ABC Matches Highest Overnight Rating for First Round NBA Playoff

Sunday's ABC broadcast of the Golden State Warriors' victory over the Houston Rockets in Game 4 of their first round NBA Playoffs series delivered a 5.3 overnight rating, according to Nielsen. This matches the highest overnight rating for any first round NBA Playoffs game, on any network in 12 years (since 2004). The ABC broadcast peaked with a 6.1 overnight rating from 5:30-5:45 p.m. ET.

The game was up six percent from last year's comparable first round game on ABC - Los Angeles Clippers vs. San Antonio Spurs - which posted a 5.0 overnight rating.

The 5.3 overnight rating matches Miami Heat vs. New York Knicks on ABC (5/6/12) and Chicago Bulls vs. Boston Celtics - Game 7 - on TNT (5/2/09) as the best in 12 years.

Local markets

Game 4 delivered a 20.7 rating in the San Francisco market, making it the highest-rated first round NBA Playoffs game in the market across any network as far as records go back (2003). In Houston, the game drew a 10.9 rating, making it the second-highest rated NBA Playoffs first round game in the market, on any network, as far as records go back (2003).

WatchESPN The Golden State Warriors-Houston Rockets Game 4 set cross-metric records for the first round of the NBA Playoffs on WatchESPN. The game streamed 16.4 million total minutes, drew 306,500 unique viewers and generated an average minute audience of 103,500 viewers.

Image courtesy of ESPN Press

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