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TV audience for NBA Finals was more diverse than a decade ago

Dwyane Wade, left, LeBron James and Chris Bosh led the Miami Heat to victory over the San Antonio Spurs in an NBA Finals that drew a diverse viewing audience.
(David Santiago / Associated Press )
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As the NBA’s popularity has increased around the world over the last decade, its TV viewership in the United States has become more diverse, according to Nielsen.

Whereas the audience for the 2003 NBA finals was 63% white, only 52% of the viewers for this year’s finals were white.

The seven-game series this month between the San Antonio Spurs and the Miami Heat, which generated strong ratings for ABC, drew more Latino viewers than previous NBA Finals.

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Viewership among Latinos increased 31% compared with last year, and their share of the total audience has grown too.

Latinos made up 16% of NBA Finals viewers this year, compared with 13% a decade ago.

In the last decade, African Americans have increased their share of the TV viewing audience. African Americans made up 34% of viewers this year compared with 27% in 2003.

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However, compared with 2012’s five-game series between the Miami Heat and the Oklahoma City Thunder, African American viewership fell by two percentage points.

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Twitter: @rfaughnder

ryan.faughnder@latimes.com

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