via press release:
June 10, 2012
Eastern Conference Finals Game 7 on ESPN Sets New NBA Cable Record with 9.1 Overnight rating
Saturday night’s NBA Eastern Conference Finals Game 7 on ESPN – Miami defeated Boston to advance to the NBA Finals – delivered a record 9.1 overnight rating, the highest for an NBA Game ever on cable (records back to 2003), according to Nielsen. Game 7 peaked with an 11.9 rating from 10:45 p.m. to 11 p.m. ET.
The 2012 NBA Eastern Conference Finals on ESPN have generated the three highest overnight ratings for NBA games ever on cable – 9.1 (Game 7); 8.2 (Game 6) and 7.9 (Game 4).
In Boston, Game 7 delivered a 21.7 rating, making it the highest-rated NBA Game on cable in the market. In Miami, Game 7 generated a 25.0 rating, ranking as the market’s highest-rated NBA Game ever on ESPN and third highest-rated game on cable.
The 9.1 overnight ranked as the highest-rated program of the night on television (broadcast and cable) and led ESPN to win the night.
The Finals on ABC will begin Tuesday, June 12, at 9 p.m. ET.
Finals are going to get mega ratings
Finals will easily go over 20M
So awesome and way to go Heat, wonderful thrilling game last night!! The Finals should be even more awesome.
JUST AMAZING. ESPECIALLY ON CABLE TV. THE FINALS WILL BE HUGE RATINGS WINNER.
David Stern must be happy with the way the ratings have worked out so far. If the Heat show up, the finals will be another war that could set the stage for the next few years.
The NHL wish they could get half these numbers.
Maybe the NHL will get half of these ratings they’ve been growing excessively the last few years now but the problem is more than half of the teams can’t draw nationally.
Basketball is back!
@Moneycard, This were the ratings for the NBA SEMIFINALS that were up against the NHL FINALS, and they beat them in the ratings 9 to 1, almost 10 to 1, saying they will get half their ratings sounds like wishful thinking.
@ MoneyCard – this bears repeating:
Don’t you poor hockey guys get it yet?
Apart from the 3 true hockey cities in PA and NY (Philly, Buffalo and Pittsburgh) and competitive fanbases in Boston, Chicago and Detroit – Hockey is not liked in this country.
It’s been over 90 years of constant, desperate promotion but America is simply not buying into your game!
Oh by the way, the international ratings dominance of the NBA playoff over the NHL is far worse than in the USA.
The sport of Basketball itself and its playoff games are the draw – not gimmicky games & sloganeering or a large bedpan
no way these finals get more then Chicago/Utah from 1998 where Michael Jordan was playing
Of course it won’t top that series and I remember them well as a kid because I was a HUGE Utah Jazz fan. But, it should get over 20 million easily if it reaches game 6 and 7. Durant will be the next MJ for casual fans because he can just destroy a team with jump shots and drive to the hoop when he needs to. People know Lebron, but for casual fans they would prefer to watch a jump shooter and Durant will be that guy for years to come.
I wish more people liked teams like the Spurs, but I know they don’t so…
Imagine if my Lakers were still in it? Then the ratings would have been HUGE, esp. if it was Boston vs LA again!
LOVE it!!! Go NBA!!!
Go NBA!! Can’t wait for Game one Tuesday!! Team Heat!
OKC in 5 games while crushing the Heat in most of them!…huge #’s in the 1st few games then it’ll come down as OKC finishes em off…and I’m not saying this just as a huge C’s fan, if they made it I’d be guessing the same thing unfortunately
If the series goes 2-2, game 5, 6 and eventually 7 will easily go over 21-22 millions.