The Walt Disney Co. network's broadcasts of the first two games between the San Antonio Spurs and New Jersey Nets were watched in an average of 7.7 percent of homes in the top 55 U.S. media markets.
A year ago, General Electric Co.'s NBC averaged 11.8 percent of viewers in the top markets for the same two games between the Nets and Los Angeles Lakers, a series the Lakers swept for their third straight title.
ABC and ESPN, which is also owned by Disney, are in the first year of a six-year, $2.4 billion agreement to broadcast the NBA.
Last year's Lakers sweep was the lowest-rated NBA Finals in the 12 years that NBC televised the event.
Television ratings for this year's NBA Finals have started poorly with host broadcaster ABC's audiences for the first two games falling 35 percent from what NBC drew last year.
