CLEVELAND, OH – OCTOBER 25: The Cleveland Cavaliers championship banner is raised before the game against the New York Knicks at Quicken Loans Arena on October 25, 2016 in Cleveland, Ohio. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)

With the Cleveland Cavaliers and Golden State Warriors anchoring the 2016-17 NBA Opening Night doubleheader, TNT saw its biggest audience since 2013. The New York-Cleveland and San Antonio-Golden State double-dip delivered a 1.9 rating and an average viewership of 3.2 million.

And the numbers gave TNT an 89% increase from its average viewership of NBA regular season telecasts last season.

The primetime doubleheader won the night over all cable competition.

Some highlights from last night’s Opening Night games:

  • New York-Cleveland had a 1.7 rating with 2.9 million viewers.
  • Despite being a blowout, San Antonio-Golden State improved on the Knicks-Cavs lead-in with a 2.1 rating and 3.5 million viewers peaking at 4.1 million from midnight-12:15 a.m. ET.
  • The Spurs 29-point win over the Warriors set a TNT ratings record for a regular season NBA game in the San Francisco-Oakland market with a 12.5 rating.
  • San Antonio received an 11.1 rating.
  • Knicks/Cavs averaged a 9.1 rating in Cleveland and a 4.6 in New york.
  • And the games saw more streaming consumption with 5.5 million minutes, up 97% from last year’s season opening doubleheader.

Overall, the numbers are quite encouraging for the NBA as it comes off a very good 2015-16 season. As it looks forward to 2016-17, the Association has reason to believe that the ratings on ABC/ESPN and TNT will continue to be good for the regular season as interest in the league is high.

With the Cavs and Warriors playing at a high level, they could pace the NBA into a higher ratings stratosphere in 2016-17.

About Ken Fang

Ken has been covering the sports media in earnest at his own site, Fang's Bites since May 2007 and at Awful Announcing since March 2013.

He provides a unique perspective having been an award-winning radio news reporter in Providence and having worked in local television.

Fang celebrates the four Boston Red Sox World Championships in the 21st Century, but continues to be a long-suffering Cleveland Browns fan.