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PACERS-PISTONS GAME 6: ESPN'S MOST-WATCHED BASKETBALL GAME NBA EASTERN CONFERENCE FINALE SETS NUMEROUS ESPN MARKS

More people watched Game 6 of the NBA Eastern Conference Finals on Tuesday than any basketball game - college or pro, men's or women's - in ESPN's nearly 25-year history. The Detroit Pistons' victory over the Indiana Pacers to earn a trip to the NBA Finals earned a 5.0 rating - the highest NBA rating in ESPN history - and was seen in an average of 4,406,000 households. This breaks the record for basketball viewership set earlier this year by the NCAA Women's Basketball Championship between Tennessee and Connecticut, an average of 3,801,000, based on a 4.3 rating.

In addition, the 5.0 rating is ESPN's best to date in 2004 (the NFL Pro Bowl on February 8 earned a 4.8) and is the most-watched second-quarter program in ESPN history (a record previously held by the 2004 NCAA Women's Basketball Championship referenced above).

Overall, the NBA Eastern Conference Finals posted a strong increase in ratings compared to 2003. The six games averaged a 3.8 rating, up 36% from last year's 2.8 average (two games). Among men 18-34, a key demographic group for advertisers, the increase was 32%, from 2.5 to 3.3.

The 2004 NBA Playoffs on ESPN averaged a 2.7 rating (26 games), up 13% from a 2.4 last year (20 games). This performance has contributed to what will be ESPN's 10th consecutive quarter of increased viewership (on a year-to-year basis), dating back to the first quarter of 2002. Among men 18-34, the increase was also 13%, from 2.3 to 2.6.