Ratings Roundup: NBA Playoffs Most Watched Across ABC, ESPN, TNT and NBA TV in 11 Years

Ratings Roundup is a rundown of recent rating news and is derived from press releases and reports around the industry. In this week’s edition, PLL opening weekend is most viewed PLL game in history; F1 Monaco gets largest live TV audience on record.

2023 NBA Finals on ABC Continues to Generate Strong Viewership: Game 3 Draws Average Audience of 11,237,000 Viewers

The 2023 NBA Finals Presented By YouTube TV on ABC continues to generate strong viewership. Wednesday’s Game 3 averaged 11,237,000 viewers, and peaked with 12,389,000 viewers at 10:45 p.m. ET, according to Nielsen.

Game 3 of the NBA Finals on ABC tripled its competition and handily won the night across all of television, including in all key demographics.

Viewership for the 2023 NBA Playoffs on ESPN platforms is up seven percent year over year, averaging 6,090,000 viewers through 34 games.

PLL Opener on ABC is Most-Viewed Outdoor Pro Lacrosse Game on Record

• Most-viewed game in PLL history
• Peaked at 782,000 viewers
• The two Opening Weekend games on ABC averaged 449,000 viewers

NBA Finals Game 2 on ABC Matched Last Year’s Game 2 Average Audience with 11,910,000 Viewers

ABC’s exclusive coverage of the 2023 NBA Finals Presented By YouTube TV continued to produce strong viewership. Sunday’s Game 2 between the Miami Heat and Denver Nuggets matched the Game 2 average audience from last year – Golden State Warriors vs. Boston Celtics – with 11,910,000 viewers, according to Nielsen. The broadcast peaked in the 10:15 p.m. ET quarter hour with 15,256,000 viewers.

The Miami Heat’s exciting victory over the Denver Nuggets in Game 2 easily won the night across television in viewership and in all key demographics, including P18-34; P18-49; P25-54; M18-34, M18-49 and M25-54. For the second consecutive NBA Finals game, the broadcast was up year over year in the coveted P18-34 demo. Game 2 was up three percent from last year.

NBA Finals Game 2 on ABC was the highest-rated Denver Nuggets game ever on any network in the Denver market. It averaged a 22.3 rating locally. The full top five is below.

Top five local markets:

2023 NBA Finals on ABC Off to Strong Start as Game 1 Averages 11,580,000 Viewers Across ABC and ESPN2

The 2023 NBA Finals on ABC started off strong on Thursday, June 1, as Game 1 averaged 11,580,000 viewers across ABC and ESPN2. It peaked with 12,784,000 viewers in the 10:30 p.m. ET quarter hour, according to Nielsen.

The Denver Nuggets victory over the Miami Heat in Game 1 more than tripled its competition on television for the night of June 1, easily winning the night in viewership and in all key demographics, including P18-34; P18-49; P25-54; M18-34, M18-49 and M25-54.

Top five local markets:

Game 1 on ABC delivered an average audience of 11,036,000 viewers, while the NBA in Stephen A’s World alternate presentation on ESPN2 added 544,000 viewers to the total audience.

ESPN Delivers Most-Watched NCAA Men’s Lacrosse Championship Game since 2007

• The Notre Dame vs Duke 2023 Men’s Lacrosse Championship Game had an average of 757,000 viewers
• Viewership up 36% from the 2022 championship game
• peaked with 915,000 viewers
• Semifinal game on ESPN2 up 45% YOY: most-watched semifinal since 2010
• Full tournament on ESPN linear platforms up 32% YOY

NBA Playoffs Across ABC, ESPN, TNT and NBA TV are the Most-Watched in 11 Years

TNT’s exclusive coverage of the 2023 NBA Eastern Conference Finals Game 7 — the Miami Heat’s series-clinching 103-84 win over the Boston Celtics — averaged 11.9 million total viewers on Monday night to deliver the network’s most-watched NBA ECF Game ever – surpassing Heat/Pacers, Game 7 (11.6 million viewers in 2013) – and TNT’s third most-watched NBA game ever.

