Fast National ratings for Sunday, June 15, 2014.
Sorry, ABC. That's it for your NBA Finals summer ratings infusion.
The San Antonio Spurs dispatched the Miami Heat in only five games, with Sunday's series clincher doing the best numbers for this NBA Finals, dominating primetime in all measures and denying ABC what certainly would have been even bigger ratings for Game 6 and Game 7.
Sunday offered few other network notables — “Game of Thrones” finale numbers will be available later — with the “Believe” finale and “Crisis” whimpering weakly for NBC, but still far outperforming FOX's steady-but-tiny returns for “Enlisted.”
On to the results…
Among adults 18-49, ABC averaged a 5.1 rating for Sunday night, more than doubling the combined total for the other three networks in the key demographic. NBC and FOX both averaged 0.8 key demo ratings, while CBS did a 0.5 key demo rating.
Overall, ABC averaged an estimated 13.41 million viewers and a 7.8 rating/14 share for Sunday primetime. CBS was a distant second with 4.31 million viewers and a 2.9/5, topping NBC's 3.44 million viewers and 2.2/4. FOX averaged a 1.1/2 and 1.82 million viewers for the night.
7 p.m. – CBS started primetime in first overall with 7.29 million viewers for “60 Minutes,” which finished third with a 0.8 rating among adults 18-49. ABC's NBA Finals pregame coverage averaged 6.81 million viewers and won the hour with a 2.3 rating among adults 18-49. NBC's US Open overrun and “American Ninja Warrior” encore averaged 4.8 million viewers for third and a 1.0 key demo rating for second. FOX trailed with a new “Enlisted” (1.19 million viewers and a 0.4 key demo rating) and an “American Dad” repeat (1.31 million and a 0.6 key demo).
8 p.m. – The start of the Spurs-Heat action averaged 13.09 million viewers and a 4.9 rating among adults 18-49 to lead ABC in the 8 p.m. hour. CBS' repeat of “The Good Wife” was second with 3.15 million viewers and a distant fourth with a 0.3 key demo rating. NBC's “American Ninja Warrior” encore averaged 2.6 million viewers and a 0.7 key demo rating in third. FOX's repeats of “The Simpsons” and “Family Guy” averaged 2.05 million viewers for fourth and a 0.9 key demo rating for second for the hour.
9 p.m. – The NBA Finals action improved to 15.87 million viewers and a 6.1 rating among adults 18-49 for ABC in the 9 p.m. hour. CBS' second “Good Wife” repeat stayed with 3.15 million viewers and ticked up to a 0.4 key demo rating. On NBC, the series finale of “Believe” was third with 3.135 million viewers and a 0.7 key demo rating. FOX's repeats of “Family Guy” and “American Dad” averaged 2.17 million viewers and a 1.0 key demo rating.
10 p.m. – As San Antonio moved closer to the title, the NBA Finals game moved to 17.865 million viewers and a 7.1 rating among adults 18-49 for ABC in the 10 p.m. hour. CBS' “The Mentalist” repeat was second with 3.655 million viewers and third with a 0.5 key demo rating, compared to the 3.22 million viewers and 0.7 key demo rating for NBC's “Crisis.”
All ratings information comes from preliminary Fast National Nielsen data, which includes live and same-day DVR viewing. All numbers are subject to change, particularly in the case of live events.