The NBA has sent out a series of press releases on the overnight ratings for its All-Star Weekend events, which were very strong across the board.
The format change to the “Rising Stars Game” -- which went to a “Team Shaq vs. Team Chuck” format this year, as opposed to the traditional rookies vs. sophomores format, was a huge success, as the game drew a record number of eyeballs:
TNT’s exclusive coverage of the 2012 BBVA Rising Stars Challenge at NBA All-Star 2012 in Orlando was the most-watched telecast in the event’s history, surpassing the 2004 game. Last night’s contest delivered 2,729,000 total viewers (+26% vs. 2,165,000 in 2004); 1.7 US HH Rtg (+6% vs. 1.6 in 2004) and 1,911,000 overall households (+13% vs. 1,689,000 in 2004). Prior to this year, the most-watched telecast was the 2004 game featuring future NBA All-Stars LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, Chris Bosh and Carmelo Anthony.
Despite the fact that the Dunk Contest featured very little star power, the All-Star Saturday night ratings were tied for the second-highest ratings in the history of the event. The ratings were the same as they were in 2009, when Nate Robinson won his 2nd dunk contest title by putting on a glowing green outfit and jumping over Dwight Howard:
TNT’s exclusive coverage of NBA All-Star Saturday Night presented by State Farm at NBA All-Star 2012 in Orlando, FL delivered an overall4.4 US HH rating in metered market overnights. It was tied for the second-highest rated NBA All-Star Saturday Night all-time (2009).
Finally, the All-Star Game itself drew its 2nd-highest overnight rating since the 2005 game, despite the fact it aired on the same night as the Academy Awards:
During one of the busiest and most-watched nights on television, TNT’s exclusive coverage of the 2012 NBA All-Star Game in Orlando, FLdelivered an overall 5.4 US HH rating in metered market overnights. The metered market rating is the second highest-rated overnight since 2005 (5.9 metered market rating).
This is all good news: it’s another sign that the lockout didn’t prevent fans from coming back to basketball when the games and exhibitions actually started up again.
