Game 1 of the NBA Finals held up better than expected in the ratings, as Heat-Nuggets nearly matched last year’s Celtics-Warriors opener.
Thursday’s Heat-Nuggets NBA Finals Game 1 averaged 11.58 million viewers across ABC (11.04M) and ESPN2 (544K), down just 3% from last year’s higher-profile Celtics-Warriors Game 1 on the same two networks (11.90M). Ratings were not immediately available.
Denver’s comfortable win — which peaked with 12.78 million from 10:30-10:45 PM ET — easily outpaced the two previous Finals openers, which aired months out-of-season due to COVID-related scheduling adjustments. Bucks-Suns opened with 8.70 million viewers in July of 2021 and Heat-Lakers bowed with 7.69 million in a fanless fall “bubble” in September 2020.
Outside of those two COVID-affected series, it was the least-watched Finals opener since Cavaliers-Spurs in 2007 (9.21M) and fifth-least watched overall — ahead of two other series involving the ratings-challenged mid-2000s Spurs (2005 Pistons-Spurs: 10.57M; 2003 Nets-Spurs: 9.60M) and Heat-Mavericks in 2006 (11.51M).
As with all comparisons to past years, keep in mind out-of-home viewing was not included in Nielsen’s final nationals prior to 2020.
Demographic data was not immediately available, but ESPN said Monday that Game 1 easily won the night in viewership and the key demographics.
Game 1 averaged a 19.9 rating in Denver and a 13.5 in Miami-Ft. Lauderdale. Denver has not previously played in the NBA Finals. Ratings in Miami increased from Game 1 in the “bubble” three years ago (12.9) but paled in comparison to the “Heatles” era from 2010-14 (31.9 in 2011, 30.5 in 2012, 34.0 in 2013 and 30.5 in 2014).
By comparison, last year’s Game 1 averaged a 22.5 in the Bay Area and a 19.6 in Boston. Game 1 in 2021 averaged a 23.9 in Milwaukee and a 23.7 in Phoenix. The last time a Game 1 cleared the 30 mark in either home market was 2018, when Cavaliers-Warriors opened with a 36.1 in Cleveland and a 31.1 in the Bay Area.
(Nielsen estimates from ESPN PR)
