The final first round NBA playoff game on TNT was the network’s most-watched in 16 years.
Sunday’s Warriors-Rockets first round NBA playoff Game 7 averaged 6.63 million viewers across TNT and truTV, marking the largest opening round audience on cable since TNT averaged 6.99 million for Bulls-Celtics Game 7 in 2009. (Keep in mind Nielsen did not begin tracking out-of-home viewing in its estimates until 2020.)
The Warriors’ win delivered the third-largest audience of the postseason thus far, behind Lakers-Timberwolves Game 4 the previous weekend (7.35M) and Magic-Celtics Game 1 on Easter (6.69M), both of which aired on ABC. It should be noted that ABC playoff games are fully exclusive, while first round games on cable co-exist. (Game 7 was the last first round co-exist, as next season all playoff games will be fully exclusive to national TV.)
The last time Golden State played in an opening round Game 7 two years ago, their matchup against Sacramento averaged a considerably stronger 9.84 million viewers — still the most-watched first round NBA playoff game since 1999 — but that was an exclusive Sunday afternoon window on ABC.
The Warriors’ only other opening round Game 7 — against the Clippers in in 2014 — averaged just shy of six million on TNT, despite airing in a late night Saturday window (start time close to 11 PM ET). Given out-of-home viewing was not tracked at that time, it is possible that game would rank higher all things being equal.
As for the weekend’s other Game 7, the Nuggets’ rout of the Clippers averaged 4.21 million on TNT and truTV Saturday night — down 15% from a Timberwolves-Nuggets second round Game 1 in the same window last year (4.93M). Keep in mind that last year’s game was exclusive to TNT, while this year’s game had to co-exist with local RSN coverage.
Rounding out the weekend slate, Pacers-Cavaliers Game 1 opened Sunday’s doubleheader with 4.38 million. Both TNT games outdrew the lone ABC window on the same day last year, Magic-Cavaliers Game 7 (4.32M). ABC did not carry any NBA games this weekend, turning over its Sunday schedule to Formula 1. (The F1 race averaged 2.17 million viewers.)
Going back to the workweek, TNT averaged 4.02 million for Knicks-Pistons and 3.93 for Nuggets-Clippers in a Game 6 doubleheader Thursday night — up 51% and down 29% respectively from last year’s equivalent doubleheader (Bucks-Pacers: 2.66M; Knicks-Sixers: 5.09M). Friday’s Rockets-Warriors Game 6 averaged 4.61 million on ESPN, up 18% from Clippers-Mavericks last year (3.90M).
The full first round of the NBA Playoffs averaged 3.27 million viewers across ABC, ESPN, TNT and NBA TV, up 4% from last year. Excluding NBA TV, the average of 3.7 million is up six percent. ESPN/ABC saw a 14 percent increase (from 3.91 to 4.46M) and TNT a three percent bump (from 3.22 to 3.35M).