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For Immediate Release
ESPN PR
June 3, 2008
860-766-2000

ESPN NBA Audience Up Across Platforms

 

ESPN’s NBA coverage has generated audience growth across the company’s multimedia platforms, including significant improvements in television viewership and online traffic during the NBA Playoffs. 

 

ESPN – NBA Playoffs through Eastern Conference Finals

  • ESPN’s coverage of the 2008 NBA Playoffs ranks as the network’s most-viewed ever (3,149,000 households; previous high – 2,994,000 households in 2006);
  • The 3,149,000 households for 21 telecasts marks an increase of 41 percent when compared to 2,239,000 households last year (17 telecasts);
  • The corresponding 3.3 rating is up 38 percent over the 2.4 rating in 2007.

 

ABC – NBA Playoffs through Eastern Conference Finals

  • 10 NBA Playoff broadcasts are averaging 4,191,000 households, marking a 29 percent increase compared to 3,255,000 households last postseason (10 broadcasts);
  • ABC’s 3.7 rating is up 28 percent over the 2.9 rating last year.

 

ESPN – Eastern Conference Finals

  • ESPN’s Eastern Conference Finals coverage between the Boston Celtics and Detroit Pistons is the network’s most-viewed Conference Finals ever (4,552,000 households; previous high – 4,352,000 in 2006, Detroit/Miami);
  • The 4,552,000 households (five telecasts) are up 53 percent over last year’s 2,983,000 households (three telecasts);
  • ESPN’s 4.7 rating is an increase of 47 percent over the 3.2 rating last year. 

 

ABC – Eastern Conference Finals

  • The Eastern Conference Finals on ABC averaged 4,171,000 households (one broadcast), an improvement of 21 percent compared to 3,450,000 households (two broadcasts);
  • The 3.7 rating is up 19 percent over the 3.1 rating last postseason. 

 

Additional examples of audience growth include:

 

ESPN.com

  • Visits to the site’s NBA content during the Conference Finals were up 53 percent compared to last year;
  • Unique users to NBA content during the Conference Finals were up 45 percent;
  • During the entire NBA Playoffs, visits to NBA content are up 57 percent;
  • Season-to-date, visits to NBA content are up 54 percent.

 

Additional ESPN.com statistics

  • During the Conference Finals:
    • ESPN.com’s Daily Dime has generated more than three million page views;
    • ESPN.com’s TrueHoop has generated more than one-and-a-half million page views;
  • During the post-season, the Daily Dime has had more than nine million page views;
  • This season, ESPN.com Video has received more than 100 million views for NBA-related content (through the end of April).

 

ESPN360.com

  • Broadband network ESPN360.com provided live coverage of 101 NBA games this season including, for the first time, 29 in high definition streaming;
  • Fans watching NBA Playoff games on ESPN360.com averaged 60-plus minutes of time spent viewing, more than 20 times the average time spent viewing online video (comScore Media Metrix average is less than three minutes per stream).

 

ESPN Mobile

  • 26 million NBA mobile alerts – text and video – have been sent to fans his season.

 

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