ABC's NBA Finals Game 1 Up from 2013

With coverage of the 2014 NBA Finals Game 1 between the Miami Heat and the San Antonio Spurs, ABC soared to the top of Thursday night, outpacing its nearest competitor during Primetime by 5.3 million viewers (11.0 million vs. 5.7 million - CBS) and beating the other nets' combined delivery among Adults 18-49 (+8% - 4.3/15 vs. 4.0/13 - CBS, NBC, FOX and CW combined). The Net also took full control of Primetime with Adults 18-34, Adults 25-54 and across all key Men (M18-34/M18-49/M25-54).

Among Adults 18-49, the Net marked its top-rated Thursday in nearly 1 year - since 6/20/13.

"Jimmy Kimmel Live Game Night 1" (Various Time Periods)

Airing around the NBA Finals in various time periods across the country, "Jimmy Kimmel Live Game Night 1" generated wide exposure for the ABC late-night talker in primetime. On average, "Kimmel Game Night" was up by 44% in Total Viewers (3.9 million vs. 2.7 million) and by 57% in Adults 18-49 (1.1/5 vs. 0.7/3) over the show's 2013-14 season averages in late-night. Delivering its 4th-straight season of growth in late-night, ABC's "Kimmel" just finished its most-watched season ever.

"NBA Finals on ABC Game 1" (9:00 - 11:46 p.m. E.T.)

Featuring the Miami Heat and the San Antonio Spurs, ABC's 2014 NBA Finals Game 1 overshadowed its Primetime competition and finished as Thursday's definitive No. 1 TV program in Total Viewers (14.9 million) and across each of the key Adult demographics: A18-34 (6.0/24), A18-49 (6.0/20) and A25-54 (6.1/18). San Antonio won the opening game of the series by a score of 105-95 to lead the best-of-seven series 1-0. Among Adults 18-49, the 2014 NBA Finals Game 1 stands as TV's No. 1 telecast since the early April - since 4/7/14.

Game 1 of The Finals was up year to year in Total Viewers (+5% - 14.9 million vs. 14.2 million) and Adults 18-49 (+5% - 6.0/20 vs. 5.7/18).

In Total Viewers and Adults 18-49, it was the 3rd-biggest start since 2004 for the NBA Finals and ABC's best-ever Game 1 featuring a San Antonio series (this is the 5th appearance by the team since it began its carriage in 2003). It was also the strongest Thursday opener for The Finals on ABC out of 8 occasions in the last 12 years of broadcasting the series.

The NBA Finals on ABC was the most social TV program on Thursday with 3,091,043 tweets, jumping 15% over last year's Game 1 (2,690,045 tweets).

Source: The Nielsen Company, National, Live + Same Day Program Ratings for 06/05/14. Nielsen Social, total tweets, as dated.