Canadian viewership does not count toward the metered-market ratings formula used in the U.S., and it was the most-watched NBA game in Canadaâs history. The NBA announced on Thursday that Canada has set records for broadcast viewership, national partnerships and licensed merchandise sales. READ MORE: 3 potential first-round NBA playoff matchups we want to see. On TNT, in the measurement from 2011-12, NBA viewership is down 40%. NBA Finals Viewership Down by 45%, Lowest Since 1994 64,256 Getty Images/Sean M. Haffey. NBA Playoff viewership still down 18% after second weekend of games (across TNT/ABC/ESPN/NBA TV) â Austin Karp (@AustinKarp) April 23, 2019 These decreases are what sitcoms experience before cancellation. However: Aug 25, 2020 2:35 PM. Although the ratings for the 2020 NBA Playoffs were down 37% compared to last year, both the NHL playoffs (38%) ... viewership of the 2020 NHL's ⦠The NBAâs two-year ratings tank just took tanking up another notch. That doesnât happen with the NBA playoffs in a normal year. According to Nielsen live-plus-same-day data, the first day of the coronavirus-delayed 2020 NBA playoffs put up some unexceptional numbers on ESPN Monday, as the four-game set averaged 1.72 million viewers, a 1.2 household rating and a little more than 940,000 adults 18-49. Overall, the opening day of the pro basketball postseason averaged 1.71 million viewers for ESPN. Game 5 of the NBA ⦠That doesnât happen with the NBA playoffs in a normal year. So NBA viewership has taken a hit this summer, but at least part of that could be blamed on extraordinary circumstances wrought by COVID-19 â the playoffs are being held much later than usual and many games during the first round were played during the day. No, the NBA wonât get axed. Viewership this year was about half of what it was eleven years ago. That includes 23 games that have declined double-digits in ⦠As pointed out last night, year-over-year, the first round of the playoffs was down an eye-popping 27%. Through Monday, 27 of 32 NBA playoff windows have posted a decline in ratings and/or viewership. Itâs true that this year, some of the LA-Denver games went up against the NFL. Viewership data collected by ShowBuzz consisted of playoff games televised on ABC, ESPN and TNT from the week of Aug. 17-23. One would in fact be very wrong indeed. While it is hurting the NBA from a revenue perspective, they are doing the right thing by allowing players to express their political activism and beliefs. As the national broadcaster of the NBA, CBS aired NBA games from the 1973-74 until the 1989â90 season, during which the late 1970s and early 1980s was notoriously known as the "tape delay playoff era." The NBA will get viewership feedback from network partners ESPN and Turner Sports during the first half of its schedule and can create the second ⦠According to TV Line, Sundayâs NBA Final decider between the Los Angeles Lakers and Miami Heat â which the former won 106-93 to take the series 4-2 â drew in 5.5 million viewers, but last yearâs final game between the Toronto Raptors and Golden State Warriors had an audience of 18.9 million, signifying a 71 percent decrease in viewership. NBA Playoff Viewership Decline In Line With Other Properties By Austin Karp 10.14.2020 The NBA Playoffs, shifted to the fall due to COVID-19, was predictably down sharply from its normal spring spot on the calendar, including a record-low figure for the NBA Finals. The State Farm NBA Play-In Tournament will include teams with the 7th through 10th-highest winning percentages in each conference and take place May 18-21. Well, one would be wrong. In that same span, ratings fell 20 percent on ESPN. That number was 39 percent lower than the 2.82 million average from last year. The NBA got some troubling news last week about its viewership, with TV ratings for the Finals hitting historic lows. As pointed out last night, year-over-year, the first round of the playoffs was down an eye-popping 27%. The National Basketball Association finals, which concluded Sunday with the Los Angeles Lakersâ victory over the Miami Heat, averaged 7.5 million ⦠The most obvious reason for this drop in television viewership ⦠They are also competing against an unbeatable foe: football. Itâs not yet known what has impact the NBA TV ratings during the 2020 playoffs. âWeekday afternoon games have certainly hurt, but the first weekend of the NBA Playoffs was no ratings bonanza either,â Sports Media Watch reported.. Viewership on ABC is down 23 percent and the numbers are down 20 percent overall compared to last yearâs playoffs Dylan Gwinn 1 Oct 2020. One would think that having the American sports worldâs most popular athlete playing in Game 1 of the NBA Finals, would equal impressive ratings. A trend of low ratings throughout the NBA postseason has now reached the NBA Finals. According to Michael Mulvihill of Fox Sports, the ratings for the playoffs are down 26% so far compared to 2018. The number is down 45 percent from last yearâs Game 1 ⦠For contrast, March Madness ratings went up 9% from last year. Meanwhile, Burack said that the first round of the NBA playoffs was off 27 percent year-over-year and down 40 percent from two seasons prior, the last time James was on a ⦠NBA Playoff Ratings Down 39 Percent. The NBAâs two-year ratings tank just took tanking up another notch. Furthermore, the first roundâs 1.94 million average is down 40% from two seasons ago, the last time LeBron James participated in the playoffs. Itâs true that this year, some of the LA-Denver games went up against the NFL. On May 26th, the Cavs and Magic pulled 10.1 million viewers in Game 4 of the Eastern Conference Championship Series on TNT â the most ever for an NBA Playoff game on cable and the most-watched cable telecast of the year. The Problem. Itâs not just an ABC problem, either. What we do know is that the 11 conference finals games played this season rank among the 14 ⦠The average NBA playoff game on ESPN/TNT (2.1 million viewers) drew an audience more than three times the size of the NHL playoff audience on NBC Sports (651,000 viewers). 2020 NBA Playoffs Averaging 1.875M TV Viewers Per Game Over First Week. But what else is hurting the associationâs viewership? â NBA (@NBA) August 25, 2020 It was a great game from James in what has generally been a pretty entertaining postseason for the NBA thus far ⦠and not that many people are watching. Moreover, the Lakers-Nuggets conference finals in 2009 averaged 8.68 million viewers, without an OOH bump. The NBA Playoffs began on Monday with four first-round games spanning from mid-morning to late night. The NBA saw a 37% decline in ratings from the 2019 playoffs to the 2020 playoffs. Furthermore, the first roundâs 1.94 million average is down 40% from two seasons ago, the last time LeBron James participated in the playoffs. May 6, 2021 NBA NEWS However: On Saturday night, the sports slate was pretty clear for the Lakers clinching their first trip to the Finals in a decade and the viewership still couldnât crack 5 million. Despite near-daily efforts to show America how woke they are, or, because of it, the NBAâs playoff ratings are still tanking. Strauss adds the leagueâs local viewership, too, has sharply declined. NBA viewership across TNT, ESPN and ABC through MLK Day (27 games) is up 34% vs. the comparable number of games during the 2019-20 season (2.0 ⦠On average, NBA playoff viewership is up 18% across TNT, ESPN, ESPN2 and ABC thanks in part to a pair of Conference final games. The TV ratings for the NBA playoffs are in some serious trouble. NBA Playoff ratings are down 18% after the second weekend of games across TNT, ABC, ESPN and NBA TV. Games broadcast on NBA TV â¦