The 2015 NBA Finals, in which the Golden State Warriors defeated the Cleveland Cavaliers 4-2, is the highest-rated ever on ABC, based on metered market ratings from Nielsen. The six-game series averaged a 13.9 overnight rating, which is up 31 percent from a 10.6 for the 2014 NBA Finals.
Tuesday’s Game 6 delivered a 15.9 overnight rating, making it the highest-rated Game 6 ever on ABC. It was up eight percent from a 14.7 for the most recent NBA Finals Game 6 – (Miami-San Antonio 2013). Last night’s broadcast peaked with an 18.8 rating from 11:45 p.m.-midnight ET.
For the 48th consecutive time, the NBA Finals is expected to win the night across all of television (broadcast and cable), more than doubling its competition.
San Francisco market record
In the San Francisco market, Game 6 generated a 40.7, which is the highest-rated NBA game ever in the market as far as records go back (2002). Additionally, Game 6 delivered a 42.0 in the Cleveland market, which ranks as the fifth-highest rated NBA game ever on ABC or ESPN.
Game 6 on WatchESPN
Last night’s Game 6 saw 939,000 unique viewers on WatchESPN, which is the most ever for an NBA game on the platform. In addition, Game 6 drew an average minute audience of 292,000 viewers, which also ranks as the most-watched NBA game ever on the platform.
NBA Countdown, ABC’s NBA Finals pre-game show, delivered a 5.1 overnight rating, up 16 percent from a 4.4 for the most recent Game 6 pre-game show, in 2013.
*ABC has been the exclusive home to the NBA Finals since the 2002-2003 season.
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Media contact: Ben Cafardo at 860-766-3496 or [email protected] (@Ben_ESPN).
