Tv Ratings

TNT set ratings records for its season-opening NBA doubleheader Tuesday, which kicked off with the Boston Celtics beating the LeBron James -led Miami Heat, followed by the Kobe Bryant -led Lakers' game against the Houston Rockets, which included the defending champions' ring ceremony. The Heat-Celtics matchup was the most-watched regular-season NBA game in cable history, and the doubleheader was the most-watched opening doubleheader in Turner's 27 years of broadcasting the NBA. The night's games together averaged 5.4 million viewers, according to the Nielsen ratings, while the Heat and the Celtics averaged 7.43 million.

The NFL is off to a strong start in its TV ratings after drawing big numbers last season. Thursday's Vikings-Saints opener earned the highest rating for a regular-season prime-time game in 12 years. NBC said that New Orleans' 14-9 win in a rematch of the NFC championship game drew a 16.5 rating and 28 share. That's the best in prime time in the regular season since a Minnesota-Green Bay game in 1998. It's by far the highest rating for a Thursday night opener since the NFL started such games in 2002.

A Game 7 between the Lakers and Celtics is usually a slam dunk when it comes to ratings, and Thursday night's matchup was no exception. About 28.2 million people watched the Lakers take Game 7, 83-79, and march off with the team's 16th championship, according to the Nielsen ratings service. It was the biggest audience to watch a deciding game since 35.9 million tuned in to watch Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls beat the Utah Jazz in 1998. For the entire Lakers-Celtics series, the average audience was 18.1 million people.

This month's World Cup in South Africa has soared to some of the best U.S. TV ratings since the tournament was held in Chicago 16 years ago. But fans hoping for a concurrent boost in the stateside popularity of soccer should hold off blowing their vuvuzelas just yet. Saturday's match between the U.S. and England on ABC and the Spanish-language network Univision scored an average of 14.5 million viewers, making it the most-watched first-round...

With its three NBA Finals games sweeping the top three spots in the ratings, ABC had its most-watched week between Memorial Day and Labor Day in six years. Game 5 of the series between the Lakers and Boston Celtics on Sunday was the most-watched program between June 7 and Sunday, averaging 18.65 million viewers, according to live-plus-same day figures released Tuesday by the Nielsen Co. Game 4 Thursday was second for the week, averaging 16.37 million viewers, the most for a Game 4 since the Lakers-Detroit Pistons series of 2004.

Commissioner Gary Bettman said Friday that NHL revenues are projected to rise about 4% this season and hit record levels on the heels of a rise in sponsorships and in TV ratings, and that the salary cap, which had been expected to drop in a wobbly economy, could grow by $2 million if the players' association exercises its right to approve a 5% escalator clause. The cap was $56.8 million this season. Bettman also said the league's franchises are stable and firmly denied a report that the Kings are for sale.

Lakers fans, if all you're hearing is LeBron, LeBron, LeBron, Celtics, LeBron, LeBron's elbow, Phoenix, San Antonio, LeBron, don't be insulted, be proud. Or, as TNT's Kenny Smith says, "Chill out, Lakers fans, and don't get worked up. It's a compliment if we're not talking about the Lakers. It just means we don't expect the Utah series to be too tough." The Lakers lead the series, 2-0, with Game 3 set for Saturday night in Utah. And as Smith suggests, there's a different feel to these second-round playoff games.

The return of first-run episodes of its Tuesday-night lineup helped CBS return to the top of the prime-time television ratings last week following a one-week absence. With "NCIS" and "NCIS: Los Angeles" as the week's two most-watched scripted programs and "The Good Wife" finishing 13th overall, CBS averaged 9.49 million viewers for its prime-time programming between April 26 and Sunday, according to figures released Tuesday by the Nielsen Co. CBS averaged 14.66 million viewers for its Tuesday lineup — 57% more than the previous Tuesday, when it aired reruns during a week it finished second behind Fox Broadcasting.

The role sounds perfect for a leading man or woman: a charismatic diplomat who hobnobs with the Hollywood elite and powerful politicians. An agent might want to call a George Clooney or a Meryl Streep. Instead, it looks like they're going to have to call central casting. The role of head for the Motion Picture Assn. of America, the lobbying organization of the six major studios that also oversees the movie and TV ratings systems, is proving to be a tough one to fill. No clear star candidates have emerged as front-runners, despite it being widely known for almost a year that Chief Executive Dan Glickman was stepping down last week after five years on the job. Glickman, a former congressman from Kansas and secretary of Agriculture, didn't exactly flash glamour and power.