEN STATE – GM 1 THURSDAY 09:00 PM 177 42.4 17768 11388 6380 64.1% 35.9% 2012: 16.9 Million
06/15/2014 MIAMI AT SAN ANTONIO – GM 5 SUNDAY 08:00 PM 172 42.8 17859 11177 6681 62.6% 37.4% 2013: 17.5 Million
06/12/2014 SAN ANTONIO AT MIAMI – GM 4 THURSDAY 09:00 PM 163 42.9 14796 9205 5591 62.2% 37.8% 2014: 15.4 Million
06/10/2014 SAN ANTONIO AT MIAMI – GM 3 TUESDAY 09:00 PM 175 42.3 14579 8997 5582 61.7% 38.3% 2015: 19.95 Million
06/08/2014 MIAMI AT SAN ANTONIO – GM 2 SUNDAY 08:00 PM 180 43.6 14914 9487 5427 63.6% 36.4%
06/05/2014 MIAMI AT SAN ANTONIO – GM 1 THURSDAY 09:00 PM 166 41.8 14697 9219 5478 62.7% 37.3%
06/20/2013 SAN ANTONIO AT MIAMI – GM 7 THURSDAY 09:00 PM 172 40.1 26319 15755 10564 59.9% 40.1%
06/18/2013 SAN ANTONIO AT MIAMI – GM 6 TUESDAY 09:00 PM 199 40.3 20636 12585 8050 61.0% 39.0%
06/16/2013 MIAMI AT SAN ANTONIO – GM 5 SUNDAY 08:00 PM 180 43.4 16267 10148 6120 62.4% 37.6%
06/13/2013 MIAMI AT SAN ANTONIO – GM 4 THURSDAY 09:00 PM 169 41.1 16229 9960 6269 61.4% 38.6%
06/11/2013 MIAMI AT SAN ANTONIO – GM 3 TUESDAY 09:00 PM 158 41.2 14045 8695 5350 61.9% 38.1%
06/09/2013 SAN ANTONIO AT MIAMI – GM 2 SUNDAY 08:00 PM 151 41.3 14562 9123 5439 62.6% 37.4%
06/06/2013 SAN ANTONIO AT MIAMI – GM 1 THURSDAY 09:00 PM 159 40.8 14241 8964 5277 62.9% 37.1%
06/21/2012 OKLAHOMA AT MIAMI – GM 5 THURSDAY 09:04 PM 169 39.3 18461 11360 7101 61.5% 38.5%
06/19/2012 OKLAHOMA AT MIAMI – GM 4 TUESDAY 09:04 PM 162 39.0 17445 10893 6552 62.4% 37.6%
06/17/2012 OKLAHOMA AT MIAMI – GM 3 SUNDAY 08:05 PM 175 38.9 15549 9700 5850 62.4% 37.6%
06/14/2012 MIAMI AT OKLAHOMA – GM 2 THURSDAY 09:04 PM 171 39.8 16670 10628 6043 63.8% 36.3%
06/12/2012 MIAMI AT OKLAHOMA – GM 1 TUESDAY 09:04 PM 162 40.0 16195 10306 5889 63.6% 36.4%
06/12/2011 DALLAS AT MIAMI – GM 6 SUNDAY 07:59 PM 169 41.2 23880 15122 8758 63.3% 36.7%
06/09/2011 MIAMI AT DALLAS – GM 5 THURSDAY 08:58 PM 173 40.3 18318 11572 6746 63.2% 36.8%
06/07/2011 MIAMI AT DALLAS – GM 4 TUESDAY 08:58 PM 174 40.4 16126 10191 5935 63.2% 36.8%
06/05/2011 MIAMI AT DALLAS – GM 3 SUNDAY 07:53 PM 187 42.0 15338 9801 5536 63.9% 36.1%
06/02/2011 DALLAS AT MIAMI – GM 2 THURSDAY 08:58 PM 174 40.0 15525 9946 5578 64.1% 35.9%
