Posted on October 13, 2020

NBA Finals Ratings Plummet to 5.6m, Lowest on Record

Joe Concha, The Hill, October 12, 2020

Nielsen Media Research reports that 5.6 million viewers tuned in to ABC to watch the Los Angeles Lakers top the Miami Heat to capture the NBA title Sunday night, the lowest-rated Finals series on record.

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The 5.6 million viewers for the Finals was less than half the number who tuned in for a regular season “Sunday Night Football” match-up between the Minnesota Vikings and Seattle Seahawks, which drew 11.4 million on NBC.

For context, last year’s NBA Finals Game 6 between the Golden State Warriors and Toronto Raptors delivered 18.34 million viewers… {snip}

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The NBA has been criticized by President Trump and some Republican lawmakers for becoming too political in embracing the Black Lives Matter movement.

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