NBA Ratings Up Big For Both TNT And ESPN
Wednesday, May 27, 2009
This year's NBA Playoffs have been just as exciting as they have been lucrative. And even though the potential dream matchup between Kobe and Lebron is looking bleak, all parties involved shouldn't be upset at all. Thanks to long series, and great matchups, the ratings through 40 combined games on TNT and ESPN are up over 18% over 2008. Via Sports Business Daily....
TNT is averaging 4.310 million viewers through 40 NBA Playoffs telecasts through Sunday, up 18.7% from 3.631 million viewers for 39 telecasts at the same point in '08. Meanwhile, ESPN's 16 postseason telecasts have averaged 4.049 million viewers, up 10.1% from 3.679 million viewers for 18 telecasts at the same point last year. ESPN's 5.7 cable rating and 7.886 million viewers for Thursday's Nuggets-Lakers Western Conference Final Game Two also marked the net's second-most viewed basketball game ever. For the week of May 18-24, the five NBA Playoffs telecasts between TNT and ESPN marked the five most-viewed telecasts on all of cable.This level of viewership hasn't been approached by the NBA in quite some time, and it's great to see the league slowly building it's ratings back up. Advertisers must be loving the long series, and with so many young stars in the game, it will only bring in more dollars to the networks.
TNT, ESPN Both Seeing Double-Digit Aud Increases For NBA Playoffs (Sports Business Daily - $)
3 Comments:
JMNOR,
a more pressing question is why do we never see Jim Durham do television? I work in radio and it is an excellent medium, but obviously if you're on TV, you're considered to be the best. Both Calabro and Durham should go on TV ahead of Breen.
Breen is someone that ESPN hopes can turn into the next Marv Albert. Since he called that great Celtics/Nets game in 2002, his stock has slowly risen.
Colabro is probably a little too off the wall with some of his commentary to ever get such a plum announcing gig, and as a Bulls fan nothing would be cooler than having Durham back on TV.
Please explain to me why ESPN doesn't like Kevin Colabro of ESPN Seattle. He is better than Breen, in my humble opinion. New York announcers are not as good as announcers from other parts of the country.