Weekly Cable Ratings: NBA-Fueled TNT Repeats as Primetime Champion

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Fox News Channel continues to roll on a 24-hour basis

Jalen Brunson #11 of the New York Knicks dribbles the ball during the game against the Philadelphia 76ers during Round 1 Game 6 of the 2024 NBA Playoffs on May 2, 2024
The New York Knicks’ series-clinching Game 6 NBA playoffs win over the Philadelphia 76ers drove TNT to win the week in primetime. (Image credit: Getty Images)

TNT last week rang up its second-straight primetime ratings win on the strength of its NBA postseason coverage.

TNT averaged 2.5 million viewers for the week of April 29-May 5, topping Fox News Channel’s 2 million viewers, according to Nielsen numbers supplied by Fox News. TNT was paced by its coverage of May 2’s series-clinching Game 6 of the New York Knicks-Philadelphia 76ers first-round series, which averaged 4.7 million viewers.

ESPN, fueled by postseason NBA and NHL action, finished third with 1.3 million viewers, followed by MSNBC with 1.1 million viewers and TBS, also airing the NHL Stanley Cup playoffs, with 786,000 watchers. 

HGTV was sixth for the week with 739,000 viewers, followed by Hallmark Channel (640,000), History (612,000), and CNN and USA Network (tied with 594,000).

Fox News topped the total-day chart for the 17th straight week, followed by MSNBC (836,000 viewers), TNT (713,000), ESPN (575,000) and CNN (492,000), according to Nielsen.

R. Thomas Umstead
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.