The network’s coverage of the seven-game series averaged 7.4 million viewers to garner TNT’s most viewed ECF coverage in a decade, and a 6% lift in viewership vs. the same matchup in 2022.

Monday night’s ECF Game 7 telecast – peaking with an average of 14.2 million viewers from 10-10:15 p.m. ET – was the No. 1 program of the night across all of cable. Overall, TNT’s 2023 NBA Playoffs coverage has led the network to win the night on cable in primetime 24 times, while propelling the network to cable’s top ranking in primetime throughout the past five weeks.

Boston’s thrilling Game 6 win on Saturday night averaged 8.7 million viewers to garner TNT’s most viewed ECF Game 6 ever and the most watched on any network in 11 years.

TNT finished with its most watched NBA Playoffs coverage in five years, with an average of 4.7 million total viewers, up 14% vs. last year. The network also registered double digit gains across all key demos including People 18-34 (+21%), People 18-49 (+18%) and People 25-54 (+20%) when compared to 2022.

WBD Sports also delivered record-breaking levels of engagement across social and mobile platforms during NBA Playoffs coverage, through the Conference Finals:

• Bleacher Report’s social platforms generated 31% more engagements on NBA-related content vs. 2022, setting a new record
• NBA on TNT’s social accounts produced a 21% increase in engagements vs. 2022, setting a new record
• The B/R App also set a record for time spent in NBA Streams, beating the previous record set in 2021 by 9%

F1 Monaco Grand Prix Gets Largest Live U.S. Television Audience on Record

Sunday’s Formula 1 Monaco Grand Prix, broadcast live on ABC for the first time, attracted an average audience of 1.79 million viewers during the two-hour race window (9-11 a.m. ET), the largest live audience ever in the U.S. for the iconic race.

• Largest live U.S. audience on record for Monaco Grand Prix.
• Third-largest live U.S. audience on record for any Formula 1 race.
• Race audience peaked at 1.9 million viewers between 10:15-10:30 a.m.
• Last year’s rain-delayed race averaged 1.6 million viewers for race-only portion on ESPN.
• Saturday’s qualifying on ESPN attracted 818,000 viewers.
• Sunday’s 3:30 p.m. ET re-air of the race on ABC averaged 564,000 viewers.
• Formula 1 races are averaging 1.27 million viewers so far this season across ESPN, ESPN2 and ABC, up five percent over the 2022 full-season average of 1.21 million.

Indy 500 Averages Nearly Five Million Viewers on NBC and Peacock, Up 2% vs. 2022

The 107th Indianapolis 500 presented by Gainbridge averaged a Total Audience Delivery (TAD) of 4.92 million viewers across NBC and Peacock, up 2% vs. the 2022 race (4.84 million), according to Fast National Data released by Nielsen and digital data from Adobe Analytics. Viewership on the Spanish-language cable network Universo is not yet available.

Sunday’s race (12:48-4:19 p.m. ET), which was won by Team Penske driver Josef Newgarden in a thrilling last-lap pass over 2022 winner, delivered a 13 share (percentage of homes watching television at the time of the race), its best in 15 years (2008; 13 share). The race was also the most-watched Sunday afternoon program on the NBC broadcast network in nearly a year, since the final round of the 2022 U.S. Open on June 19, 2022.

The “Greatest Spectacle in Racing” peaked at 5.8 million viewers (4:00-4:15 pm ET) during its thrilling conclusion as viewers watched Newgarden take the checkered flag and then climb into the grandstand to celebrate his first 500 win with the fans.

TV-only viewership on NBC averaged 4.71 million viewers, while streaming across Peacock and NBC Sports’ digital platforms averaged 216,000 viewers, on par with last year (219,000) despite being geo-blocked in the Indianapolis area for the first time. It is the second-most streamed INDYCAR race ever behind last year.

The Indy 500 was the highlight of busy Sunday for NBC Sports and Peacock, which streamed 20 sporting events, including 10 Premier League “Championship Sunday” matches, the first round of Roland-Garros, the Los Angeles Dodgers at Tampa Bay Rays, both PGA TOUR and LPGA events, the WWE, and more.