Leadoff: Hawks’ TV ratings fourth lowest in NBA

Hawks forward John Collins blocks a shot by the  Lakers’ LeBron James during the second half of a Feb. 12 game in Atlanta.

Credit: ccompton@ajc.com

Credit: ccompton@ajc.com

Hawks forward John Collins blocks a shot by the Lakers’ LeBron James during the second half of a Feb. 12 game in Atlanta.

The Hawks’ local TV ratings are up slightly this season, but still near the bottom of the NBA.

Ratings in the Atlanta television market for Hawks games on Fox Sports Southeast have increased 3 percent from this point a year ago to 0.60, which is the fourth lowest among the league's 30 teams in their home markets, according to a SportsBusiness Journal analysis of NBA ratings at the All-Star break.

The Hawks’ rating means 0.60 of every 100 households in the Atlanta market — or about 14,000 homes — have watched the team’s telecasts on average.

The only NBA teams with lower ratings in their local markets this season are the Orlando Magic (0.44), Brooklyn Nets (0.47) and Los Angeles Clippers (0.53), according to the SBJ study. The Golden State Warriors have the highest local rating at 7.43. On average, local ratings are down 10 percent across the league.

At this point last season, the Hawks were averaging a 0.58 rating. That dipped to 0.52 for all of last season, a 53-percent decline from the 2016-17 season.

The Hawks (19-39) return from the All-Star break to play the Detroit Pistons on Friday night and the Phoenix Suns on Saturday night, both games at State Farm Arena and on Fox Sports Southeast.

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LEADOFF LINKS

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