NBA Finals Opener Does Record 13.1 Rating on ABC

By Michael Malone
( Broadcasting & Cable )
published

The dream matchup of the NBA finals sparked a 13.1 overnight rating on ABC, according to Nielsen’s overnights, breaking its Game 1 record set last year. The Golden State Warriors and Cleveland Cavaliers are competing for the championship, with superstars Stephen Curry and LeBron James squaring off on the court.

The Warriors took Game 1.

ABC's previous Game 1 final high was 2015’s 12.9; that series featured the same two teams. The 2014 Game 1, between the Miami Heat and San Antonio Spurs, scored a 10.4.

ESPN said the opener was the most-watched NBA game ever on mobile platform WatchESPN, with an average minute audience of 347,000.

Game 1 delivered a 32.8 rating on ABC in the San Francisco market, and a 36.0 in Cleveland.

Game 2 tips off June 5.

Michael Malone
Michael Malone

Michael Malone, senior content producer at B+C/Multichannel News, covers network programming, including entertainment, news and sports on broadcast, cable and streaming; and local broadcast television. He hosts the podcasts Busted Pilot, about what’s new in television, and Series Business, a chat with the creator of a new program, and writes the column “The Watchman.” He joined B+C in 2005. His journalism has also appeared in The New York Times, The Philadelphia Inquirer, Playboy and New York magazine.