Heat streak won’t help TV ratings yet
by Michael Hiestand, USA TODAY Sports
The defending NBA champion Miami Heat are already of one of the league’s two-biggest TV draws — rivaled only by the Los Angeles Lakers.
And Miami’s 23-game win streak only makes the team more media-genic.
But Miami can’t help the NBA’s national TV ratings — at least this week.
Consider what Miami’s game at Cleveland Wednesday, its upcoming home games against Detroit on Friday and Charlotte on Sunday and its road game at Orlando on Monday have in common: They won’t be nationally televised.
Fans from coast to coast will have to wait until Miami plays at Chicago on March 27 — when ESPN airs that game.
Too bad for the league’s national TV ratings.
Miami’s win at Boston Monday, as the Heat moved closer to breaking the all-time NBA record of 33 consecutive wins set by the 1971-72 Lakers, drew a 3.1 overnight rating.
That translates into 3.1% of households in the 56 urban markets measured by overnights — and is up 55% from comparable coverage of New York-Chicago game last year.
It was ESPN’s third-best overnight ever for a regular-season NBA game.
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