The Warriors’ first Western Conference Finals in three years was the most-watched since their previous appearance, but could not measure up to prior years.
The five-game Warriors-Mavericks NBA Western Conference Finals averaged 6.7 million viewers on TNT, up 23% from Clippers-Suns last year (5.5M) and the most-watched conference final since Golden State’s previous appearance three years ago (Warriors-Blazers: 7.6M). Thursday’s clinching Game 5 averaged a 3.6 rating and 6.8 million viewers, marking the most-watched conference final Game 5 since Golden State’s previous one in 2018 (Warriors-Rockets: 5.6, 9.32M).
The Warriors’ comfortable win, which peaked with 7.7 million from 11-11:15 PM ET, posted the second-largest conference final audience since the aforementioned 2019 Warriors-Blazers series. Only Sunday’s Game 3 (7.42M) ranks higher.
For the postseason, Game 5 ranks second among games on cable and sixth overall. Golden State has played in more than half (eight) of the top 14 games.
If well ahead of the two previous seasons — shortened, delayed, reduced capacity campaigns in which Golden State missed the playoffs — Warriors-Mavericks does not stack up well compared to prior years. The series tops only Warriors-Spurs in 2017 (6.5M) as the least-watched Golden State conference final of the Stephen Curry era and ranks just 18th out of the 27 total conference finals dating back to 2009. Most of those prior series, it should be noted, did not have the advantage of out-of-home viewing.
TNT finished its postseason run averaging 4.1 million viewers, up 11% from last year and its most-watched NBA Playoffs since 2018. The “Inside the NBA” postgame show averaged 1.9 million (+6%).
Shifting to the other conference final, Celtics-Heat Game 5 averaged a 3.4 and 6.42 million on ESPN Wednesday night — the most-watched Game 5 of the Eastern Conference Finals since Cavaliers-Celtics in 2018, the previous ECF to take place in the normal time of year and feature two American teams (4.5, 7.51M). All five games have been the most-watched in four years.
Rounding out the recent action, Tuesday’s Warriors-Mavericks Game 4 averaged a series-low 3.4 and 6.19 million viewers on TNT. The game aired on a night of extensive breaking news coverage. It also faced greater-than-usual competition from the series finale of “This is Us” on NBC. Though still up double-digits from last year, ratings fell 27% and viewership 20% from the Warriors’ previous conference final Game 4 in 2019 (Warriors-Blazers: 4.7, 7.79M).
As usual, NBA games topped all of television in every key adult demographic on each of the above nights. On the 37 nights there have been NBA playoff games, the league has won the night in adults 18-49 and 18-34 on all-but-three and led the way in adults 25-54 on all-but-four. The NBA also topped the viewership charts on Thursday night after finishing third on Wednesday (behind NBC’s “Chicago Med” and “Chicago Fire”) and second on Tuesday (behind “This is Us”).
Most-watched NBA conference finals, 2009-present
[Nielsen estimates from Turner Sports, Programming Insider 5.25, 5.26, 5.27]
