NBA Finals Delivers Largest Game 2 Audience in ABC History

Through two games, the 2012 NBA Finals – Miami Heat vs. Oklahoma City Thunder – is the most-viewed Finals ever on ABC, averaging 16,439,000 viewers (P2+), according to Nielsen. Thursday night’s broadcast delivered the largest audience for an NBA Finals Game 2 in ABC history, averaging 16,670,000 viewers.

Overall, The Finals is averaging a 10.1 rating, the highest since 2004 and the second highest-rated ever on ABC, through two games. The series is up 10 percent in household rating (10.1 vs. 9.2) and seven percent in viewership (16,439,000 vs. 15,349,000) compared to last year.

Game 2 recorded a 10.4 household rating, making it the highest-rated since 2004 and the second-highest rated ever on ABC. The game was up 12 percent in household rating (10.4 vs. 9.3), seven percent in viewership (16,670,000 vs. 15,525,000) and 11 percent in household impressions (11,920,000 vs. 10,735,000) compared to last year.

The only other NBA Finals Game 2 on ABC with a higher rating was the 2004 NBA Finals – Detroit Pistons vs. L.A. Lakers – which generated a 10.7.

Last night’s Game 2 was the highest-rated and most-viewed program of the night, propelling ABC to win the night across all networks (broadcast and cable) in rating, viewership, household impressions and all key demos. It marks the 27th consecutive time that The Finals on ABC has won the night.

Kia NBA Countdown on ABC delivered a 3.6 rating, up 24 percent compared to a 2.9 last year. The two game Countdown average rating during The Finals (3.7) is up 28 percent compared to 2011 (2.9).

ESPN3 & WatchESPN

Game 2 of The Finals on ABC, live through special simulcasts on ESPN3, logged an average minute audience of 97,629 across computers, smartphones and tablets via WatchESPN and through ESPN on Xbox LIVE. Additionally, it generated 319,316 unique viewers and 16.7 million minutes across platforms, up 41 percent and 49 percent, respectively, compared to the average NBA Playoff game this season.

The 2012 NBA Finals continue with Game 3 on Sunday, June 17, at 8 p.m. ET on ABC, ESPN Radio and ESPN3. The Kia NBA Countdown pregame show will precede the game at 7:30 p.m.

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Media contact: Ben Cafardo at 860-766-3496 or [email protected]