05/31/2011 DALLAS AT MIAMI – GM 1 TUESDAY 08:59 PM 172 39.7 15171 9887 5284 65.2% 34.8%
06/17/2010 BOSTON AT LA LAKERS – GM 7 THURSDAY 09:04 PM 175 39.7 28203 16909 11294 60.0% 40.0%
06/15/2010 BOSTON AT LA LAKERS – GM 6 TUESDAY 09:04 PM 159 40.1 17955 11034 6921 61.5% 38.5%
06/13/2010 LA LAKERS AT BOSTON – GM 5 SUNDAY 08:04 PM 176 42.6 18654 11665 6989 62.5% 37.5%
06/10/2010 LA LAKERS AT BOSTON – GM 4 THURSDAY 09:03 PM 167 41.5 16371 10215 6156 62.4% 37.6%
06/08/2010 LA LAKERS AT BOSTON – GM 3 TUESDAY 09:04 PM 171 39.8 15959 10239 5720 64.2% 35.8%
06/06/2010 BOSTON AT LA LAKERS – GM 2 SUNDAY 08:04 PM 180 41.4 15718 9963 5755 63.4% 36.6%
06/03/2010 BOSTON AT LA LAKERS – GM 1 THURSDAY 09:04 PM 176 40.4 14091 9013 5078 64.0% 36.0%
06/14/2009 LA LAKERS AT ORLANDO – GM 5 SUNDAY 08:02 PM 162 41.7 14171 8708 5464 61.4% 38.6%
06/11/2009 LA LAKERS AT ORLANDO – GM 4 THURSDAY 09:02 PM 201 40.2 15957 10054 5903 63.0% 37.0%
06/09/2009 LA LAKERS AT ORLANDO – GM 3 TUESDAY 09:02 PM 182 39.8 14196 8888 5309 62.6% 37.4%
06/07/2009 ORLANDO AT LA LAKERS – GM 2 SUNDAY 08:00 PM 192 41.0 14061 9231 4830 65.6% 34.4%
06/04/2009 ORLANDO AT LA LAKERS – GM 1 THURSDAY 09:00 PM 163 40.7 13042 8340 4702 63.9% 36.1%
06/17/2008 LA LAKERS AT BOSTON – GM 6 TUESDAY 09:05 PM 176 42.1 16880 10283 6597 60.9% 39.1%
06/15/2008 BOSTON AT LA LAKERS – GM 5 SUNDAY 09:05 PM 187 41.1 17394 10819 6575 62.2% 37.8%
06/12/2008 BOSTON AT LA LAKERS – GM 4 THURSDAY 09:04 PM 172 41.6 13762 8585 5178 62.4% 37.6%
06/10/2008 BOSTON AT LA LAKERS – GM 3 TUESDAY 09:04 PM 175 41.4 14512 9155 5357 63.1% 36.9%
06/08/2008 LA LAKERS AT BOSTON – GM 2 SUNDAY 09:04 PM 171 42.4 13500 8563 4937 63.4% 36.6%
06/05/2008 LA LAKERS AT BOSTON – GM 1 THURSDAY 09:06 PM 173 43.1 13350 8533 4817 63.9% 36.1%
06/14/2007 SAN ANTONIO AT CLEVELAND – GM 4 THURSDAY 09:02 PM 170 43.0 9908 6212 3696 62.7% 37.3%
06/12/2007 SAN ANTONIO AT CLEVELAND – GM 3 TUESDAY 09:03 PM 163 43.1 9492 5916 3576 62.3% 37.7%
06/10/2007 CLEVELAND AT SAN ANTONIO – GM 2 SUNDAY 09:02 PM 167 43.3 8551 5383 3168 63.0% 37.0%
06/07/2007 CLEVELAND AT SAN ANTONIO – GM 1 THURSDAY 09:03 PM 159 42.8 9206 5972 3233 64.9% 35.1%

