Warner Bros. Discovery Sports said that TNT’s coverage of Game 7 of the National Basketball Association’s Eastern Conference Finals between the Miami Heat and the Boston Celtics drew 11.9 million total viewers, up 21% from a year ago when the same teams played a Game 7.
The telecast market TNT’s third most-watched NBA game ever.
TNT covered the Eastern Conference Finals, which averaged 7.4 million viewers, up 6% in audience from last year and the highest-rated game in 10 years.
The series started with Miami taking the first three games, setting up the potential for a sweep, which would have been a financial disaster for TNT. Networks sell commercials based on a five-game series. A sweep means only four games worth of inventory airs, minimizing the ad revenue potential.
Boston battled back, taking the next three in a row, setting up Warner Bros. Sports for an ad revenue windfall, despite Miami’s lopsided 103-84 Game 7 victory.
The Western Conference Finals ended in a sweep for The Walt Disney Co.’s ESPN and ABC. The Denver Nuggets will play the Heat in the NBA Finals, which begin Thursday night on ABC.
Warner Bros. Discovery Sports’ coverage of Game 7 peaked with an average of 14.2 million viewers from 10-10:15 p.m. ET. It was the most-watched program Sunday night across all of cable.
Boston’s last-second win Saturday night in Game 6 averaged 8.7 million viewers, the most watched Eastern Conference Finals ever on TNT.
Overall, TNT’s 2023 NBA Playoffs coverage has led the network to win the night on cable in primetime 24 times, while propelling the network to cable’s top ranking in primetime over the past five weeks.
