SAN ANTONIO – The San Antonio Spurs announced today the team is leading the league in local television ratings through January game broadcasts.
Spurs broadcasts averaged an impressive 9.7 Nielsen household rating in the San Antonio market on FOX Sports Southwest through January 5, 2011. According to Nielsen Media Research data, the 9.7 rating is a 54 percent season-to-season increase; pacing the Spurs to top the team’s best-ever season average of 7.7 established in 2004-05.
The Spurs delivered their highest regular-season local rating ever on FOX Sports Southwest on Dec. 28 against the Los Angeles Lakers with a 17.8 rating (150,500 San Antonio households). It was the most-watched program of the day in San Antonio and was the best rating for a Spurs game on FSSW since an 18.3 for Game 5 of last season’s NBA Western Conference first-round playoff series against the Dallas Mavericks on April 27, 2010.
Through January 5, the Spurs have produced their top five all-time regular-season ratings, and nine of the season’s top 10 highest-rated games on any regional sports network in the country.
Since the record regular-season rating on Dec. 28, Spurs ratings have been on a roll, adding to the Top 5 all-time list on FOX Sports Southwest. The No. 2 all-time Spurs regular-season rating was recorded on Jan. 5 against the Boston Celtics with a 14.3 rating/120,500 households, one day after a 14.0 rating/118,600 households on Jan. 4 against the New York Knicks that followed a 13.1 rating/110,400 households on Jan. 1 against the Oklahoma City Thunder. The fifth-highest all-time Spurs regular-season rating on FSSW was set on Dec. 22 against Denver with a 12.3 rating/103,900 households.
Spurs Live pre and post game shows on FSSW also are pulling in high ratings. Postgame shows are averaging a 5.0 rating, a 98 percent increase over last year; while pregame shows are averaging a 2.6 rating for a 52 percent increase.
Spurs broadcasts on KENS 5 TV have averaged a 22 percent season-to-season increase from last year with an 11.8 average rating. In addition, CW35 Spurs ratings are averaging an 8.9 rating seeing a 31% season-to-season increase over the 2009-10 season.
Spurs games are called by Bill Land and Sean Elliot. Andrew Monaco provides sideline reports for all FSSW games, while Joe Reinagel suits up for KENS broadcasts and Chuck Miketinac reports for games on CW35.