Locally or nationally, nobody moves the NBA ratings needle like the Warriors and Cavaliers.
The Warriors were the most-watched NBA team on national TV this season (excluding NBA TV), with their 31 games on ESPN, ABC and TNT averaging 2.72 million viewers. That is actually a 4% decline from last year (2.82M), but still the highest average in the NBA.
The Cavaliers were the second-most watched, with their 27 telecasts averaging 2.65 million (+11%). Golden State and Cleveland were also the two most-watched teams last season.
The Celtics ranked third (2.33M, +36%), followed by the Thunder (2.20M, +11%), Rockets (2.07M, +29%), Knicks (1.82M, -6%) and Lakers (1.80M, +29%). Other notables included the Wizards (1.79M, +46%) and Sixers (1.69M, +37%).
The least-watched team on national TV was the Utah Jazz, whose seven games averaged 1.06 million (-11%).
On a local level, the Warriors and Cavs again took the top two spots. Golden State averaged an 8.35 rating on NBC Sports Bay Area, down 5% from last year (8.79) and 14% from 2015-16 (9.76), but the team’s third-highest average ever on the network.
The Cavaliers ranked second with a 7.98 average rating on Fox Sports Ohio, up 8% from last year and the team’s fourth-best average ever on the network.
Elsewhere, the Celtics averaged a 3.25 rating on NBC Sports Boston — up 43% from last year and the team’s highest rated season since 2010-11. The Sixers averaged a 2.43 on NBC Sports Philadelphia, up 45% from last year and the highest since 2011-12. Notably, the Sixers outdrew the Flyers, who averaged a 1.98.
Also hitting a multi-year high were Timberwolves, who averaged a 2.6 rating on Fox Sports North — up 78% from last year and the highest since 2011-12.
On the flip side, the Bulls had their lowest rated season on NBC Sports Chicago in a decade, averaging a 1.81 rating (-9%).
Most-Watched NBA Teams on National TV, 2017-18 Season
* Average viewership figures are based on publicly available Nielsen data that are often adjusted after-the-fact, meaning the numbers may be slightly higher than reported here.
[Local numbers from Crain’s Cleveland 4.13, NBC Sports, Fox Sports North 4.12]
