• by Wayne Friedman , June 3, 2016

ABC’s “2016 NBA Finals” pulled in higher ad spending and improved viewership for the rematch between the Golden State Warriors and the Cleveland Cavaliers versus the year before, with strong movie marketing and automotive spending

Paramount Pictures spent $1.8 million (for “Star Trek Beyond), followed by Universal Pictures at $1.7 million (“The Secret Life of Pets”, “Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping” and “Warcraft,” according to iSpot.tv.

Further down the list, Warner Bros. paid $853,000 (“Central Intelligence and “The Legend of Tarzan”), Walt Disney Pictures $598,000 (“Finding Dory”) and Twentieth Century Fox (Independence Day: Resurgence), $468,000.

Other big NBA marketers included Toyota, at $1.4 million, and Acura, Apple, Cadillac, Nissan, Pfizer, State Farm, Taco Bell and Kia, all spending around $1.2 million each.

In terms of viewership, the first game of the Cavaliers/Warriors NBA Finals was up 2% to a 13.1 Nielsen preliminary household rating from the same matchup a year ago -- a 12.9. A year ago, Nielsen final game one rating results yielded 17.8 million overall viewers and a 6.9 rating/25 share among 18-49 viewers.

It was the highest overall Game One in terms of the preliminary household rating in 15 years.

In total, the first game of the 2016 NBA Finals pulled in around $34 million in national advertising spending -- up 10% versus a year ago, according to industry estimates. A year ago, the 2015 NBA Finals pulled in $31 million for game one.

This year’s game had some some 60 spots from 47 brands, averaging over $560,000 for a 30-second spot, according to estimates.