Viewership for ABC’s coverage of the first three games of the NBA Finals was 32% higher than last year’s record low but 33.8% less than the 2019 Finals, which faced less sports competition and was played at the traditional time, according to live-plus-same-day figures released by Nielsen Tuesday.
The first three games of the series between the Milwaukee Bucks and Phoenix Suns averaged 8.986 million viewers. The first three games of the 2020 Finals between the Los Angeles Lakers and Miami Heat averaged 6.807 million viewers, with each game watched by fewer viewers than any finals game on record before 2020. Records are available dating back to 1988.
The first three games of the 2019 Finals between the Golden State Warriors and Toronto Raptors averaged 13.575 million viewers. All three series were carried by ABC.
Phoenix’s 118-108 victory in Game 2 Thursday averaged 9.381 million viewers, the most for a prime-time program since the May 4 episode of the CBS action drama “NCIS” averaged 9.679 million viewers.
Milwaukee’s 120-100 victory in Game 3 Sunday was the only other prime-time program since May 5 to average more than 9 million viewers, averaging 9.019 million.
The Suns’ 118-105 victory in Game 1 July 6 averaged 8.558 million viewers, the most among prime-time programs since the May 25 season finale of “NCIS,” which averaged 8.956 million.
The three NBA games enabled ABC to average 4.56 million viewers for its prime-time programming between July 5 and Sunday, the most for any network since CBS averaged 4.57 million viewers the final full week of the official television season, May 17-23.
Outside of its NBA programming, ABC’s most-watched program was “The $100,000 Pyramid,” eighth for the week, averaging 3.993 million viewers.
NBC was second, averaging 2.88 million and CBS third, averaging 2.65 million.
All three networks aired 22 hours of prime-time programming.
NBC’s most-watched program was “America’s Got Talent,” fourth for the week, averaging 7.236 million viewers.
CBS’ most-watched program was an edition of “60 Minutes” with three previously broadcast segments that were updated for the broadcast, that was fifth for the week, averaging 6.573 million viewers.
Fox averaged 1.67 million viewers for its 15 hours, 47 minutes of prime-time programming, fourth among the five major English-language broadcast networks and fifth overall.
The cooking competition “MasterChef” was Fox’s most-watched program for the third consecutive week, averaging 2.608 million viewers, 37th overall.
The CW again was fifth among the five major English-language broadcast networks, averaging 460,000 viewers for its 12 hours of programming. The martial arts action-adventure series “Kung Fu” was its most-watched program for the second consecutive week, averaging 822,000 viewers, 131st among broadcast programs. Its overall rank was not available.
The week’s lone premiere on the five major English-language broadcast networks, the CBS alternative series “Secret Celebrity Renovation,” was Friday’s most-watched prime-time program, averaging 3.01 million, 24th for the week.
Three episodes of the Fox News Channel political talk show “Tucker Carlson Tonight” were the only prime-time cable programs to average more than 3 million viewers, topped by the Thursday edition which averaged 3.229 million viewers, 17th for the week.
Fox News Channel was the most-watched cable network, averaging 2.024 million viewers for its prime-time programming. HGTV was second, averaging 1.252 million.
MSNBC was the only other cable network to average more than 1 million viewers in prime time, averaging 1.228 million.
The most-watched Spanish-language program was Univision’s coverage of Argentina’s 1-0 victory over Brazil in Saturday’s final of the Copa América men’s soccer tournament, which averaged 3.02 million viewers, 23rd for the week.
Univision was the most-watched Spanish-language network for the 84th consecutive week and 86th time in 87 weeks, averaging 1.76 million viewers. Telemundo was second, averaging 1.03 million viewers, followed by UniMas (470,000), Estrella TV (120,000) and Azteca America (40,000).
ABC’s “World News Tonight with David Muir” was the most-watched network nightly newscast for the 84th consecutive week, the 135th time in 136 weeks and the 187th time in 189 weeks, averaging 8.371 million viewers.
“NBC Nightly News with Lester Holt” was second, averaging 6.522 million viewers, followed by the “CBS Evening News with Norah O’Donnell,” which averaged 5.036 million viewers.
The week’s 10 most-watched prime-time programs were ABC’s coverage of Games 2, 3 and Game 1 of the NBA Finals; NBC’s “America’s Got Talent”; CBS’ “60 Minutes”; ABC’s 16-minute NBA Finals Game 3 postgame show; the Wednesday edition of CBS’ “Big Brother”; ABC’s “The $100,000 Pyramid”; a rerun of CBS’ “NCIS”; and ABC’s “Press Your Luck.”