2012 NBA Finals Ratings … Bit of a Disappointment? Not Really, But Sort of

All, NBA, Television Jason McIntyre June 25th. 2012, 12:27pm

Let’s start with the positive takeaway from the 2012 NBA Finals ratings, which ESPN and ABC have been trumpeting since last week:

Game 1: 9.9 – highest Game 1 rating since 2002!
Game 2: 10.4 – highest Game 2 rating since 2004!
Game 3: 8.8
Game 4: 10.5 – highest Game 4 rating since 2004!
Game 5: 10.9 – highest Game 5 rating since 2005!

Wait. If the ratings for four of the first five games were so impressive, why was the series average – a 10.1 – lower than last year’s Dallas/Miami series (10.2) and 2010′s LA/Boston series (10.6)?

[Ed. My guess of a 12.9 average was way, way off.]

Those series went six and seven games, respectively, and as we have seen in baseball, a close series is crucial to ratings. Game six of Dallas/Miami last year? A monster 13.3. Game seven of Lakers/Celtics in 2010? A 15.6, or the highest rating for an NBA Finals game since Jordan was on the court.

Which is why it was so awful that the Thunder got jobbed on that late call against Durant in Game 2, that Kevin Durant got in questionable foul trouble in Game 3, and that the Heat were able to close out Game 4 despite the Russell Westbrook’s incredible performance. If the series had gone six games, a 13 or 14 rating – easily within reach given the rest of the series and the ESPN hype machine – would have propelled this series much higher.

But alas, none of that happened, so we’re bound to hear more “size matters” comments regarding Oklahoma City. Dallas is the 5th largest TV market, LA is 2nd, Boston is 7th. Oklahoma City? Forty-fifth. If the 16th and 45th largest TV markets were able to generate such an uptick in ratings, can you imagine if Durant were in New York and LeBron in LA? (Couldn’t resist, sorry.)

Lastly, the US Open put a serious dent in Game 3 ratings. Tiger’s impressive play Thursday-Saturday spurred thoughts of a possible victory Sunday – NBC tried most of the day to keep the dream alive – but even though he fell apart, nobody ran away with the field, and several golfers staying in the mix kept viewers glued to the TV.

Previously: NBA Finals: How Good Will TV Ratings Be?

