Quick Take for Sunday, June 15, 2008 (Fast National Program and Fast Affiliate Time Period - Live + Same Day Ratings)
For the 2nd Week in a Row with Coverage of the NBA Finals, ABC Wins Sunday
Across Key Men Demos, Net Posts Highest-Rated Non-Oscar Sunday Since Early 2006
For the 5th Consecutive Broadcast, the 2008 NBA Finals Leads ABC to a Nightly Win And Registers as the Night's No. 1 TV Show in Viewers and All Key Adult Demos
The Top Game of 2008, Game 5 of the Lakers-Celtics Finals Bests All NBA Contests Over the Past 2 Years and is the Top Non-Series-Clinching Finals Game in 4 Years
NBA Finals Jump 56% in Total Viewers and 61% in Adults 18-49 Year to Year, The Strongest Series Since 2004 and the 2nd-Highest in ABC's 6 Years of Coverage
Sunday Night (7:00-11:00 p.m. - "Fast Affiliate Ratings")
For the 2nd week in a row with coverage of the 2008 Lakers-Boston NBA Finals, ABC stood as Sunday's No. 1 network in viewers and young adults. According to Nielsen's preliminary time-period-based "Fast Affiliate" ratings, ABC outpaced its nearest competition (NBC) by strong margins during primetime in Total Viewers (+17% - 10.8 million vs. 9.2 million) and in Adults 18-49 (+48% - 4.3/13 vs. 2.9/9). In fact ABC has ranked as the No. 1 network on all 5 nights with coverage of the 2008 NBA Championship Series on both Nielsen measures.
* Excluding the Academy Awards evenings, ABC garnered its top Sunday numbers across the key men demographics since early 2006 - best since 2/6/06 ('06 Super Bowl) in Men 18-34 (5.0/17) and best since 3/12/06 in both Men 18-49 (5.2/16) and Men 25-54 (5.5/15). Looking past the 2006 Super Bowl and Oscar nights, it was ABC's highest-rated Sunday with Men 18-34 in 3 years - since 5/22/05.
"2008 NBA Finals Game 5" (9:05 p.m. -12:11 a.m E.T. - "Fast National Ratings")
According to Nielsen's program-based "Fast National" ratings, ABC's 2008 NBA Finals Game 5 soared over its primetime competitors to qualify as Sunday night's No. 1 TV program in Total Viewers (17.3 million) and across each of the key adult demographics: A18-34 (7.2 rating), A18-49 (7.2 rating) and A25-54 (7.4 rating). It was the 5th consecutive broadcast for the 2008 Finals to rank as the evening's No. 1 television show in viewers and all key adults. The Los Angeles Lakers won Game 5 by a score of 103-98, making Boston's advantage in the best-of-seven-game series 3-2 and forcing a Game 6 on Tuesday (6/17/08).
* The highest-rated game of 2008 in Total Viewers and Adults 18-49, Game 5 topped all Finals games during the past 2 years (2007 & 2006) to represent the strongest NBA contest since Game 7 of 2005 (6/23/05). In addition, it was the biggest non-series-clinching NBA Finals contests in 4 years - since Game 4 of the 2004 Finals on 6/13/04. Game 5 also stands as TV's highest-rated program telecast this summer with young adults (AD18-34/AD18-49) - television's highest telecast since the season finale of "American Idol" on 5/21/08.
* On average, the five games the 2008 NBA Finals jumped by 56% in Total Viewers (14.5 million vs. 9.3 million) and by 61% in Adults 18-49 (5.9/18 vs. 3.7/12) over the average for the 4-game 2007 Championship Series. In viewers and young adults, it's the strongest performance for the NBA Finals Series since 2004 and the second-highest overall in the 6 years that ABC has covered the Finals. ABC began airing the NBA Finals in 2003.
A note about increasing DVR penetration and year-to-year rating comparisons: Year-to-year rating trends based on the Live + Same Day data stream may be somewhat distorted by the level of DVR penetration in the Nielsen sample, which has jumped from 17% at the same point in 2006-07, up to 25% currently. More viewers are watching shows on their own timetables, which may not be reflected in the overnight next day numbers. The only truly valid year-to-year comparison would be one based on the Live + 7 Day metric, once those stats are released by Nielsen.
Source: Nielsen Media Research (Fast Affiliate time period and Fast National program Live + Same Day Ratings), 6/15/08.
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