Last night, not only did the NBA once more display its dominance over the Thursday night cable ratings, it improved the margin of its lead.
To take the top slot, the LA Lakers played the Boston Celtics, bringing in a full 1.0 rating in adults 18-49 for ESPN. This was one-tenth of a point higher than when the 76ers played the Warriors last week. In second place, TLC’s “Dr. Pimple Popper” held onto its 0.8, which was enough to ensure that it was the sole non-athletic entry in the entire top 5.
For third place, the San Antonio Spurs battled the Portland Trail Blazers, with the ensuing 0.6 it scored being 0.1 higher than the Raptors vs. Bucks game that previously occupied the slot.
Further along the line, MTV’s “Floribama Shore” underperformed itself again, sinking from the 0.4 it had recovered to last week to land back at 0.3. “Top Chef” on Bravo remained fixed at 0.3, while “The First 48 Presents: Homicide Squad Atlanta” on A&E climbed back to 0.4 after being mired at 0.3 for the past two weeks.
Top 25 original cable shows among adults 18-49 for Thursday, February 7, 2019
| Show | Net | Time | Total viewers (000s) | 18-49 rating |
| NBA BASKETBALL: LAKERS/CELTICS | TNT | 8:13 PM | 2,637 | 1.0 |
| DR. PIMPLE POPPER | TLC | 9:00 PM | 3,430 | 0.8 |
| NBA BASKETBALL: SPURS/TRAILBLAZERS | TNT | 10:39 PM | 1,381 | 0.6 |
| NBA TIP-OFF | TNT | 7:47 PM | 1,223 | 0.5 |
| NBA ALL-STAR DRAFT | TNT | 7:00 PM | 912 | 0.4 |
| F48: HOMICIDE SQUAD ATL | A&E | 9:00 PM | 1,138 | 0.4 |
| 60 DAYS IN | A&E | 10:01 PM | 929 | 0.4 |
| THE FIRST 48 | A&E | 8:00 PM | 1,177 | 0.3 |
| FLORIBAMA SHORE | MTV | 9:01 PM | 606 | 0.3 |
| TOP CHEF | BRAVO | 8:00 PM | 934 | 0.3 |
| LOUD HOUSE | NICKELODEON | 5:00 PM | 1,223 | 0.3 |
| SWAMP PEOPLE | HISTORY | 9:00 PM | 1,525 | 0.3 |
| RACHEL MADDOW SHOW | MSNBC | 9:00 PM | 3,320 | 0.3 |
| EX ON THE BEACH | MTV | 8:00 PM | 594 | 0.3 |
| DEAD OF WINTER | INVESTIGATION | 10:00PM | 1,384 | 0.3 |
| BEAT B.FLAY | FOOD | 10:00 PM | 947 | 0.3 |
| HOUSE HUNTERS | HOME | 10:00 PM | 1,428 | 0.3 |
| HOUSE HUNTERS INTL | HOME | 10:30 PM | 1,467 | 0.3 |
| HANNITY | FOX NEWS | 9:00 PM | 3,344 | 0.3 |
| TRUCK NIGHT IN AMERICA | HISTORY | 10:03 PM | 943 | 0.3 |
| DEADLY SECRETS | INVESTIGATION | 9:00 PM | 1,216 | 0.3 |
| FLIP OR FLOP NASHVILLE | HOME | 9:00 PM | 1,196 | 0.3 |
| INSIDE THE NBA | TNT | 12:58 AM | 581 | 0.3 |
| PARDON THE INTERRUPTION | ESPN | 5:30 PM | 831 | 0.3 |
| MARRIAGE BOOT CAMP | WETV | 10:00 PM | 597 | 0.2 |
Source: The Nielsen Company.
