Despite a competitive game and unexpected outcome, Game 3 of the NBA Finals hit another viewership low.
Wednesday’s Thunder-Pacers NBA Finals Game 3 averaged a series-high 9.19 million viewers on ABC, down 20% from Celtics-Mavericks last year (11.43M) and the least-watched Game 3 of the Finals since the 2020 “bubble,” when Lakers-Heat averaged a record-low 6.08 million on an NFL Sunday in October. Outside of that anomalous circumstance, it was the least-watched Game 3 of the Finals in the Nielsen people meter era (1988-present).
The Pacers’ win peaked with 11.54 million in the 11 PM ET quarter-hour, surpassing the final minutes of Game 1 (11.1M) as the highest peak of the series. That marks a 17% decline from last year’s Game 3 peak of 13.93 million, narrower than the overall 20% decline, but still sizable.
It should be noted that the percentage of people using television during the Finals has fallen a not-insignificant 13% from the same point last year, though that does not explain all of the decline — as viewership for each of the three games has been down a sharper 19-29 percent.
It is increasingly clear that game quality is not enough to drive viewership for this year’s Finals. While Oklahoma City dominated most of Game 1 and all of Game 2, Game 3 was a back-and-forth affair that was tightly-contested throughout. The fears that Oklahoma City would dominate in a short series have not come to pass — the Thunder can only win in six or seven — but the series is still not resonating in the ratings.
If anything is to drive viewership to the typical NBA Finals range of 10-12 million, it will have to be Indiana’s upset bid. The Pacers, who lead 2-1 entering Game 4, are two wins away from what would be one of the biggest upsets in NBA playoff history. But realistically, it is hard to imagine any storyline moving the needle given the viewership for what has already transpired.
The first three games of the NBA Finals still rank as the three most-watched television programs since the first week of May. While one might assume that goes without saying for the NBA Finals, it has not always been the case for low-rated series. In 2021, Suns-Bucks Game 3 (9.25M) was not even the most-watched sporting event of the day — trailing the combined English and Spanish-language audience of the UEFA Euro final.
