FSN Scores with Local NBA Ratings

• O&O Ratings Up 12%

• Repped Teams Up 20%

• Heat on Scorching Pace with 115% Yr-Yr Increase

Heading into this weekend's All-Star break, the NBA's local ratings are up a healthy 14% overall, with several of FSN's teams leading the way.

As Sports Business Daily pointed out last week, LeBron James' "decision" has impacted the local ratings fortunes of both the Miami Heat and the Cleveland Cavaliers.  James' Miami Heat has posted the biggest local TV ratings increase of all NBA teams through January.  (More on the Heat's torrid ratings from the Miami Herald, Sun Sentinel, St. Petersburg Times, ProBasketballTalk, and SBNation.)

And while the Cav's ratings have dropped, FOX Sports Ohio still posts the 5th best local ratings among FSN's teams and 7th best in the league. [Cleveland.com, NY Times]

Meanwhile, no doubt fueled by their record-breaking start, the Spurs on FOX Sports Southwest continue to dominate local NBA ratings with a 10.16 HH rtg, a 60% year-to-date increase.  And despite playing in one of the league’s smaller markets, the team ranks tied for fifth in the number of households per game with an average of 85,000. The Spurs are tied with Miami, a television market much bigger than San Antonio. The only franchises with higher numbers of households include Los Angeles, Chicago, Boston and New York — all considerably bigger than San Antonio.

Other positive ratings stories from around the league:

• The Phoenix Suns up 18% on FOX Sports Arizona and KUTP-TV Channel 45 [Phoenix Business Journal]

• "The Thunder's television ratings continue to surge in its third season in Oklahoma City, showing a 47 percent gain over last season in its Fox Sports Oklahoma's broadcasts." [Daily Oklahoman]

• "Wolves TV Ratings Way Up" [Star Tribune] 

• "Pacers ratings on FOX Sports Indiana are up 24 percent" and Tuesday's game vs. Miami was the most-watched Pacers game since 2007 [Indianapolis Star]