By David Bauder, Television Writer
NEW YORK (AP) --The second straight NBA Finals matchup between Golden State and Cleveland got off to a promising start for ABC, but the network has to be hoping the series becomes more competitive in a hurry.
The first two games averaged 18.3 million viewers, the Nielsen company said on Tuesday. Except for last year’s two-game average of 18.5 million, it’s the best start for the NBA Finals for viewers since the 2001 series between Philadelphia and Los Angeles.
But the trend line isn’t good: while the first game had 19.2 million viewers, Sunday night’s blowout win for the Warriors dropped to 17.5 million, Nielsen said. It was the opposite last year, where an overtime second game outdrew the series opener.
Unless Cleveland can get back into it when the series heads east on Wednesday, viewership interest will likely continue to fade.
The Simon Cowell effect was worth half a million viewers to NBC’s “America’s Got Talent.” The series’ summer premiere, with Cowell as a new judge, drew nearly 11.7 million viewers last week. The season-opener with Howard Stern last year had 11.1 million viewers, Nielsen said.
NBC’s summer variety series with Maya Rudolph and Martin Short had a moderately promising debut, reaching 6.3 million viewers on its first night.
ABC won the week with an average of 6.9 million viewers in prime time. CBS had 4.9 million, NBC had 4.6 million, Fox had 2.8 million, Univision had 2.2 million, Telemundo had 1.41 million, ION Television had 1.37 million and the CW had 980,000.
TNT was the week’s most popular cable network, averaging 2.37 million viewers in prime time. Fox News Channel had 1.71 million, the Disney Channel had 1.57 million, HGTV had 1.56 million and USA had 1.55 million.
ABC’s “World News Tonight” nipped its rivals at NBC in the nightly news evening race for its third win in a row. ABC averaged 7.8 million viewers, NBC’s “Nightly News” had 7.7 million and the “CBS Evening News” had 6.5 million.
Below are primetime viewership numbers compiled by Nielsen for May 30-June 5. Listings include the week’s ranking and viewership.
1. NBA Finals: Cleveland vs. Golden State, Game 1, ABC, 19.2 million.
2. NBA Finals: Cleveland vs. Golden State, Game 2, ABC, 17.49 million.
3. NBA Playoffs: Oklahoma City vs. Golden State, Game 7, TNT, 16 million.
4. “America’s Got Talent,” NBC, 11.67 million.
5. “NBA Finals Post-Game,” ABC, 9.15 million.
6. “60 Minutes,” CBS, 8.27 million.
7. “Game of Thrones,” HBO, 7.8 million.
8. “The Big Bang Theory,” CBS, 7.79 million.
9. “NCIS,” CBS, 7.42 million.
10. “NCIS: New Orleans,” CBS, 6.98 million.
11. “Inside the NBA Playoffs,” TNT, 6.88 million.
12. “Person of Interest,” CBS, 6.67 million.
13. “American Ninja Warrior,” NBC, 6.35 million.
14. “NBA Countdown,” ABC, 6.27 million.
15. “Maya & Marty,” NBC, 6.26 million.
16. “The Bachelorette,” ABC, 5.94 million.
17. “Blue Bloods,” CBS, 5.75 million.
18. “Hawaii Five-0,” CBS, 5.6 million.
19. “Life in Pieces,” CBS, 5.52 million.
20. “Person of Interest,” CBS, 5.49 million.
Sinners and Saints Adds Apple Pie To Its Branded Menu
Bicoastal Sinners and Saints--the multidisciplinary studio overseen by managing director/executive producer Heather Heller, and partners/EPs Yann Henric and Thomas Carroll--has added Apple Pie Tabletop to its roster for branded content. Known for its food and beverage content creation, Apple Pie comprises the husband-and-wife team of director/DP Gene Dubin and director/art director Alisa Volodina. In addition to representation, the move expands Apple Pie’s production capabilities through the combination of its centrally located full-service studio in New York and a newly established mobile studio in Los Angeles. Apple Pie recently teamed with Sinners and Saints on a Wienerschnitzel project created by Innocean.
“We believe that our dual studio strategy positions us uniquely in the competitive landscape of food and beverage storytelling,” said Heller. “By blending the artistry of the New York studio with the flexibility of our Los Angeles location, we can tailor our productions to meet the unique demands of each project, regardless of geography.”
“Working with Sinners and Saints in the demanding field of tabletop was an absolute pleasure,” shared Apple Pie Tabletop in a joint statement. “Warm welcome, unwavering support and dedication--everything a director can ask for. The entire experience was both enjoyable and rewarding. We will not miss an opportunity to collaborate with them again.”
“The first thing you notice is that Apple Pie has beautiful work,” Heller observed. “Having worked with them, I can say that Gene and Alisa are extremely meticulous and detail-oriented; their combination of talent and agility appeals to agencies and clients.” Also appealing to Heller is Apple Pie Tabletop’s brisk international... Read More