TNT’s Memorial Day telecast of the Golden State Warriors-Oklahoma City Thunder Western Conference Finals Game 7 garnered a network record 15.9 million viewers, according to Nielsen Fast Nationals ratings.
The game, won by the Warriors to advance to the NBA Finals, bested the 14.1 million viewers TNT drew with a September 1995 Dallas Cowboys-Minnesota Vikings National Football League telecast, according to network officials.
TNT's 15.9 million viewers is also the biggest audience for an NBA game on cable, topping the 13.3 million viewers garnered for ESPN's June 2012 Boston Celtics-Miami Heat Eastern Conference Finals telecast, according to Nielsen.
The game was also the most watched non-finals NBA telecast on broadcast on cable since the 2000 Los Angeles Lakers-Portland Trail Blazers Game 7 Western Conference Finals. Overall, the Warriors-Thunder series averaged 9.9 million viewers over seven games to top all Western Conference Finals coverage on cable television, according to TNT.
Additionally, TNT’s Inside the NBA garnered a 4.8 HH rating, the show’s highest overnight delivery ever, according to TNT.
TNT’s playoff coverage over 42 games averaged 4.7 million viewers, up 16% over last year’s NBA post-season coverage, the network said.
