Jocks rule: NBA
and NHL take the night
ABC is tops with basketball and NBC takes second
By Toni Fitzgerald
Jun 10, 2009
It was the NBA and NHL finals out ahead of the other networks last night, as the Orlando Magic earned their first win of the series and the Pittsburgh Penguins ensured that the Stanley Cup finals will go seven games.
ABC’s basketball coverage led the night with a 3.9 adults 18-49 rating and 11 share, according to Nielsen overnights, followed by NBC’s hockey coverage in second at 2.2/6.
As a reminder, ratings for live sporting events are approximate as fast nationals measure timeslot and not actual program data. They also do not include accurate West Coast viewing or post-primetime viewing in the East. Final numbers will be out later today.
ABC placed first in every hour of the night, followed by NBC. There wasn’t much competition; CBS was in reruns, and the CW and Fox aired just one new show apiece.
The Magic gained their first win of the NBA finals, topping the Los Angeles Lakers 108-104, though the Lakers still have a 2-1 series lead.
The Penguins, meanwhile, delivered in a must-win situation, topping the defending champion Detroit Red Wings 2-1 to tie the series up at 3-3.
Game seven will air Friday.
All ratings are based on live-plus-same-day DVR playback. Seven-day DVR data won’t be available for several weeks. Thirty-one percent of Nielsen households have DVRs.
Lagging behind ABC and NBC, CBS placed third for the night at 1.9/6, Fox and Univision tied for fourth at 1.4/4 and the CW was sixth at 0.5/2.
At 8 p.m. ABC led with a 3.3 for “Jimmy Kimmel Live” (2.9) and “NBA Countdown” (3.7), followed by NBC with a 1.9 for its first hour of hockey. CBS was third with a 1.8 for an “NCIS” rerun, Fox and Univision tied for fourth at 1.3, Fox for a repeat of “House” and Univision for “Cuidado con el Angel” and CW sixth with a 0.5 for a repeat of “90210.”
ABC was first again at 9 p.m. with a 4.0 for its first hour of basketball, while NBC remained second with a 2.3 for more hockey. CBS was third with a 2.1 for a repeat of “The Mentalist,” Univision fourth with a 1.8 for “Mañana Es para Siempre,” Fox fifth with a 1.4 for “Mental,” getting no lift from a guest appearance by the late David Carradine, and CW sixth with a 0.6 for “Hitched or Ditched.”
At 10 p.m. ABC finished first with a 4.4 for basketball, with NBC second with a 2.5 for hockey. CBS was third with a 1.9 for “48 Hours Mystery” and Univision fourth with a 1.2 for “Aqui y Ahora.”
Among households, CBS led the night with a 7.0 average overnight rating and a 12 share. ABC was second at 5.9/10, NBC third at 3.3/6, Fox fourth at 2.9/5, Univision fifth at 1.9/3 and CW sixth at 0.9/2.
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