Due to the nature of live programming the ratings for ABC (NBA Finals) are approximate and subject to significant revisions in the final numbers. See below for more information on these Fast Affiliate Ratings.
| Scoreboard |  |
 |
 |
 |
 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Adults 18-49: Rating/Share | 4.8/14 | 1.5/5 | 1.2/3 | 1.0/3 | 0.7/2 |
| Adults 18-34: Rating/Share | 4.7/16 | 1.8/6 | 0.7/2 | 0.8/3 | 0.8/3 |
| Total Viewers (million) | 12.827 | 3.390 | 7.470 | 3.590 | 1.907 |
Game 5 of the NBA Finals leapt 32% for the primetime portion (8-11p) in the preliminary adults 18-49 ratings vs. last season’s clinching game 5 to tower over the weak competition on Sunday night. The 64th Annual Tony Awards 1.2 adults 18-49 rating was down 8% (a tenth of a ratings point) from last year’s show.
NBA Finals Game 5 between the LA Lakers and Boston Celtics averaged a 5.4 adults 18-49 rating from 8-11p, up from last year’s series-deciding Game 5 (LA Lakers vs. Orlando Magic), which posted a 4.1 adults 18-49 rating 8-11p in the Fast Nationals before rising to a 5.7 rating from 8:02p-10:44p in the final ratings.
Here is updated time zone adjusted ratings information from ABC’s press release:
Based on Nielsen’s special-ordered program-based “Fast National” ratings, the “NBA Finals on ABC – GM 5”outpaced its primetime competitors to register as Sunday’s No. 1 TV program in Total Viewers (18.2 million) and across each of the key Adult demos: A18-34 (6.8 rating), A18-49 (7.0 rating) and A25-54 (7.3 rating). It was the 5th consecutive airing for the 2010 NBA Finals to qualify as the No. 1 TV show of the nightin viewers and key adults. The Boston Celtics defeated the LA Lakers by a score of 92-86, to lead the best-of-seven series 3-2.
- Game 5 stood as the strongest yet for the 2010 NBA Finals in Total Viewers and Adults 18-49. In fact it stood as the most-watched overall for any NBA Finals game in 5 years – since the series-clinching Game 7 of the 2005 Pistons-Spurs Series on 6/23/05. Furthermore, it was the largest overall audience for a non-series-clinching NBA Championship contest since 2004 – since Game 4 of the 2004 Lakers-Pistons Series on 6/13/04.
- In viewers and young adults, it was the best Game 5 for the NBA Championship Series in 6 years and the second-highest-ever on ABC – since the series-clinching Game 5 of the 2004 Pistons-Lakers series on 6/15/04.
- Based on 5-game averages, the 2010 NBA Championship Series continues to pull the highest numbers in 6 years (since 2004), its 2nd-strongest-ever on ABC in both Total Viewers (16.1 million) and Adults 18-49 (6.5/19). Versus the first five games of 2009 (Lakers-Magic), The Finals on ABC is growing year to year by 1.8 million viewers and by 10% in Adults 18-49 (14.3 million and 5.9/18).
No ratings information yet for the True Blood season premiere. Will post it when I have it.
Earlier in the evening on ABC, the Jimmy Kimmel Live Game Night special scored a 3.0 adults 18-49 rating, and the NBA Countdown pre-game show drew a 3.3 rating.
The 64th Annual Tony Awards managed to beat a repeat of Losing It With Jillian during the 9pm hour. It could only tie a repeat of Last Comic Standing at 10. The show’s average viewership of 7.00 million, puts it in the middle of the recent year’s range, but down 6% from last year’s 7.4 million. One strike for the silly TV meme of “all awards shows are up this season!”.
