TV Ratings: Clippers-Nuggets loses to NFL, 27 million to 1.3 million
Game 6 of the Western Conference semifinals between the Los Angeles Clippers and Denver Nuggets was fighting a thankless television battle it couldn't win -- and didn't.
That's because that particular game, carried by ESPN, went head-to-head with the start of the NFL's opening Sunday, and tipped off at the exact time of the day's first football games.
The numbers reflected what the league was well aware would be a losing battle. As relayed by RealGM, the NFL games on CBS and FOX combined to draw 27 million viewers. At the same time, the Nuggets' victory drew just 1.3 million viewers.
On the bright side for the NBA, Game 7 of that series is Tuesday night, also on ESPN, with little competition standing in its way. Or at least not NFL competition, which tends to demolish everything else on television.
"The Los Angeles Lakers' Game 4 win over the Houston Rockets was the second lowest NBA game of the week as it competed against Thursday Night Football, drawing 2.496 million viewers compared to 20.535 million for the Kansas City Chiefs and Houston Texans," per RealGM.
Overall, NBA playoff ratings have improved since the first round, though there was really no place to go but up. According to one report, first-round ratings dropped 27 percent since last season, and 40 percent from two years ago.
