NEW YORK — According to a report in today’s Sports Business Daily, NBA viewership was down sharply during the ’12-13 regular season.
TNT: After two straight seasons of record figures, TNT saw its average rating down 18% and viewership down 20%. In addition to a lockout-shortened season in ’11-12, several other factors helped contribute to the decline. Superstorm Sandy knocked out many homes in the Northeast at the start of the season. Some 16.9 million homes, including many in N.Y., Boston and Philadelphia, could not watch games during that time. Compared to the last non-condensed season in ’10-11, TNT was down 13% in rating and 17% in viewership.
ABC/ESPN: NBA games on ABC saw a year-over-year ratings slide of 12% this season, while viewership dropped 14%. Last season, ABC had its best regular-season averages since ESPN acquired TV rights for the ’02-03 season, and the best for any broadcast network since NBC during the ’98-99 season, which was also shortened by a labor dispute. ESPN’s NBA ratings were down 8%, with viewership down 5%. The decrease came despite the net having its most-viewed Christmas Day tripleheader on record and highest Christmas Day figures in general since ’04. Compared to two seasons ago, ESPN’s rating was down 8%, with viewership down 11%.
NBA TV: The league-owned cable network saw ratings and viewership relatively flat compared to the record-setting numbers from last season. The net also kept up its youthful demo this season, with a median age of 35.1 marking the youngest of any sports net. Viewership this season was also up 33% from the ’10-11 season.
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NBA REGULAR-SEASON AUDIENCE: ’12-13 VS. ’11-12
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||||||
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NET
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GMS
|
RAT.
|
% +/-
|
VIEWERS (000)
|
% +/-
|
GMS (’11-12)
|
|
ABC
|
15
|
2.9
|
-12.1%
|
4,681
|
-13.7%
|
15
|
|
TNT
|
52
|
1.4
|
-17.6%
|
2,002
|
-19.9%
|
43
|
|
ESPN
|
77
|
1.2
|
-7.7%
|
1,768
|
-5.1%
|
73
|
|
NBA TV
|
98
|
0.2
|
0.0%
|
336
|
-0.3%
|
96
|
|
NBA REGULAR-SEASON AUDIENCE: ’12-13 VS. ’10-11
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||||||
|
NET
|
GMS
|
RAT.
|
2-YR%
|
VIEWERS (000)
|
2-YR%
|
GMS (’10-11)
|
|
ABC
|
15
|
2.9
|
-3.3%
|
4,681
|
-8.4%
|
15
|
|
TNT
|
52
|
1.4
|
-12.5%
|
2,002
|
-16.5%
|
32
|
|
ESPN
|
77
|
1.2
|
-7.7%
|
1,768
|
-11.1%
|
73
|
|
NBA TV
|
98
|
0.2
|
0.0%
|
336
|
32.8%
|
96
|