An overtime thriller to tip off the 2015 NBA Finals helped ABC easily outpace its broadcast competition on Thursday with an overall 4.8 rating/17 share with adults 18-49 in primetime, according to Nielsen overnight numbers.
The Golden State Warriors’ overtime win over LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers drew 17.8 million viewers, up 19% over last year’s Game 1 and the most for an NBA Finals opener ever on ABC. The game also surged 15% in demo to a 6.9 rating.
Earlier, Jimmy Kimmel Live: Game Night drew a 1.1 rating.
Fox was in second with a 1.1/4. Bones and Wayward Pines were each down a tenth to a 1.1 rating.
NBC returned Hannibal for its third season to a series-low 0.7, while Aquarius fell 36% to a 0.7 in its second episode. Earlier, Dateline was down a tenth to a 1.1. NBC finished with a 0.8/3.
CBS and The CW aired repeats.