aroundtheweb

43 Responses to “2012 NBA Finals Ratings … Bit of a Disappointment? Not Really, But Sort of”

1
I'm a Horse Says:
June 25th, 2012 at 12:31 PM
Wait. If the ratings for four of the first five games were so impressive, why was the series average – a 10.1 – lower than last year’s Dallas/Miami series (10.2) and 2010′s LA/Boston series (10.6)?
Contract the NBA Finals.
2
ButtersBC Says:
June 25th, 2012 at 12:33 PM
Lastly, the US Open put a serious dent in Game 3 ratings
Hossler moves the needle
3
karma Says:
June 25th, 2012 at 12:34 PM
Game 5: 10.9 – highest Game 5 rating since 2005!
That can’t be right….DET/SAS was one of the lowest rated Finals ever. Hell, it spawned rule changes because there was too much emphasis on defense with these teams.
4
molemaninthemorning Says:
June 25th, 2012 at 12:35 PM
can you imagine if Durant were in New York and LeBron in LA? (Couldn’t resist, sorry.)
They’d draw solid ratings for the first round and then lose because their supporting casts are absolute dogshit?
5
karma Says:
June 25th, 2012 at 12:36 PM
If the series had gone six games, a 13 or 14 rating – easily within reach given the rest of the series and the ESPN hype machine – would have propelled this series much higher.
If the series average was around 10, and a potential closeout game was 10.9, how do you figure it would have jumped to 13 or 14? I don’t even think the 2010 Celtics/Lakers series went that high for game 7, and that was a lot more dramatic then this series.
6
ButtersBC Says:
June 25th, 2012 at 12:37 PM
That can’t be right….DET/SAS was one of the lowest rated Finals ever
It was still a 2-2 series, I’m guessing the first 4 games drew the average down severely since if memory serves none of those games were all that competitive
But that series was special in that it somehow provided a Game 7 tied going into the 4th quarter that still wasn’t exciting
7
karma Says:
June 25th, 2012 at 12:37 PM
can you imagine if Durant were in New York
You have a shittier version of a Durant-like player on the Knicks already.
8
Babar 2.0 Says:
June 25th, 2012 at 12:38 PM
[Ed. My guess of a 12.9 average was way, way off.]
You are the author…you don’t need to put the “Ed.” in there.
9
squawkbox Says:
June 25th, 2012 at 12:39 PM
Hey – finally – a US Open post!
10
molemaninthemorning Says:
June 25th, 2012 at 12:39 PM
You are the author…you don’t need to put the “Ed.” in there.
And what do you do?
11
Ty_Webb Says:
June 25th, 2012 at 12:40 PM
You have a shittier version of a Durant-like player on the Knicks already.
wrong
/Top-5
12
karma Says:
June 25th, 2012 at 12:40 PM
it somehow provided a Game 7 tied going into the 4th quarter that still wasn’t exciting
2003-2007 was a shitty time for the NBA.
/ Tim Duncan years
// love him, but SAS had no drama
13
Jay V Of Considerable Influence Says:
June 25th, 2012 at 12:41 PM
Tiger’s impressive play Thursday-Saturday spurred thoughts of a possible victory Sunday – NBC tried most of the day to keep the dream alive
Almost completely inaccurate. For starters Tiger was far from impressive on Saturday.
I watched coverage from start to finish on Sunday, and they showed 3 Tiger Woods shots. At no point did they attempt to keep the dream alive even in the slightest. He had already started poorly before the NBC coverage began.
You are correct that the clogged-up leaderboard was good for ratings, though.
14
spencer096 Says:
June 25th, 2012 at 12:42 PM
Lastly, the US Open put a serious dent in Game 3 ratings.
today we spell vindication, G-O-B.
15
karma Says:
June 25th, 2012 at 12:42 PM
ou are the author…you don’t need to put the “Ed.” in there.
lolz.
16
karma Says:
June 25th, 2012 at 12:43 PM
/Top-5
In overratedness.
17
VladimirCrouton Says:
June 25th, 2012 at 12:44 PM
Saw Real Sports the other day. Phil Jackson acknowledged that he prefers the NHL over NBA playoffs.
18
vajayjay redick Says:
June 25th, 2012 at 12:44 PM
Missed the most obvious point – the Heat losing is way more compelling than the Heat winning. People wanted to see what LeBron would do with his back against the wall, it never happened in this series.
19
Der Kaiser Says:
June 25th, 2012 at 12:45 PM
Saw Real Sports the other day. Phil Jackson acknowledged that he prefers the NHL over NBA playoffs.
well that settles it then.
20
Jay V Of Considerable Influence Says:
June 25th, 2012 at 12:45 PM
Missed the most obvious point – the Heat losing is way more compelling than the Heat winning. People wanted to see what LeBron would do with his back against the wall, it never happened in this series.
Very good point. That to me was likely the major driving factor in the big Dallas/Miami ratings.
21
jthussler Says:
June 25th, 2012 at 12:46 PM
can you imagine if Durant were in New York and LeBron in LA? (Couldn’t resist, sorry.)
This makes no sense. So the ratings would have been high. Big fucking deal.
I would much prefer to watch a great, compelling and well-played sporting event than one with high ratings, but then again I’m not a mouthbreather.*
*not confirmed by me
22
HtownHacker Says:
June 25th, 2012 at 12:48 PM
All of the “Can Lebron get his first ring” hype and it still only got a 10.1. (I predicted 10.5) A rematch next year = 9.5??
23
Ty_Webb Says:
June 25th, 2012 at 12:48 PM
I would much prefer to watch a great, compelling and well-played sporting event than one with high ratings, but then again I’m not a mouthbreather.*
Link?
24
Some Random Old Dude Says:
June 25th, 2012 at 12:50 PM
I freely admit I expected a 12 or so, if nothing but rubberneckers wanting to see the next Heat car wreck.
In this age, where people can DVR, etc., I don’t know that a 10.1 is cause for advertisers to panic. Maybe an adjustment is necessary, but don’t burn down the mission.
25
Scalia Says:
June 25th, 2012 at 12:50 PM
Tiger’s impressive play Thursday-Saturday spurred thoughts of a possible victory Sunday – NBC tried most of the day to keep the dream alive – but even though he fell apart
