NBA Playoffs Put 5 Games in Sports TV Ratings Top 20
While NBA finals ratings have taken a plunge since the Michael Jordan era, the NBA playoffs still have plenty of TV ratings power compared to the NHL playoffs and early season baseball and took the top spot and 5* of the top 20 sports shows for the week of April 14-20, 2008.
Still, only the Sunday matchup between Kobe’s LA Lakers and the Iverson-’Melo Denver Nuggets could top one of the two episodes of WWE Raw on Monday with 5.1 million viewers. The second NBA game Phoenix/San Antonio on Saturday drew 4.6 million viewers. Sadly for NBA TV ratings both those series look to be over after one more game, but the not nearly as popular Sixers/Pistons series could go 7!
Top Sports Shows for the Week of April 14-20, 2008:
|
RANK |
PROGRAMS |
Network |
Persons Live+SD (000) |
HH Rating Live+SD |
|
1 |
NBA PLAYOFFS – DENVER/LA LAKERS SUN | ABC |
5,115 |
3.5 |
|
2 |
WWE RAW | USA |
4,703 |
2.8 |
|
3 |
NBA PLAYOFFS PHOENIX / SAN ANTONIO SAT | ABC |
4,578 |
3.2 |
|
4 |
WWE RAW | USA |
4,390 |
2.7 |
|
5 |
FRIDAY NIGHT SMACKDOWN | CW |
3,706 |
2.2 |
|
6 |
NBA PLAYOFFS – HAWKS/CELTICS | TNT |
3,430 |
2.2 |
|
7 |
NBA PLAYOFFS JAZZ/ROCKETS | ESPN |
3,135 |
2.1 |
|
8 |
NBA PLAYOFFS MAVERICKS/HORNETS | ESPN |
3,108 |
2.1 |
|
9 |
FOX SATURDAY BASEBALL – VARIOUS | FOX |
2,867 |
2.0 |
|
10 |
VERIZON HERITAGE-SU 4/20 | CBS |
2,376 |
1.6 |
|
11 |
RUMBO AL MUNDIAL 4/16 MEXICO VS CHINA | TEL |
1,838 |
1.0 |
|
12 |
VERIZON HERITAGE-SA 4/19 | CBS |
1,767 |
1.3 |
|
13 |
FOX SATURDAY BASEBALL 4/19 | FOX |
1,533 |
1.1 |
|
14 |
NHL PLAYOFFS-SUN DETROIT AT NASHVILLE | NBC |
1,525 |
1.0 |
|
15 |
NBA-SUN 1 PLAYOFFS | ABC |
1,481 |
1.0 |
|
16 |
FUTBOL LIGA MONTERREY VS GUADALAJARA 4/19 | UNI |
1,334 |
0.7 |
|
17 |
NHL PLAYOFFS-SAT PHILADELPHIA AT WASHINGTON | NBC |
1,196 |
0.9 |
|
18 |
LPGA GINN OPEN-SU-04/20 | CBS |
1,168 |
0.8 |
|
19 |
AMER LE MANS-LONG BEACH 4/20 | ABC |
1,108 |
0.8 |
|
20 |
NBA ACCESS W/AHMAD RASHAD | ABC |
968 |
0.7 |
No NASCAR Sprint Cup race in the top 20 this week, perhaps NASCAR fans out there can tell us if this was a break week.
The top NHL playoff game of the week, Detriot at Nashville, came in at #14 with 1.5 million viewers, and the the NHL game between Washington and Philadelphia drew 1.2 million at #17. I’m sure our good friend Ted Leonsis will be cheered to see his Capitals’ telecast made the top 20.
Two Spanish networks put soccer [futbol!] games in the top 20. Rumbo al Mundial at #11 with Mexico v. China and Futbol Liga was back with the game between Guadalajara and Monterrey which drew 1.3 million at #16.This is the third week in a row we’ve received weekly sports ratings data from Nielsen. One’s a fluke, two’s a coincidence, I’m calling three a trend. Let’s hope for weekly sports data again from here on out.
* The NBA Sun 1 Playoffs show at #15 was the 32 minute pregame to the Lakers/Nuggets game, so I’m not counting it as an “NBA game”.
Our Sports Ratings combine the top Broadcast sports shows and any sports shows that appeared in the top 40 cable programs. For example, we know from other sources that the Saturday Wizards/Cavaliers game 1 on ESPN drew more viewers than many broadast sports shows in the list above, but it didn’t appear in the top 40 cable shows for the week.
Nielsen Ratings Data: ©2008 Nielsen Media Research, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
I know the NHL ratings seem pretty pathetic, but those numbers don’t include the millions that watch the NHL religiously in Canada. Combine US and Canadian numbers and I’m sure the NHL has just as many, if not more North American television viewers than the NBA. It’d be great if someone had the actual numbers/
I know the NHL ratings seem pretty pathetic, but those numbers don't include the millions that watch the NHL religiously in Canada. Combine US and Canadian numbers and I'm sure the NHL has just as many, if not more North American television viewers than the NBA. It'd be great if someone had the actual numbers/
The Saturday Bruins-Habs got an average 1.7 million in French and 1.5 million in English. But those numbers in English can go much higher depending on the teams.
http://www.nationalpost.com/news/story.html?id=455999
You’ve also got strong numbers in some northern European countries although I’m not sure what the situation is in Russia these days.
The NHL is a writeoff in large sections of the US where the game is not played much because of the warm climate and also areas with highly concentrated minority populations. Given that the league starts off with two strikes against it, and is deprived of the hype the NBA gets on ESPN, the ratings are in pretty good shape for the shape they are in.
In just the last year all of a sudden all games are being live streamed on the Internet and the picture quality has improved by leaps and bounds. Right now it’s pirate stuff but the technology can’t be stopped and once this shakes down on a commercial basis, you are going to have mammoth crowds around the world. The NBA does not have that same potential, because the Europeans prefer their own competitions to the American whereas that is not the case with the NHL, which because it permits fighting is a different game.
The Saturday Bruins-Habs got an average 1.7 million in French and 1.5 million in English. But those numbers in English can go much higher depending on the teams.
http://www.nationalpost.com/news/story.html?id=...
You've also got strong numbers in some northern European countries although I'm not sure what the situation is in Russia these days.
The NHL is a writeoff in large sections of the US where the game is not played much because of the warm climate and also areas with highly concentrated minority populations. Given that the league starts off with two strikes against it, and is deprived of the hype the NBA gets on ESPN, the ratings are in pretty good shape for the shape they are in.
In just the last year all of a sudden all games are being live streamed on the Internet and the picture quality has improved by leaps and bounds. Right now it's pirate stuff but the technology can't be stopped and once this shakes down on a commercial basis, you are going to have mammoth crowds around the world. The NBA does not have that same potential, because the Europeans prefer their own competitions to the American whereas that is not the case with the NHL, which because it permits fighting is a different game.
canadian broadcasts are on cbc and tsn, i believe. they dont get the nbc feed, and i dont believe they get the versus one either. So while more people may be watching hockey, they are doing so in another country on different stations that aren’t available in america.
canadian broadcasts are on cbc and tsn, i believe. they dont get the nbc feed, and i dont believe they get the versus one either. So while more people may be watching hockey, they are doing so in another country on different stations that aren't available in america.