LeBron Watch Draws Big Ratings

July 12, 2010 11:29 AM

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Entertainment, NBA, Sports

lebron small4 LeBron Watch Draws Big Ratings

About 13 million viewers tuned in to watch LeBron James’ free agency announcement last Thursday. The Nielsen Company estimates that number for the segment of the one-hour ESPN special “The Decision,” when James specifically announced his departure from the Cleveland Cavaliers for the Miami Heat. Nielsen’s numbers further show that Cleveland topped all other local markets for viewership of “The Decision” with a household rating of 26, followed by Columbus, Ohio, and then Miami-Fort Lauderdale and the Washington, DC area. The numbers for Lebron don’t quite match the last major announcement from a sports superstar. When Tiger Woods made his first public statement in February about his marital infidelity scandal, that broadcast drew almost 22 million viewers, but the broadcast was on 18 networks.