The burn off of original episodes of now canceled ‘Til Death and Sons Of Tucson on Fox both drew identical 0.8 adults 18-49 ratings.
| Time | Net | Show | 18-49 Rating | 18-49 Share | Viewers Live+SD (million) |
| 7:00 | ABC | Jimmy Kimmel Live Game Night | 3.0 | 11 | 8.204 |
| CBS | 60 Minutes | 1.1 | 4 | 8.235 | |
| NBC | Dateline NBC | 1.1 | 4 | 5.409 | |
| FOX | Til Death | 0.8 | 3 | 2.091 | |
| 7:30 | ABC | NBA Countdown | 3.3 | 11 | 8.826 |
| CBS | 60 Minutes | 1.2 | 4 | 9.501 | |
| NBC | Dateline NBC | 1.2 | 4 | 5.787 | |
| FOX | Sons of Tucson | 0.8 | 3 | 1.982 | |
| 8:00 | ABC | NBA Finals Game 5, Celtics v. Lakers | 4.0 | 13 | 11.106 |
| FOX | The Simpsons (repeat) | 1.8 | 6 | 4.033 | |
| CBS | The 64th Annual Tony Awards | 1.2 | 4 | 7.590 | |
| NBC | Losing It With Jillian (repeat) | 0.7 | 2 | 2.811 | |
| 8:30 | ABC | NBA Finals Game 5, Celtics v. Lakers | 4.9 | 14 | 13.157 |
| FOX | The Cleveland Show (repeat) | 1.7 | 5 | 3.801 | |
| CBS | The 64th Annual Tony Awards | 1.1 | 3 | 7.337 | |
| NBC | Losing It With Jillian (repeat) | 0.7 | 2 | 2.624 | |
| 9:00 | ABC | NBA Finals Game 5, Celtics v. Lakers | 5.0 | 14 | 13.218 |
| FOX | Family Guy (repeat) | 2.1 | 6 | 4.489 | |
| CBS | The 64th Annual Tony Awards | 1.1 | 3 | 7.193 | |
| NBC | Last Comic Standing (repeat) | 1.0 | 3 | 2.908 | |
| 9:30 | ABC | NBA Finals Game 5, Celtics v. Lakers | 6.0 | 16 | 15.800 |
| FOX | American Dad (repeat) | 1.7 | 5 | 3.942 | |
| CBS | The 64th Annual Tony Awards | 1.1 | 3 | 7.007 | |
| NBC | Last Comic Standing (repeat) | 1.1 | 3 | 2.907 | |
| 10:00 | ABC | NBA Finals Game 5, Celtics v. Lakers | 6.2 | 17 | 16.107 |
| CBS | The 64th Annual Tony Awards | 1.3 | 3 | 6.820 | |
| NBC | Last Comic Standing (repeat) | 1.2 | 3 | 3.160 | |
| 10:30 | ABC | NBA Finals Game 5, Celtics v. Lakers | 6.3 | 18 | 16.197 |
| NBC | Last Comic Standing (repeat) | 1.2 | 3 | 3.116 | |
| CBS | The 64th Annual Tony Awards | 1.1 | 3 | 6.077 |
-
Nielsen TV Ratings: ©2010 The Nielsen Company. All Rights Reserved.
Definitions:
Fast Affiliate Ratings: These first national ratings, including demographics, are available at approximately 11 AM (ET) the day after telecast, and are released to subscribing customers daily. These data, from the National People Meter sample, are strictly time-period information, based on the normal broadcast network feed, and include all programming on the affiliated stations, sometimes including network programming, sometimes not. The figures may include stations that did not air the entire network feed, as well as local news breaks or cutaways for local coverage or other programming. Fast Affiliate ratings are not as useful for live programs and are likely to differ significantly from the final results, because the data reflect normal broadcast feed patterns. For example, with a World Series game, Fast Affiliate Ratings would include whatever aired from 8-11PM on affiliates in the Pacific Time Zone, following the live football game, but not game coverage that begins at 5PM PT. The same would be true of Presidential debates as well as live award shows and breaking news reports.
Rating: Estimated percentage of the universe of TV households (or other specified group) tuned to a program in the average minute. Ratings are expressed as a percent.
Share (of Audience): The percent of households (or persons) using television who are tuned to a specific program, station or network in a specific area at a specific time. (See also, Rating, which represents tuning or viewing as a percent of the entire population being measured.)
