For the first time in seven years, the ABC averaged over 4% of U.S. television homes for early round coverage of the NBA Playoffs. Coverage of the 2011 NBA Playoffs has averaged a 4.2 final rating and 6.75 million viewers on ABC, up 24% in ratings and 30% in viewership from last year (3.4, 5.21M). The 4.2 rating is the highest for the NBA Playoffs on ABC (prior to the NBA Finals) since 2004 (4.6). Five of the nine early round games on ABC earned at least seven million viewers, the most through this point of the postseason on broadcast since 2002, when NBC topped that mark fifteen times prior to the NBA Finals. Of course, NBC aired substantially more games that year. ABC’s last playoff game before the NBA Finals was Grizzlies/Thunder Game 7 on May 15. Oklahoma City’s win drew a 4.4 final rating and 7.141 million viewers, down a tick in ratings but up 2% in viewership from last year (BOS/ORL G1: 4.5, 7.030M), and down 2% and 5%, respectively, from 2009 (HOU/LAL G7: 4.5, 7.490M). Grizzlies/Thunder was the only playoff game on ABC to have a decline in ratings compared to last year. All nine games had increases in viewership, according to SMW.
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