Game 2 of the 2012 NBA Finals TV 7.1 adults 18-49 rating was up 9% vs. last season's game 2, and the viewership of 16.7 million was up 8% vs. last season's game 2. Check out the average viewership that our polled readers expected before the Finals began.
There are at least 3 more games to come, and ratings and viewership typically increases as the series goes on, stay tuned.
2012 NBA Finals TV Ratings & Viewership:
- Game 1: 16.2 million average viewers and 6.9 adults 18-49 rating (vs. 15.2 million, 6.5 adults 18-49 rating last year)
- Game 2: 16.7 million average viewers and 7.1 adults 18-49 rating (vs. 15.5 million, 6.5 adults 18-49 rating last year)
NBA Finals TV Ratings, 1974-2011
| Year | Net | Games | HH Rating | HH Share | Average HHs (million) | Average Viewers (million) | Teams |
| 2011 | ABC | 6 | 10.1 | 11.725 | 17.28 | Heat/Mavericks | |
| 2010 | ABC | 7 | 10.6 | 18.144 | Lakers/Celtics | ||
| 2009 | ABC | 5 | 8.4 | 9.642 | 14.347 | Lakers/Orlando | |
| 2008 | ABC | 6 | 9.3 | 17 | 10.530 | 14.941 | Boston/Lakers |
| 2007 | ABC | 4 | 6.2 | 11 | 6.912 | 9.289 | San Antonio/Cleveland |
| 2006 | ABC | 6 | 8.5 | 15 | 9.332 | 12.972 | Miami/Dallas |
| 2005 | ABC | 7 | 8.2 | 15 | 8.951 | 12.544 | San Antonio/Detroit |
| 2004 | ABC | 5 | 11.5 | 20 | 12.451 | 17.942 | Detroit/Lakers |
| 2003 | ABC | 6 | 6.5 | 12 | 6.955 | 9.864 | San Antonio/New Jersey |
| 2002 | NBC | 4 | 10.2 | 19 | 10.752 | 15.678 | Lakers/New Jersey |
| 2001 | NBC | 5 | 12.1 | 23 | 12.390 | 18.996 | Lakers/Philadelphia |
| 2000 | NBC | 6 | 11.6 | 21 | 11.677 | 17.402 | Lakers/Indiana |
| 1999 | NBC | 5 | 11.3 | 21 | 11.205 | 16.014 | San Antonio/New York |
| 1998 | NBC | 6 | 18.7 | 33 | 18.336 | 29.040 | Chicago/Utah |
| 1997 | NBC | 6 | 16.8 | 30 | 16.291 | 25.586 | Chicago/Utah |
| 1996 | NBC | 6 | 16.7 | 31 | 16.019 | 24.858 | Chicago/Seattle |
| 1995 | NBC | 4 | 13.9 | 25 | 13.284 | 20.078 | Houston/Orlando |
| 1994 | NBC | 5 | 12.0 | 23 | 11.291 | 17.253 | Houston/New York |
| 1993 | NBC | 6 | 17.9 | 33 | 16.694 | 27.209 | Chicago/Phoenix |
| 1992 | NBC | 6 | 14.2 | 27 | 13.097 | 20.838 | Chicago/Portland |
| 1991 | NBC | 5 | 15.8 | 32 | 14.750 | 23.910 | Chicago/Lakers |
| 1990 | CBS | 5 | 12.3 | 25 | 11.320 | 17.190 | Detroit/Portland |
| 1989 | CBS | 4 | 15.1 | 30 | 13.620 | 21.260 | Detroit/Lakers |
| 1988 | CBS | 7 | 15.4 | 31 | 13.620 | 21.700 | Lakers/Detroit |
| 1987 | CBS | 6 | 16.7 | 35 | 14.600 | 24.120 | Lakers/Boston |
| 1986 | CBS | 6 | 14.1 | 31 | 14.430 | Boston/ Houston | |
| 1985 | CBS | 6 | 13.5 | 30 | Lakers/Boston | ||
| 1984 | CBS | 7 | 12.1 | 26 | Boston/Lakers | ||
| 1983 | CBS | 4 | 12.3 | 26 | Philadelphia/Lakers | ||
| 1982 | CBS | 6 | 13.0 | 28 | Lakers/Philadelphia | ||
| 1981 | CBS | 6 | 6.7 | 27 | Boston/Houston | ||
| 1980 | CBS | 6 | 8.0 | 29 | Lakers/Philadelphia | ||
| 1979 | CBS | 5 | 7.2 | 24 | Seattle/Washington | ||
| 1978 | CBS | 7 | 9.9 | 25 | Washington/Seattle | ||
| 1977 | CBS | 6 | 12.7 | 33 | Portland/Philadelphia | ||
| 1976 | CBS | 6 | 11.5 | 29 | Boston/Phoenix | ||
| 1975 | CBS | 4 | 10.1 | 28 | 6.920 | 11.380 | Golden State/Washington |
| 1974 | CBS | 7 | 13.5 | 32 | Boston/Milwaukee |
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2006-11 data is Live+SD, all previous years are Live viewing.
Of course we know that viewership and HH ratings have no bearing on the advertising revenue for ABC, but like most historical data from Nielsen we have, we lack the important adults 18-49 ratings.
Nielsen TV Ratings Data: ©2012 The Nielsen Company All Rights Reserved.
It’s now clear… LeBron is starting to replace kobe and miami is the next basketball hotbed
What is it with you idiots and Kobe? Lebron has been better than Kobe for years. Now Durant is too. So is Chris Paul, Dwight Howard and Derrick Rose
i think its the dynamic of two “new” teams that is drawing people. The Thunder is very strong with great young players that are unknown to mainstream America. The LeBron/Heat leaving his old team to form this evil super-power in Miami storyline is easy enough to follow so we are now seeing a clash of two future “legends”. In other words, this Finals matchup is a great intro for a new NBA fan, as opposed to yet another Spurs/Pistons/Lakers/Celtics finals appearance.