Weekly Cable Ratings: Celtics-Heat Game 7 Clinches Primetime Win for TNT

Celtics vs Heat in Game 7 of 2023 NBA Eastern Conference Finals
May 29’s Game 7 of the NBA Eastern Conference Finals drove TNT to the top of the primetime cable ratings. (Image credit: Nathaniel S. Butler/NBAE via Getty Images)

TNT topped the primetime cable ratings charts for the seventh straight week on the strength of its Memorial Day NBA Playoffs telecast.

TNT averaged 2.1 million viewers in primetime for the week of May 29-June 4 to top all cable networks, according to Nielsen ratings provided by Fox News Channel. The network was bolstered by its May 29 coverage of Game 7 of the NBA Eastern Conference Finals between the Miami Heat and Boston Celtics, which drew 11.9 million viewers — the third-most-watched NBA game in TNT history.

Fox News finished second for the week with 1.3 million viewers, followed by MSNBC’s 991,000 viewers and ESPN’s 884,000 watchers. INSP pulled into fifth place with 789,000 viewers, followed by HGTV (784,000 viewers), Investigation Discovery (714,000), History (652,000), Hallmark Channel (643,000) and USA Network (613,000).

On a 24-hour basis, Fox News bested all cable networks for the 22nd consecutive week, averaging 1 million viewers. MSNBC finished second with 665,000, followed by TNT (554,000 viewers), ESPN (445,000), and HGTV (427,000).

R. Thomas Umstead

R. Thomas Umstead serves as senior content producer, programming for Multichannel News, Broadcasting + Cable and Next TV. During his more than 30-year career as a print and online journalist, Umstead has written articles on a variety of subjects ranging from TV technology, marketing and sports production to content distribution and development. He has provided expert commentary on television issues and trends for such TV, print, radio and streaming outlets as Fox News, CNBC, the Today show, USA Today, The New York Times and National Public Radio. Umstead has also filmed, produced and edited more than 100 original video interviews, profiles and news reports featuring key cable television executives as well as entertainers and celebrity personalities.