Time Shifted Viewing – Program ratings for national sources are produced in three streams of data – Live, Live+Same Day (Live+SD) and Live+7 Day. Time shifted figures account for incremental viewing that takes place with DVRs which are currently in approximately 24.4% of all U.S. TV households. Live+Same Day (Live+SD) include viewing during the same broadcast day as the original telecast, with a cut-off of 3:00AM local time when meters transmit daily viewing to Nielsen for processing. Live+7 Day ratings include incremental viewing that takes place during the 7 days following a telecast.
For more information see Numbers 101 and Numbers 102.
Wow, some big numbers for NBA Finals. Last nights game was great! But I'm wondering if there's even going to be a Tony Awards show next year, those numbers are terrible-especially for CBS.
The Tony awards numbers, while down from last season, and certainly pitiful compared to other broadcast primetime shows, were in the middle of the show's recent range:
http://tvbythenumbers.com/2010/06/13/tony-award…
When/How will we get the ratings for True Blood?
Thanks!
Cable ratings should be here later today. Check this category: http://tvbythenumbers.com/category/ratings/tv-r…
Indeed. I added a note to the post about True Blood.
We may see a press release, or press reports earlier in the day, but otherwise look for True Blood numbers at that category link around dinnertime in the East.
Not for Sunday cable ratings. If there aren't press releases, Travis won't be posting the numbers until tomorrow around noon PDT.
Julia is correct. Much more likely we see the True Blood numbers via press report today.
I put the Tony Awards in the same programming category as the Jesse Stone movies. Sometimes CBS programs because they just like the product. They seem very loyal to certain shows and actors. On a Sunday in June facing the NBA finals what was the harm?
AZ Bob, indeed, and given the recent fairly stable ratings history of the Tony's it's not likely that CBS overpaid for the license fee. The ratings were pitiful, but so likely was the license fee quite low.
Would CBS be better off shipping The Tony Awards off to cable TV and broadcasting a movie instead?
Time-zone adjusted ratings information for the NBA game now added to the post.
Spurs-Pistons got a 13.9 Overnight rating in 2005 and a 11.9 rating for game 7.
How much would a Celtics-Lakers game 7 get? This series rating's has surpassed anyone's expections which is a good thing. Very Highly rated series the 2nd Best on ABC…
Jake, Spurs-Pistons series in 2004 did not go 7 games; only went 5.
Not relevant, but Zap2It has a list of most DVR'd shows.
Obviously, Grey wins with +1.5 to 6.3; then it's House +1.2=6.1, Lost +1.1=5.4, Office +1.1=5.1, Bang +1=6.3, Glee+1=5, Private +1=4.3. The closest unscripted to gaining a point is Idol with +.9=9.2.
Hmm, is something big going on? Twitter's and Deadline Hollywood are both down due to technical issues.
Do you have the ratings for the Cubs/White Sox near no-hitter last night? i'm sure it took some of the audience away from the NBA Finals. I know I was watching after the 7th inning when both pitchers had no-hitters going. I'm sure it did very well for a regular season game.
Do you have the ratings for the Cubs/White Sox near no-hitter last night? i'm sure it took some of the audience away from the NBA Finals. I know I was watching after the 7th inning when both pitchers had no-hitters going. I'm sure it did very well for a regular season game.
OK is it just me or is everyone a bit hard on the Tony Awards ratings.
Yes it's demo aint good but this is a show aimed at theatre audiences who tend to be 30+
And it is a THEATRE show, a MUCH smaller medium than TV and Film, its very much a specialized awards.
Do you have the ratings for the Cubs/White Sox near no-hitter last night? i'm sure it took some of the audience away from the NBA Finals. I know I was watching after the 7th inning when both pitchers had no-hitters going. I'm sure it did very well for a regular season game.
Do you have the ratings for the Cubs/White Sox near no-hitter last night? i'm sure it took some of the audience away from the NBA Finals. I know I was watching after the 7th inning when both pitchers had no-hitters going. I'm sure it did very well for a regular season game.
OK is it just me or is everyone a bit hard on the Tony Awards ratings.
Yes it's demo aint good but this is a show aimed at theatre audiences who tend to be 30+
And it is a THEATRE show, a MUCH smaller medium than TV and Film, its very much a specialized awards.