List of top 15 cable programs in the Nielsen ratings for May 25-31

Cable’s top programs for May 25-31

Rankings for the top 15 programs on cable networks as compiled by Nielsen Media Research for the week of May 18-24. Day and start time (EST) are in parentheses:

1. NBA Playoffs: Orlando vs. Cleveland (Tuesday, 8:36 p.m.), TNT, 7.22 million homes, 10.07 million viewers.

2. NBA Playoffs: Orlando vs. Cleveland (Thursday, 8:34 p.m.), TNT, 7.08 million homes, 9.99 million viewers.

3. NBA Playoffs: L.A. Lakers vs. Denver (Monday, 8:56 p.m.), ESPN, 6.67 million homes, 9.73 million viewers.

4. “Jon & Kate Plus 8″ (Monday, 9 p.m.), TLC, 6.62 million homes, 9.8 million viewers.

5. NBA Playoffs: L.A. Lakers vs. Denver (Wednesday, 8:56 p.m.), ESPN, 6.35 million homes, 9.23 million viewers.

6. NBA Playoffs: Orlando vs. Cleveland (Saturday, 8:35 p.m.), TNT, 5.99 million homes, 8.36 million viewers.

7. NBA Playoffs: L.A. Lakers vs. Denver (Friday, 8:56 p.m.), ESPN, 5.81 million homes, 8.46 million viewers.

8. “2009 MTV Movie Awards” (Sunday, 9 p.m.), MTV, 3.55 million homes, 5.28 million viewers.

9. “WWE Raw” (Monday, 10 p.m.), USA, 3.32 million homes, 4.89 million viewers.

10. “Inside the NBA Playoffs” (Thursday, 11:38 p.m.), TNT, 3.23 million homes, 4.29 million viewers.

11. “Penguins of Madagascar” (Saturday, 10 a.m.), Nickelodeon, 3.17 million homes, 4.35 million viewers.

12. “Inside the NBA Playoffs” (Tuesday, 11:52 p.m.), TNT, 3.14 million homes, 4.15 million viewers.

13. “NCIS” (Monday, 8 p.m.), USA, 3.085 million homes, 4.18 million viewers.

14. “Law & Order: Criminal Intent” (Sunday, 9 p.m.), USA, 3.083 million homes, 3.97 million viewers.

15. “In Plain Sight” (Sunday, 10 p.m.), USA, 3.07 million homes, 4.03 million viewers.

ESPN is owned by the Walt Disney Co. Nickelodeon and MTV are owned by Viacom Inc. USA is owned by General Electric Co.’s NBC Universal. TNT is owned by Time Warner Inc. TLC is owned by Discovery Communications Inc.

On the Net:

www.nielsenmedia.com