Almost completely inaccurate. For starters Tiger was far from impressive on Saturday.
Furthermore, he teed off at 4:40 (ET) on Sunday and played the first 6 holes at +6. After that, he was never really on tv. But yeah, I’m sure that compelling Tiger-TV from 4:40-6:00 really affected NBA ratings for a game that started 2 hours later.
26
vajayjay redick Says:
June 25th, 2012 at 12:50 PM
1999-2007 was a shitty time for the NBA.
Never got into the Kobe-Shaq Lakers, probably b/c of the tomato cans the Eastern Conference sent to the finals in those years.
27
molemaninthemorning Says:
June 25th, 2012 at 12:50 PM
If the Game 5 ratings were the highest since 2005 that means that they were higher than both of the Game 5 broadcasts for the two Lakers/Celtics series and in the World of the Real where the Knicks suck more dong than Oden can hang, that’s the best ratings matchup possible for the NBA.
So … either the numbers are wrong or fan interest is not through the roof.
28
Nathan Wind Says:
June 25th, 2012 at 12:52 PM
So my kids (err, my wife) bought me a Kindle Fire for father’s day. Finally got around to setting it up this weekend. I like it a lot. Perfect fit for my needs. I don’t know why I’d ever need to pay more for an I-pad, though I’m sure there are reasons.
Didn’t one of the girls on here get one of these? If so, how do you like it?
29
Coach Mike Woodson, Atlanta Hawks Says:
June 25th, 2012 at 12:52 PM
I say this even as a Cavs fan: I tried to enjoy this Finals. I really did. But I think I have to agree with everyone here. The low ratings numbers really put me off.
Maybe next year.
30
karma Says:
June 25th, 2012 at 12:52 PM
probably b/c of the tomato cans the Eastern Conference sent to the finals in those years.
Whaaa? Todd McCaullugh was a potential hall of famer.
31
Huskerteers Says:
June 25th, 2012 at 12:53 PM
Speaking of the NBA, has there been any mention on this site about the two gross-looking porn stars offering free BJs for all of their twitter followers due to Miami winning? Seems like the type of story J-Mac would be all over.
32
vajayjay redick Says:
June 25th, 2012 at 12:55 PM
OT – Sullinger not invited to draft.
33
karma Says:
June 25th, 2012 at 12:55 PM
[Gravatar image]
So my kids (err, my wife) bought me a Kindle Fire for father’s day. Finally got around to setting it up this weekend. I like it a lot. Perfect fit for my needs. I don’t know why I’d ever need to pay more for an I-pad, though I’m sure there are reasons.
Don’t have a fire, but I have a regular Kindle. I love that thing. Wish it had an LED backlight though.
34
cracker jack Says:
June 25th, 2012 at 12:57 PM
Didn’t one of the girls on here get one of these? If so, how do you like it?
sportsgal got one and didnt like it, I think she sent it back. Ive had one for 3+ months and love it. Read the Hunger Games series for free thanks to the Amazon borrower’s club. Agree, I dont think Id need an Ipad, I think this screen is the perfect size and does everything I want.
35
Der Kaiser Says:
June 25th, 2012 at 12:58 PM
So my kids (err, my wife) bought me a Kindle Fire for father’s day. Finally got around to setting it up this weekend. I like it a lot. Perfect fit for my needs. I don’t know why I’d ever need to pay more for an I-pad, though I’m sure there are reasons.
Didn’t one of the girls on here get one of these? If so, how do you like it?
I think sportsgal has a kindle. I bought a kindle and my sister gave me an ipad for my birthday. Ipad is great for surfing the net and the variety of apps. Kindle’s app store leaves a lot to be desired. I read a lot, which makes kindle a great device. The size is perfect for reading books. But the same advantage in size goes away when you are reading a magazine. Kindle is too small for magazines.
36
molemaninthemorning Says:
June 25th, 2012 at 12:58 PM
OT – Sullinger not invited to draft.
Hahahahahaha
37
BostonCanSuckIt Says:
June 25th, 2012 at 1:00 PM
Wait. If the ratings for four of the first five games were so impressive, why was the series average – a 10.1 – lower than last year’s Dallas/Miami series (10.2) and 2010′s LA/Boston series (10.6)?
Baseball should totally lockout the players so they can see that huge -.1 spike in World Series ratings!
/TBL’d
Also, what’s with the non-dong-related post this morning? You were on quite the roll…
/Coop’d
38
scripty Says:
June 25th, 2012 at 1:03 PM
FWIW On Sunday of the US Open, Bob Costas came on quite early and said Tiger Woods had shot himself out of contention and they wouldn’t be following him. One could argue the prime-time viewings sated the viewing public’s desire to see the end.
Or people don’t want to watch Lebron win, but they like to see him lose.
39
Jason McIntyre Says:
June 25th, 2012 at 1:04 PM
Huskerteers – No interest. Sorry.
40
HawkEye Says:
June 25th, 2012 at 1:05 PM
So my kids (err, my wife) bought me a Kindle Fire for father’s day. Finally got around to setting it up this weekend. I like it a lot. Perfect fit for my needs. I don’t know why I’d ever need to pay more for an I-pad, though I’m sure there are reasons.
Didn’t one of the girls on here get one of these? If so, how do you like it?
Love mine. Browsing is a touch slow at times, but not too much of an aggravation. Otherwise, it’s very nice. I still prefer my E-ink Kindle for reading books, though. I think it works pretty well for magazines.
41
molemaninthemorning Says:
June 25th, 2012 at 1:13 PM
my kids (err, my wife)
Get a job, freeloaders.
42
Tim Ryan Says:
June 25th, 2012 at 1:20 PM
Read the Hunger Games series for free thanks to the Amazon borrower’s club.
hahaha
43
Nada Says:
June 25th, 2012 at 1:45 PM
So my kids (err, my wife) bought me a Kindle Fire for father’s day.
I visited an actual brick-and-mortar bookstore this weekend for the first time in years. Came away with a nice mix: a Saul Bellow short story collection, a Wallace Stegner essay collection, Jim Thompson’s Pop. 1280 and a copy of World War Z.