TV Ratings: NBA Finals Game 4 Rebounds, ‘Ellen’s Game of Games’ Goes Low

Will Thorne
·2 min read

LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers took one huge step towards becoming NBA champions on Tuesday night.

The L.A. outfit went 3-1 up over the Miami Heat with a 102-96 victory, which also happened to be the most-watched game so far in the series. The game scored a 2.9 rating among adults 18-49 and drew roughly 7.5 million total viewers, even on the previous game ratings-wise. Those numbers are subject to upwards adjustment and while they don’t compare favorably with previous finals, it’s worth baring in mind that there are multiple COVID-19 and general TV viewership-related explanations for the league’s lower ratings in the Orlando bubble. Prior to the game, Jimmy Kimmel and the NBA Countdown averaged a 1.3 rating and 4.2 million viewers.

Meanwhile over on Fox, new drama “Next” starring John Slattery debuted to a meager 0.3 rating and 1.8 million pairs of eyeballs. For comparison, fellow freshman series “Filthy Rich” premiered to a 0.5 rating and over 3 million viewers a couple weeks back. Prior to “Next,” a replay of “Cosmos: Possible Worlds” delivered a 0.3 and 1.3 million viewers.

Meanwhile “Ellen’s Game of Games” returned for season 4 to the tune of a 0.7 rating and 3.3 million viewers, which represents a significant decline on its previous season average of a 1.0 and 4.7 million viewers. After a strong debut last week, Jane Lynch and “The Weakest Link” dipped by a third to a 0.8 rating and just under 5 million viewers from 6 million. Canadian drama “Transplant” also dipped to a 0.4 rating and 3.3 million viewers.

The broadcast premiere of “Swamp Thing” slimed its way to a 0.2 rating and 1.1 million pairs of eyeballs for the CW. Over on CBS, the premiere of “FBI Declassified” scored a 0.3 and 3.3 million viewers.

Univision averaged a 0.4 across the night with “Medicos” and “Imperio De Mentiras” leading the way. Univision averaged a 0.3, with “Todo Por Mi Hija” drawing the largest audience of 1.2 million viewers.

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