Like in previous weeks, it was the NBA playoffs that landed on top in the Friday cable ratings this week. ESPN’s back-to-back live broadcasts of the Warriors vs Pelicans and Rockets vs Jazz games led with 1.4 and 1.3 ratings in adults 18-49, similar to what the playoff games from the previous Friday night had scored. Meanwhile, the NBC Sports Network’s coverage of the NHL semi-finals also landed fairly high in the ratings, with 0.5 and 0.4s.
Additionally, HBO’s “Real Time with Bill Maher” took a minor hit this time around, falling one-tenth from a 0.4 to a 0.3 with 1.499 million viewers. It was the same story with The Discovery Channel’s “Bering Sea Gold” as well, which dropped a tenth to a 0.2.
Also on the Discovery Channel, “Gold Rush: Parker’s Trail” (0.2) fell three-tenths, and A&E’s “Live PD” maintained its previous 0.6 yet again.
Top 25 original cable shows among adults 18-49 for Friday, May 4, 2018
| Show | Net | Time | Total viewers (000s) | 18-49 rating |
| NBA PLAYOFFS | ESPN | 8:00 PM | 4,160 | 1.4 |
| NBA PLAYOFFS | ESPN | 10:34 PM | 3,472 | 1.3 |
| SPORTSCENTER 12AM L | ESPN | 12:55 AM | 1,505 | 0.7 |
| LIVE PD: 115 LIVE PD | A&E | 9:00 PM | 1,769 | 0.6 |
| NHL SEMI FINALS L | NBC SPORTS | 7:03 PM | 1,522 | 0.5 |
| NHL SEMI FINALS L | NBC SPORTS | 10:10 PM | 1,067 | 0.4 |
| REAL TIME WITH BILL MAHER | HBO | 10:00 PM | 1,499 | 0.3 |
| NBA PRE-GAME L | ESPN | 7:00 PM | 777 | 0.3 |
| DUCKTALES | DISNEY | 8:00 PM | 1,092 | 0.3 |
| RACHEL MADDOW SHOW | MSNBC | 9:00 PM | 2,586 | 0.3 |
| BERING SEA GOLD | DISCOVERY | 10:02 PM | 1,120 | 0.2 |
| ANCIENT ALIENS | HISTORY | 9:00 PM | 1,034 | 0.2 |
| GOLD RUSH: PARKERS TRAIL | DISCOVERY | 9:00 PM | 1,237 | 0.2 |
| DINERS, DRIVE-INS, AND DIVES | FOOD | 9:00 PM | 935 | 0.2 |
| PARDON THE INTERRUPTION | ESPN | 5:30 PM | 652 | 0.2 |
| FIRST TAKE L | ESPN | 10:00 AM | 488 | 0.2 |
| HOUSE HUNTERS | HOME | 10:00 PM | 1,186 | 0.2 |
| TEEN TITANS GO | CARTOON | 6:00 PM | 792 | 0.2 |
| TUCKER CARLSON TONIGHT | FOX NEWS | 8:00 PM | 2,384 | 0.2 |
| MIGHT MAGISWORDS | CARTOON | 6:15 AM | 504 | 0.2 |
| SPORTSCENTER EARLY | ESPN | 6:00 PM | 467 | 0.2 |
| TESLA FILES, THE | HISTORY | 10:03 PM | 938 | 0.2 |
| HIGHLY QUESTIONABLE | ESPN | 4:30 PM | 439 | 0.2 |
| HOUSE HUNTERS INTL | HOME | 10:30 PM | 1,171 | 0.2 |
| LAST WORD W/L. ODONNELL | MSNBC | 10:00 PM | 1,680 | 0.2 |
Source: The Nielsen Company.
