With the club finishing with the best record in the NBA, Comcast SportsNet's coverage of the Chicago Bulls scored the best regional sports network rating for the club in 13 seasons.
CSN Chicago, which will televise all the action from the Bulls' opening-round playoff series against the Indiana Pacers, starting at noon (CT) on April 16, averaged a 4.5 household rating and 157,617 households during the regular season in the Windy City DMA. That was a 90% jump from its 2.37 mark with the team during the 2009-10 NBA season, according to Nielsen data.
As viewers came to watch MVP candidate Derrick Rose and his teammates finish with a 62-20 mark, the RSN rang up a 122% increase from its 2.03 average for the 2008-09 season average and a 157% advance from the 1.75 in 2007-08.
This year's deliveries were the best for the Bulls since the 1997-98 season, the finale of the Michael Jordan era with the team, when the squad averaged in the 8.5 household range, according to CSN officials.
CSN Chicago's Nielsen fortunes were stoked by the top 18 Bulls telecasts since the network tipped in October 2004, including 16 that scored 5.0 averages or better, headed by a 7.21 for its coverage of the March 7 game against the New Orleans Hornets. Prior to this season, the RSN had never exceeded that 5.0 mark.
All told, the network scored with 28 contests that scored a 4.0 or better and 38 that exceeded a 3.0 average.
On the demo side, CSN registered significant gains in every measure, including a 100% leap to a 2.2 among persons 18 to 49 and 91% amelioration to a 2.1 with adults 25 to 54.
