NBA Playoffs Dominate May

NBA Playoffs Dominate May

Game 2 of the Pistons-Heat Series was the Highest Rated Prime Time Cable Program During May Sweeps

NEW YORK, June 2 /PRNewswire/ -- The 2005 NBA Playoffs have powered TNT and ESPN to key victories among cable networks during the critical May Sweeps period, April 28-May 25, according to data from Nielsen Media Research. Among males 18-34 and 18-49, the key audiences most important to advertisers, the NBA Playoffs won 22 of the 24 nights they aired during May Sweeps -- with TNT winning 15 of the nights, and ESPN winning seven of the nights. The playoffs appeared on prime time cable for 24 of the 28 nights of May Sweeps and for 16 of those nights, TNT and ESPN NBA Playoff programming garnered cable's highest prime time ratings among all households.

TNT also garnered the highest rated prime time cable program during May Sweeps for its coverage of Game 2 of the Eastern Conference Finals on May 25, which featured the Detroit Pistons and the Miami Heat (3.8 US rating).

The NBA Playoffs propelled TNT and ESPN to rank #1 and #2 respectively in cable prime time for the key male demos 18-34 and 18-49 important to advertisers. With its NBA Playoff coverage, TNT ranked as ad-supported cable's #1 network for the month across the board in prime time and among targeted adult demos: adults 18-34 (686,000), adults 18-49 (1,422,000), men 18-34 (496,000), men 18-49 (1,008,000), adults 25-54 (1,366,000), persons 2+ (2,763,000) and households (2,146,000). With its NBA Playoff coverage, ESPN ranked #2 in cable prime time among the demos for men 18-34 (277,000), and men 18-49 (557,000).

Source: NBA

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