ABC was on top again Thursday night with coverage of the Celtics' come-from-behind victory over the Lakers in Game 4 of the NBA championship, evening the series at two games apiece -- and guaranteeing at least six games for a very happy ABC.
ABC says the total overnight rating in metered markets was an 11.5, the highest of the series and a 6% increase from last year's game four (a 10.9 for the Lakers vs. Orlando).
ABC won the Nielsen primetime race in the 18-49 demo according to overnight time period numbers with a 4.2/13. That number is expected to rise when the West Coast returns are factored in. ABC won every time period, starting with a 3.1/11 for its Jimmy Kimmel Live pre-game show and finishing off with a 5.7/17 at 10:30-11.
Fox was second with a 2.1/7 demo average on the night thanks to So You Think You Can Dance, which averaged a 2.5/7, the only show other than ABC's lineup to crack a 2 rating on the night. It also took second with a reprise of the Glee finale, which averaged a 1.6/5 at 8-9.
CBS was third with a 1.6/5 for repeats of CSI and The Mentalist. NBC's new comedy 100 Questions still couldn't find the answer to its ratings doldrums, averaging a .8/3 at 8:30-9 up against the pre-game show and repeats on the other nets.
NBC averaged a 1.1/3 for an all-repeat night and The CW averaged a .5/1 for its re-runs.
