One of the more surprising results in NBA Finals history played out in front of the league’s largest crowd — in the metered markets — since 1998.
nbafinals_logoGame 7 of the Cavaliers/Warriors NBA Finals earned an 18.9 overnight rating on ABC Sunday night, up 7% from Spurs/Heat in 2013 (17.7) and up 4% from Celtics/Lakers in 2010 (18.2), both of which took place on Thursday nights.
The 18.9 is the highest for any basketball game, college or pro, since Game 6 of the Bulls/Jazz NBA Finals in 1998 (22.9), and the highest for Game 7 of the NBA Finals since Knicks/Rockets in 1994 (20.2). In both cases, the previous high was an 18.2 for Celtics/Lakers in 2010.
The Cavaliers’ nailbiting win — which completed an unprecedented finals comeback from 3-1 down, clinched Cleveland’s first pro sports championship in 52 years, and provided an exclamation point to LeBron James‘ winding career arc — peaked at a 25.5 from 10:30-10:45 PM ET. The peak rating in 2013 was 22.6 and the peak in 2010 was 23.7.
The 18.9 overnight is also tied as the highest for any sporting event — outside of the NFL or the Olympic Games — in nearly a decade, since Florida/Ohio State in the 2007 BCS National Championship (19.1). It tied last year’s Ohio State/Oregon College Football Playoff national championship, which had an 18.9 over multiple ESPN networks (18.5 on ESPN alone).
The 18.9 tops every Major League Baseball game since Game 4 of the 2004 Red Sox/Cardinals World Series (19.7), every college basketball game in at least the past two decades, and every soccer telecast in U.S. history.
Cleveland was Sunday’s top market with a 46.3 rating, trailing last year’s Game 3 (49.0) as the market’s highest for an NBA game on ESPN/ABC. Game 7 of the 1997 Indians/Marlins World Series had a much higher rating in the market (59.4). In the Bay Area, Game 7 delivered a 39.4 rating, trailing last year’s Game 6 (40.7) as that market’s highest for the NBA on ESPN/ABC. Game 7 of Giants/Royals in 2014 scored a 38.1 in the market.
