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It lacked the star power of a hypothetical Lakers/Cavaliers matchup and lacked
the tradition of last year's Lakers/Celtics tilt, but the Lakers/Magic NBA
Finals still put up respectable numbers on ABC.

The five-game 2009 NBA Finals averaged an 8.4 rating and 14.3 million viewers on
ABC, down 10% in ratings and 4% in viewers from a 9.3 and 14.9 million for last
year's Lakers/Celtics series. While the 14.3 million viewers is the
second-highest average for the NBA Finals since '04, the 8.4 rating is the
fourth-lowest average since 1981 -- and the lowest average for an NBA Finals
involving the Lakers since 1980.

Game 5 of the NBA Finals drew a 7.9 rating and 14 million viewers on Sunday
night, according to Nielsen fast-nationals, down 23% in ratings and 19% in
viewers from a 10.2 and 17.3 million for Celtics/Lakers Game 5 last year. The
7.9 is the lowest rating for a Game 5 in the NBA Finals since 2003, and the 14
million viewers is the least for a Game 5 since 2005. Game 5 easily had the
biggest drop in ratings and viewership of any game in the NBA Finals.

This marks only the third time since 1981 that not a single game of the NBA
Finals managed to draw a double-digit rating. Additionally, this is the first
time since 2003 that ratings have declined from Game 4 to Game 5 of the NBA
Finals.

While Lakers/Magic was down from last year, four of the five games in the series
drew at least 14 million viewers -- a threshold surpassed by only 10 of the
previous 23 NBA Finals games.

On another bright note for the NBA and ABC, the NBA Finals account for the top
five programs on broadcast or cable since the end of the television season in
both total viewers and adults 18-49. The series as a whole averaged a 5.8 rating
in the adults 18-49 demo, down 5% from last year, and the second-highest since
'04.

Compared to past years, the five-game Lakers/Magic series was up 35% and 54%,
respectively, from a 6.2 and 9.3 million for Spurs/Cavaliers in '07, and down 1%
and up 10%, respectively, from an 8.5 and 13 million for Heat/Mavericks in '06.

To put the numbers in perspective, the NBA Finals finished with the same rating
as last year's World Series (8.4), but surpassed the World Series in viewership
(14.3 million to 13.6 million). The 8.4 average rating is slightly higher than
the 8.3 for the final round of The Masters, but falls behind a 9.0 for the Final
Four, a 9.2 for the Daytona 500, a 9.8 for the Kentucky Derby and a 10.2 for the
Bowl Championship Series.

Overall, ABC averaged a 5.1 rating for its coverage of the 2009 NBA Playoffs,
including the Finals, down 12% from a 5.8 last year. The 5.1 average ties NASCAR
on FOX (including the Daytona 500), but falls behind a 5.7 for the NCAA
Tournament on CBS (including the Final Four) and a 6.7 for the MLB playoffs on
FOX (the NLCS and World Series).