Day one of the NBA Playoffs took a ratings hit thanks to a weekday afternoon start.
Monday’s opening day of the NBA Playoffs averaged 1.71 million viewers on ESPN, down 39% from last year (2.82M). Last year’s postseason began on a Saturday and included a primetime game on ABC. By contrast, all four of Monday’s games aired on cable, including two that aired during the afternoon — the earliest weekday playoff games (excluding holidays) since 1991.*
Mavericks-Clippers Game 1 led the way with 2.28 million viewers, actually up 25% from last year’s nightcap, which aired in a late night window (Spurs-Nuggets: 1.83M). It delivered the third-largest NBA audience since play restarted July 30, behind Clippers-Lakers on TNT the first night back (3.35M) and Bucks-Rockets on ABC August 2 (2.44M).
Sixers-Celtics averaged 2.10 million earlier in the evening, down 57% from Clippers-Warriors last year, which aired in primetime on ABC (4.83M).
As for the afternoon games, Jazz-Nuggets averaged 1.18 million and Nets-Raptors 1.30 million — down 42% and 47% respectively from last year (Nets-Sixers: 2.04M; Magic-Raptors: 2.44M). Last year’s games not only aired on a Saturday afternoon, but in later timeslots (2:30 and 5:00, vs. 1:30 and 4:00).
Overall, three of Monday’s four games began prior to 7 PM ET. Zero weekday games started prior to 7 in last year’s playoffs. The last weekday playoff game to start before 7 was Celtics-Sixers Game 4 in 2018, a second round game that averaged 3.40 million. The last first round game to start prior to 7 was Hawks-Wizards Game 5 in 2017, which averaged 1.83 million. [Related: 2020 NBA Playoffs schedule.]
In addition to the earlier starts, this year marked the first time since 1998 that the NBA Playoffs began on a weekday. That year, the postseason opened on a Thursday night with dueling primetime doubleheaders on TBS and TNT.
In other action, Saturday’s Blazers-Grizzlies NBA playoff play-in game averaged a 1.3 rating and 1.92 million viewers on ABC. The national broadcast co-existed with local RSN coverage in both markets. Portland’s ranks 13th out of the 19 on ABC this season.
Back on Friday, ESPN averaged a 0.6 and 1.04 million for Sixers-Rockets, a 0.49 and 789,000 for Thunder-Clippers and a 0.36 and 505,000 for Heat-Pacers. The latter of the three ranks as the least-watched NBA game on ESPN, ABC or TNT since 2017, when a Bulls-Grizzlies game on ESPN averaged just 377,000 opposite the NFL playoffs.
There was nothing at stake in Friday’s games, which saw most teams rest their best players. On the final day of last season — a Wednesday in April — ESPN averaged 873,000 for Magic-Hornets and 846,000 for T’Wolves-Nuggets.
According to Sports Business Journal writer Austin Karp, the NBA “seeding games” averaged 1.28 million viewers across ESPN, ABC and TNT. That marks a 21% drop from the league’s pre-hiatus average (1.62M), with the caveat that none of the games aired exclusively and that several aired in unusually early timeslots.
* The Celtics hosted the Pistons in Game 2 of their second round series at 1 PM ET due to a conflict with the Bruins.
[Nielsen estimates from ShowBuzz Daily 8.18 a, b; Karp/Twitter 8.18]
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