With no baseball competition, the NBA season got off to a better start than last year, including a seven-year high in the early window.
Tuesday’s NBA Opening Night doubleheader averaged a 1.6 rating and 2.95 million viewers on TNT, up a tick in ratings and 6% in viewership from last year, when the games aired opposite Game 7 of the MLB National League Championship Series (1.5, 2.78M). The games averaged a viewership share of 6.3 — meaning that 6.3% of viewers using televisions were tuned to the games — the highest for Opening Night in the TNT era.
The Celtics’ blowout of the Knicks led the way with a 1.6 and 3.01 million, marking the most-watched early window on Opening Night since 2017, when Celtics-Cavaliers drew 5.60 million. Across both windows, it was the most-watched since Lakers-Warriors two years ago (3.55M). Ratings increased a tick and viewership 6% from Lakers-Nuggets last year (1.5, 2.84M).
The Timberwolves-Lakers nightcap drew a 1.6 and 2.91 million, up a tick and 7% respectively from Suns-Warriors a year ago (1.5, 2.71M).
The Lakers’ win peaked with 3.5 million viewers during the 10:30 PM ET quarter-hour, exceeding the early game peak of 3.2 million. It should be noted that viewership peaked before Lakers draft pick Bronny James — son of LeBron — took the court at around 11 ET.
The NBA avoided what would have been substantial baseball competition thanks to the League Championship Series going more than five, but fewer than seven games. Had the Dodgers finished off the Mets in five last Friday, Tuesday would have featured Game 1 of a Yankees-Dodgers World Series that would have undoubtedly swamped the NBA. (Alternatively, Tuesday could have featured a Guardians-Yankees Game 7.)
This year’s Opening Night was the last on TNT for at least the next 11 years, regardless the outcome of Warner Bros. Discovery’s lawsuit against the NBA. The NBA-Amazon rights deal that WBD is seeking to match does not include Opening Night, which starting next season will air on NBC and Peacock as part of Comcast’s new deal with the league.
TNT’s pregame show posted a 2% increase in viewership over last year, but “Inside the NBA” saw a 4% decline.
