Lakers-Warriors Series Is Living Up to the Ratings Hype
The Los Angeles Lakers and Golden State Warriors are locked in a tight Western Conference Semifinals series and it's been great television so far. The renewal of the LeBron James-Stephen Curry rivalry has been a lot of fun, and the Lakers currently lead the series 3-2 headed into Game 6 in Los Angeles on Friday. As was predicted, ratings for the series have been through the roof.
On Thursday, Warner Bros. Discovery Sports announced the ratings for Game 5 Wednesday night were the highest for an NBA conference semifinal Game 5 on any network in 11 years. The game was the top TV program all day and averaged 7.5 million viewers.
TNT’s Lakers/Warriors, Gm 5 Wednesday telecast was the most watched Conference Semi Gm 5 on any network in 11 years:
— Warner Bros. Discovery Sports U.S. PR (@WBDSportsPR) May 11, 2023
🏀 Averaged 7.5 million viewers
🏀 Top program on TV all day
Including Heat/Knicks, Gm 5 & Inside the NBA, TNT posted day's top 3 programs among adults under 50 pic.twitter.com/uPHXRRBpvs
That's huge for a second-round playoff game. And you can bet Friday night's Game 6 will come in big as well. Two of the best players in NBA history and two big-time NBA brands are going at it in an exciting series and the league is being rewarded with big ratings. This is playing out exactly how most predicted it would.