The NBA Finals wrapped up last night on ABC, and were a great boost for the network. Not so much for Dallas Maverick fans, but phenomenal for Disney owned ABC.
The Nielson ratings are in, and three of the Heat-Mavericks matchups were among the four most watched prime-time programs last week. 14.3 million people watched the Dirk Nowitzki led Mavericks choke in Game 5, leaving NBA viewership up a healthy 12 percent from last year’s Finals series between the San Antonio Spurs and the Detroit Pistons.
Even with those great NBA Finals ratings giving ABC a shot in the arm, CBS still won the week as the most popular network overall among 18-49 year-old viewers. But ABC is still likely a lot happier than NBC, saddled with the NHL Stanley Cup Finals. By contrast, the NHL series between small-market teams Carolina and Edmonton only managed 2.9 million viewers last weekend.
The Finals success can probably be attributed at least in part to the uniqueness of the matchup between Dallas and Miami. This is the first time in nearly three decades that both Finals teams were making their first Finals appearance. It likely also helped that both teams were from fairly significant viewer markets. Charlotte versus Salt Lake City probably would have been less of a draw.
