LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers took one huge step towards becoming NBA champions on Tuesday night.
The L.A. outfit went 3-1 up over the Miami Heat with a 102-96 victory, which also happened to be the most-watched game so far in the series. The game scored a 2.9 rating among adults 18-49 and drew roughly 7.5 million total viewers, even on the previous game ratings-wise. Those numbers are subject to upwards adjustment and while they don’t compare favorably with previous finals, it’s worth baring in mind that there are multiple COVID-19 and general TV viewership-related explanations for the league’s lower ratings in the Orlando bubble. Prior to the game, Jimmy Kimmel and the NBA Countdown averaged a 1.3 rating and 4.2 million viewers.
Meanwhile over on Fox, new drama “Next” starring John Slattery debuted to a meager 0.3 rating and 1.8 million pairs of eyeballs. For comparison, fellow freshman series “Filthy Rich” premiered to a 0.5 rating and over 3 million viewers a couple weeks back. Prior to “Next,” a replay of “Cosmos: Possible Worlds” delivered a 0.3 and 1.3 million viewers.
Meanwhile “Ellen’s Game of Games” returned for season 4 to the tune of a 0.7 rating and 3.3 million viewers, which represents a significant decline on its previous season average of a 1.0 and 4.7 million viewers. After a strong debut last week, Jane Lynch and “The Weakest Link” dipped by a third to a 0.8 rating and just under 5 million viewers from 6 million. Canadian drama “Transplant” also dipped to a 0.4 rating and 3.3 million viewers.
The broadcast premiere of “Swamp Thing” slimed its way to a 0.2 rating and 1.1 million pairs of eyeballs for the CW. Over on CBS, the premiere of “FBI Declassified” scored a 0.3 and 3.3 million viewers.
Univision averaged a 0.4 across the night with “Medicos” and “Imperio De Mentiras” leading the way. Univision averaged a 0.3, with “Todo Por Mi Hija” drawing the largest audience of 1.2 million viewers.