Total Viewers

As many reports have stated (and they happen to be correct), the 2015 NBA Finals was the most-watched Finals in years. The six-game series averaged a touch under 20 million Live+SD viewers. Out of the past nine Finals, 2010 comes the closest, with the seven-game series between the Lakers and Celtics pulling an average of 18.1 million viewers in total. The least-watched also happens to be the lowest-rated: 2007, Cleveland/San Antonio (9.3 million Live+SD viewers).

Game six of Golden State/Cleveland is the fourth-most-watched Finals game since 2007 (23.2 million total viewers). Game 7 of Lakers/Celtics in 2010 is the most-watched (28.2 million viewers), followed by Game 7 Spurs/Heat in 2013 (26.3 million) and Game 6 Mavericks/Heat (23.9 million). Game 6 of this series was on a Sunday night whereas Game 6 of Cavaliers/Warriors was on a Tuesday. This does make a difference.

Five of the six games in the Golden State/Cleveland Finals are among the top ten most-watched Finals games since 2007. The sole outlier is Game 1, which is the 15th-most-watched Finals game since 2007. Viewership of this Finals was consistent.

Cleveland/San Antonio in 2007 is by far the least-watched series in this measurement. In fact, out of the past 51 Finals game, the four least-watched were all in the 2007 Finals.

In terms of female viewing, series-clinching or games later in the series are far more popular than ones early in the series. The two Game 7s are the most-watched among women. Game 6 of Cleveland/Golden State is #3.

Night of Week

Each of the past nine Finals series have played their games on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Sundays…three of the most competitive evenings of the TV week.

Reported Duration

Game 2 of the Cavaliers/Warriors series (won by Cleveland in overtime) was the longest Finals game over the past nine Finals series. It took 205 minutes (3 hours, 45 minutes) to play. The Sunday night game tipped off at 8pm on Sunday, June 7th, and ended close to midnight ET.

Median Age

The Oklahoma City/Miami Finals (2012) skewed the youngest of those measured in this report. Each of the five games possessed a median viewer age of 40 or younger. The series featured young stars like Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook facing off against The Big Three of LeBron James, Chris Bosh and Dwyane Wade. The Durant/Westbrook combo likely drew younger viewers to their screen, perhaps more interested in seeing players closer to their age range. Linear TV is getting older, and even the NBA isn’t immune to this. Game 5 between Golden State and Cleveland drew the oldest median viewer age of the past 51 Finals games (44.1 years). Each of the six games of the 2015 Finals averaged a median age either 42 or 44 years. With the exception of the 2007 Finals, every other series, 2008-2014, had at least one game bring in a median viewer age of below 42 years.

Impact of Finals on 2015 Primetime Program Landscape

Each of the six Finals games is among TV’s top 30 highest-rated programs over the past 12 months. In fact, Game 6 is the 5th-highest-rated primetime program over that span, sitting behind the College Football Playoff Championship, The Oscars, NFC Playoff Football, and the NCAA Men’s Basketball National Championship in terms of P 18-49 viewers.

While The Walking Dead averages the lowest median age in terms of TV’s top programs/series over the past 12 months, the NBA Finals is right behind. The Finals hauled in the lowest median age of the year’s most significant sporting events. All but one Finals game skewed younger than The World Cup Final, but all six games brought in a lower median age than The Super Bowl, The NCAA Men’s Basketball National Championship, the Stanley Cup Final, and Game 7 of The World Series. The NBA Finals also skewed younger than other TV ratings powerhouses like both the AFC and NFC Championship Games, Monday Night Football and Sunday Night Football, The Grammys, The Oscars, The Golden Globes, and The SNL 40th Anniversary special. The Finals and Empire were neck-and-neck in terms of median viewer age.

Impact of NBA Finals on ABC

How have the Finals helped ABC’s primetime averages over time?

What type of impact does the NBA Finals have on the broadcast landscape each June? Well, FOX was the highest-rated top-four broadcaster in primetime back in 2007 and 2008. Since then? It’s been ABC. In fact, with a 2.65 Live+SD rating in the 18-49 demo, ABC is in the midst of its highest-rated June in quite some time. In an era where demo viewership is supposedly declining, that’s pretty good. Can the Alphabet keep up the pace? Probably not, but it’s still on track to knock off the 2010 average of 2.35.

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