Record Local Market Ratings; Fourth Consecutive Year with Double-Digit Ratings for Opening Game

The NBA Finals Game 1 on ABC – San Antonio’s win over Miami Thursday night – generated a 10.6 overnight rating, according to Nielsen. This is the third-highest Game 1 rating since 2004 and the fourth consecutive year Game 1 of The Finals has delivered a double-digit overnight rating.

Based on overnights, it’s expected to mark the 31st consecutive time an NBA Finals game has won the night for all of television. The telecast peaked at a 13.1 rating during the conclusion (11:30-11:45 p.m. ET).

Additionally, the telecast scored a 34.0 local market rating in Miami, the best Game 1 rating ever for that market, while in San Antonio, the game delivered a 35.3.

The KIA NBA Countdown pregame show averaged a 4.6 overnight rating, matching last year’s number and marking a 28 percent increase from the 2011 show (3.6).

The 2013 NBA Finals will continue with Game 2 on Sunday, June 9, at 8 p.m. on ABC, ESPN Radio, ESPN Deportes and ESPN3. The telecast will be preceded by KIA NBA Countdown at 7:30 p.m. on ABC and ESPN3.

STRONG DIGITAL NUMBERS FOR NBA COVERAGE

Game 1 of The Finals on ABC live through special simulcasts on ESPN3 was the largest NBA game of the season to date with over 8.6 million total minutes and an average minute audience of 54,000 across computers, smartphones, tablets and Xbox (source: Adobe SiteCatalyst). Additionally, NBA content across ESPN digital platforms generated over 58 million total minutes, half of which were consumed on mobile properties. NBA content on ESPN.com also logged an average minute audience of 15,000 (up 52 percent compared to Game 1 in 2012).

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