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Written by Maury Brown
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Monday, 02 June 2008 14:41 |
 Turner Network Television (TNT) claimed victory with its 2008 NBA Playoffs coverage which featured 41 games in 40 nights that averaged a 2.6 US rating (2,943,000 households), up 14 percent in average total viewers (3,801,000) over the 43 games the year prior.
The network’s coverage was bolstered by its exclusive coverage of the Western Conference Finals featuring the LA Lakers and San Antonio Spurs. The series ending Game 5 was the #1 most watched program on broadcast or cable amongst men 18-34 for the night. The total five game series earned an average 4.2 US rating (4,729,000 households), up 25 percent in average total viewers (6,307,000) over last year’s coverage of the Eastern Conference Finals, and included a record-setting Game 4 which earned a 4.8 US rating (5,394,000 households). Game 4 of the series ranked as the most watched and highest rated NBA game of the season on cable and second most watched NBA game telecast of the year -- trailing only ABC’s telecast of Game 7 of the Cleveland Cavaliers/Boston Celtics second round series on May 18. The 2008 Western Conference Finals delivered the highest audiences levels in terms of ratings, total viewers, key adult and male demos for any conference final series on broadcast or cable since the 2004 Western Conference Finals on TNT.
TNT also experienced double-digit growth across all key demos, including:
2008 NBA Playoffs vs. 2007 NBA Playoffs
- +15% homes (2,943,000 vs. 2,564,000)
- +14% total viewers (3,801,000 vs. 3,322,000)
- +25% A18-34 (1,217,000 vs. 972,000)
- +22% A18-49 (2,243,000 vs. 1,833,000)
- +24% A25-54 (2,052,000 vs. 1,649,000)
- +30% M18-34 (911,000 vs. 702,000)
- +23% M18-49 (1,613,000 vs. 1,316,000)
- +22% M25-54 (1,443,000 vs. 1,187,000)
2008 Western Conference Finals vs. 2007 Eastern Conference Finals
- +22% homes (4,729,000 vs. 3,871,000)
- +25% total viewers (6,307,000 vs. 5,050,000)
- +31% A18-34 (1,831,000 vs. 1,401,000)
- +29% A18-49 (3,508,000 vs. 2,723,000)
- +34% A25-54 (3,356,000 vs. 2,509,000)
- +30% M18-34 (1,272,000 vs. 981,000)
- +25% M18-49 (2,380,000 vs. 1,910,000)
- +27% M25-54 (2,252,000 vs. 1,772,000)
TNT’s complementary online coverage on NBA.com was also a success yielding more than three million live streaming hits throughout the Western Conference Finals. During the five games TNT provided exclusive streaming of unique in-game cameras via a new video player sponsored by Yellowbook. Additionally, throughout the playoffs the network provided replays of its studio show, Inside the NBA, as well as special reports and features submitted by its marquee roster of announcers exclusively on NBA.com.
OTHER NEWS ACROSS THE BUSINESS OF SPORTS NETWORK
Maury Brown is the Founder and President of the Business of Sports Network, which includes The Biz of Baseball, The Biz of Football, The Biz of Basketball and The Biz of Hockey. He is contributor to Baseball Prospectus, and is available as a freelance writer. Brown's full bio is here. He looks forward to your comments via email and can be contacted through the Business of Sports Network.
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