The series, which the Warriors won in six games, registered a 13.9 overnight rating, according to metered market ratings from Nielsen. Its 19.94 million viewer average was the highest since 1998, the year Jordan won his final title with the Bulls.
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Tuesday’s series-clinching Game 6 delivered a 15.9 overnight rating, the best-rated Game 6 ever on ABC since the network began carrying the finals in 2003.
What the series lacked in big-market franchises it made up in star power, featuring Cleveland’s LeBron James and Golden State’s Stephen Curry.
In San Francisco, Tuesday’s Game 6 broadcast generated a 40.7 overnight rating, according to Nielsen — the highest-rated NBA game ever in the market. It also registered a 42.0 rating in Cleveland, which ranks as the market’s fifth-highest rated NBA game ever on ABC or ESPN.
The series also broke records on ESPN’s digital platforms. Game 6 attracted 939,000 unique viewers to WatchESPN, the most ever for an NBA game on the platform.
