re: NBA Finals ratings abysmal

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ratings from the previous rounds when the ratings were up from previous seasons

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All told, the 24 games of the Conference Semifinals averaged 4.1 million viewers, down 16% compared to the analogous round in 2019 (4.87 million). Before the weekend's TNT games helped boost the overall turnout, viewership for the second round of the playoffs was down 20% versus the comparable four series in the pre-pandemic postseason.

Since the playoffs began in Milwaukee on May 22, live coverage on ABC, ESPN and TNT has scared up an average crowd of 3.46 million viewers, down 7% versus the 3.73 million registered two years ago. While a single-digit drop counts as a win in the current media landscape (TV usage during the playoffs is down nearly 18% compared to the standard window two years prior), it’s also worth noting that the 2021 results are somewhat inflated by the addition of out-of-home viewers to the Nielsen sample.

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