Cable TV Ratings - 5/3/09

For the week ending on May 3, NBA playoff coverage dominated Nielsen Media's Top 20 Cable TV ratings. In the No. 1 position was the Bulls/Celtics Game 7, followed by the Celtics/Bulls Game 6 in the No. 2 spot. The Bulls/Celtics Game 5 did not attract quite as strong of an audience, but still made the top 20 list at the No. 16 position. Saturday's Chicago Bulls/Boston Celtics Game 7 battle, broadcast on TNT, was the most-watched first round NBA playoff game in cable TV history.

As usual, USA Network's WWE Entertainment held a strong top 20 presence, but fell to the No. 3 and No. 4 positions due to NBA coverage. NCIS occupied six of the top 20 spots, with No. 5 being the peak position.

According to Nielsen Media, cable TV ratings for the week ending on May 3 were as follows:

1. Bulls/Celtics - TNT
2. Celtics/Bulls - TNT
3. WWE Entertainment - USA
4. WWE Entertainment - USA
5. NCIS - USA
6. NCIS - USA
7. Hannah Montana - DSNY
8. NCIS - USA
9. NCIS - USA
10. Sonny with a Chance - DSNY
11. SpongeBob SquarePants - NICK
12. FOP Movie Wishology Final - DSNY
13. FOP Movie Wishology Begin - DSNY
14. Jonas - DSNY
15. NCIS - USA
16. Bulls/Celtics - TNT
17. NCIS - USA
18. Back at the Barnyard - NICK
19. For the Love of Ray J - VH1
20. Trailblazers/Rockets - TNT

Thanks to Saturday's Bulls/Celtics record-breaking NBA playoff ratings, TNT held the top position for prime-time network viewership during the week of May 3. USA Network has been the top-ranked network since April 27, attracting an average of nearly 3.5 million viewers. It is no surprise that Nickelodeon ranked #1 in total day cable TV viewership, with an average audience of 2.1 million.