TV Ratings : NBC Wins With NBA Finale

Nearly half of the nation’s TV viewers tuned out ABC, CBS and NBC last week, the A.C. Nielsen research firm reported Tuesday. But NBC won the week’s ratings, in part because the final game of the NBA championship series drew 36% of the audience and was the top-ranked program. About 29,780,000 viewers watched the fifth and final game, statistics showed. The week’s No. 2 program, a “Roseanne” rerun, was more than 8 million viewers behind.

The tune-out of network viewing was unmistakable as only 52% of the audience watched the Big Three broadcast organizations. NBC led with a 9.5 ratings average and 19% audience share. CBS was second with an 8.8 and 17% share. ABC trailed with 8.3 and 16%. (Each rating point equals 931,000 homes.)

* Reruns of “All in the Family” continue to draw well for CBS, tying for 22nd place among 90 programs.

Show Points Share 1. “NBA Finals: Game 5” (NBC) 19.7 36 2. “Roseanne” (ABC) 14.8 27 3. “Cheers” (NBC) 13.8 26 4. “60 Minutes” (CBS) 13.2 32 5. “Coach” (ABC) 13.1 23 * “All in the Family” (CBS) 10.8 22