NBA Western Conference Finals Break Viewership Records for TNT

TNT said its May 30 telecast of Game 7 of the 2016 NBA Western Conference Finals between the Oklahoma City Thunder and the Golden State Warriors ranked as the most-watched program in the Time Warner cable network’s 38-year history and cable TV’s most-viewed NBA telecast of all time.

The game averaged 15.9 million total viewers and an 8.8 U.S. HH rating, TNT said, citing preliminary Nielsen data..

In addition, the seven-game NBA Western Conference Finals on TNT averaged 9.9 million total viewers and a 5.9 U.S. HH rating, making its coverage the most viewed on cable television. The 2016 NBA Western Conference Finals is up 47 percent in total viewers and 40 percent in U.S. HH rating when compared with 2014, the last time TNT aired the games.

Digital venues operated by TNT’s parent. Turner, evidenced all-time records for the seventh game, including one million uniques, 1.7 million video starts and 23 million minutes of video consumption.

The Warriors’ win averaged a 30.9 in San Francisco, making it TNT’s highest-rated NBA telecast of all time in that market. Additional top local markets for last night’s telecast include Oklahoma City (30.0), Cleveland (20.7), Sacramento (19.2) and Tulsa (15.5).

Variety staff © 2016 Variety Media, LLC, a subsidiary of Penske Business Media; Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC