High ratings in Atlanta for NBA Finals Game 1

Atlanta posted the seventh highest TV rating in the nation for Thursday night’s opening game of the NBA Finals – the third highest outside the states of the participating teams.

ABC’s telecast of Golden State’s Game 1 victory over Cleveland drew a 16.9 rating in the Atlanta TV market, meaning 16.9 percent of the market’s TV households watched the game on average, according to Nielsen figures.

Nationally, the game had a 13.1 overnight rating.

The highest local ratings were in the Cavaliers’ and Warriors’ home markets. The game delivered a 36.0 rating in Cleveland and 32.8 in San Francisco.

The Sacramento, Calif., and Columbus, Ohio, markets were next at 20.2 and 18.9, respectively. Then came Miami (18.8), San Antonio (18.7) and Atlanta.

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