After a “bubble” sojourn marked by low ratings, the NBA began its new season with a three-year high for Opening Night.
The NBA’s Opening Night doubleheader averaged a Nielsen-estimated 2.87 million viewers on TNT Tuesday night, up 1% from last year (2.85M), up 2% from 2018 (2.82M), and the most-watched Opening Night since 2017 (4.88M).
In particular, the Nets’ rout of the Warriors averaged 2.70 million — up 20% from Pelicans-Raptors last year (2.25M) but down 8% from Sixers-Celtics in 2018 (2.95M). Clippers-Lakers averaged 3.08 million, down 14% from the same matchup last year (3.58M) but up 13% from Thunder-Warriors in ’18 (2.72M).
Clippers-Lakers was TNT’s most-watched December NBA game since Christmas 2014, with the obvious caveat that Opening Night usually takes place in October.
Compared to the first night in the NBA’s Walt Disney World “bubble” back in July, Opening Night viewership increased 5% from 2.74 million. Warriors-Nets increased 28% from Jazz-Pelicans (2.11M) while Clippers-Lakers declined 8% from the same matchup (3.35M).
As one would expect, Tuesday’s games easily topped the competing college football Boca Raton Bowl on ESPN (BYU-UCF: 1.55M). Opening Night faced tougher competition in previous years from the baseball playoffs.
Viewership would likely have been higher had the games not been so lopsided; Brooklyn led by as many as 38 and the Clippers opened a 20-point first quarter lead before the Lakers narrowed the gap.
[Nielsen estimates from ShowBuzz Daily 12.23]
NBA ratings will be fine. The lower ratings for the bubble was due to it being played in the summer. Christmas Day ratings should overall be near last year and year before. Lakers-Mav may be lower than Lakers-Clippers last season.