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Subscribe NowTNT brought home its first prime-time ratings title of 2011, as the network’s coverage of the NBA All-Star Weekend powered it to a sweep of the key demos.
According to Nielsen live-plus-same-day ratings data, TNT closed out the week ended Feb. 20 with an average nightly draw of 3.25 million total viewers, of which 1.71 million were members of the 18-49 demo. The Turner net also beat all comers among adults 25-54 (1.52 million) and viewers 18-34 (1 million).
Midway through a record NBA season, the league’s annual East-West scrimmage delivered its biggest audience in nearly a decade, serving up 9.09 million viewers Sunday night between 8:46 p.m. and 11:41 p.m. EST. Deliveries for the All-Star Game represented a 33 percent improvement from last year’s draw of 6.85 million fans.
TNT also enjoyed significant gains in the core demos, averaging 5.23 million viewers 18-49 (up 38 percent from the 2010 All-Star Game), 4.31 million adults 25-54 (up 29 percent) and 3.58 million men 18-49 (an increase of 47 percent).
The big turnout for the actual game came on the heels of a banner evening for NBA All-Star Saturday Night, which averaged 8.13 million total viewers, of which 5.23 million were members of the 18-49 set. Presented by State Farm, the series of events topped TNT’s year-ago deliveries by 23 percent.
Second place on the week went to USA Network, which averaged 3.02 million viewers in prime, a haul that included 1.14 million adults 25-54 and 1.04 million 18-49s. USA’s biggest draw came courtesy of WWE Raw, followed by original drama series Royal Pains, repeats of NCIS and coverage of the Westminster Dog Show, which drew 3.52 million viewers on Feb. 15.
