Game 1 Of 2019 NBA Finals Draws 10.1 Overnight Rating, Down From 12.3 In 2018

Post #1 » by **RealGM Wiretap** » Fri May 31, 2019 2:08 pm

Game 1 of the 2019 NBA Finals between the Golden State Warriors and Toronto Raptors drew a 10.1 overnight rating. Nationally televised games featuring the Toronto Raptors typically get a lower number since Canadian audiences are not included.

The rating is down from 12.3 last season featuring the Warriors against the Cleveland Cavaliers.

2018 — 12.3
2017 — 12.4
2016 — 13.1
2015 — 12.9

Via RealGM Staff Report

bjamm · Post #2 » by **bjamm** » Fri May 31, 2019 3:16 pm

Ive always wondered how they get their ratings if it does not include Canada and more importantly all the people streaming it online.. Doesn't seem very accurate

hyberx · Post #3 » by **hyberx** » Fri May 31, 2019 5:10 pm

Heard it on the radio today. Yeah, they don't include any viewer from Canada. Missing out a whole nation, so it's pretty meaningless.

Post #4 » by **trex_8063** » Fri May 31, 2019 5:12 pm

bjamm wrote:Ive always wondered how they get their ratings if it does not include Canada and more importantly all the people streaming it online.. Doesn't seem very accurate

Kinda my thought; seems sort of pointless/not newsworthy. Ratings down in US is entirely expected when one of the teams is Canadian. But as a resident of Canada I can tell you with certainty that it's having the highest in-Canada TV ratings of any finals in history. I realize we're a much smaller population, so increases here might not be quite enough to make up the deficit in US ratings......but it's gotta at least be kinda close.

VitalSigns · Post #5 » by **VitalSigns** » Fri May 31, 2019 5:26 pm

I know everything is saying Canada is not included, but does that matter? The US is where most of their advertising revenue comes from.

powerhouse117 · Post #6 » by **powerhouse117** » Fri May 31, 2019 6:23 pm

VitalSigns wrote:I know everything is saying Canada is not included, but does that matter? The US is where most of their advertising revenue comes from.

It would matter. Products advertised during the Finals are presumably available in both Canada and the U.S. with few exceptions.

Sam195 · Post #7 » by **Sam195** » Sat Jun 1, 2019 7:16 am

trex_8063 wrote:
bjamm wrote:Ive always wondered how they get their ratings if it does not include Canada and more importantly all the people streaming it online.. Doesn't seem very accurate

Kinda my thought; seems sort of pointless/not newsworthy. Ratings down in US is entirely expected when one of the teams is Canadian. But as a resident of Canada I can tell you with certainty that it's having the highest in-Canada TV ratings of any finals in history. I realize we're a much smaller population, so increases here might not be quite enough to make up the deficit in US ratings......but it's gotta at least be kinda close.

The NBA ad partners are livid they bought their sponsorships and commercial time during the finals and each previous playoff round long before the post season began. They paid prices expecting a Warriors vs Boston/Philly/Milwaukee market matchup with key US national exposure to the coveted 18-49 demo.The Raptors unexpected presence has crashed the value of the ad buys they paid for at the time. Toronto is already experiencing the damage - YoutubeTV is main sponsor of the nba finals and less than 24hrs after the Raptors won Game 1 Youtube (owned by Google) announced they are shuttering their only permanent Canadian studio. The company is clearly cutting costs and investment in Canada to compensate for the overpay and loss of value in this year's nba sponsorship deal. If this was not the case than whoever is in charge of Alphabet's Canadian operations (Google, Youtube, Sidewalk Labs) is clearly a marketing moron that has made a decision that contradicts the sponsorship investment for the nba finals in the homecourt market. This was not a coincidence it was intentional.

https://www.ctvnews.ca/entertainment/youtube-shuttering-its-only-permanent-canadian-studio-1.4445683

VitalSigns · Post #8 » by **VitalSigns** » Sat Jun 1, 2019 12:27 pm

powerhouse117 wrote:
VitalSigns wrote:I know everything is saying Canada is not included, but does that matter? The US is where most of their advertising revenue comes from.

It would matter. Products advertised during the Finals are presumably available in both Canada and the U.S. with few exceptions.

Canadian TV has their own ads, Canadians get Canadian TV ads. Also most of Canada doesn't get ESPN

Sam195 · Post #9 » by **Sam195** » Sat Jun 1, 2019 7:40 pm

VitalSigns wrote:
powerhouse117 wrote:
VitalSigns wrote:I know everything is saying Canada is not included, but does that matter? The US is where most of their advertising revenue comes from.

It would matter. Products advertised during the Finals are presumably available in both Canada and the U.S. with few exceptions.

Canadian TV has their own ads, Canadians get Canadian TV ads. Also most of Canada doesn't get ESPN

Canada has sim-sub where Canadian ads are sold by the broadcasters airing the games in Canada that replace the US ads. Bell/Rogers jointly own MLSE that owns the Raptors team and the local tv rights and split the series with potential game 7s alternating between the broadcasters in each series during a postseason run. Rogers airs games on Sportsnet. Bell airs games on TSN which is also 20% owned by ESPN. Add to that Canadians have ABC and can watch the US broadcast of the finals which is linked to a Buffalo based ABC affiliate so I'm assuming Canadians who legally watch the US broadcast still get counted in the Nielson ratings but as customers in Buffalo, New York.