NBA playoff viewership is trailing only the elevated levels of two years ago as the highest in more than a decade.
NBA playoff games are averaging 3.85 million viewers across ABC, ESPN, ESPNU, TNT and NBA TV entering the conference finals, up 2% from last year and the second-highest average since 2014. With ESPNU and NBA TV excluded, that average rises to 4.17 million — up 3% and still the second-highest since 2014. The 2023 playoffs, which included several viewership milestones in the first two rounds, holds the top spot.
(Keep in mind out-of-home viewing was not tracked in Nielsen estimates until 2020, and was not tracked in 100% of markets until this year.)
The second round of the playoffs averaged 4.91 million viewers, up 1% from a year ago. The round concluded with Sunday’s Nuggets-Thunder Game 7, which averaged 6.34 million viewers on ABC — down just 2% from Pacers-Knicks last year (6.45M) despite a smaller-market matchup and lopsided 32-point outcome. (A second Game 7 last season, Timberwolves-Nuggets on TNT, was much stronger with 8.41 million.)
Oklahoma City’s easy win, which peaked with 7.63 million viewers in the 5:15 PM ET quarter-hour, was the most-watched sporting event of the weekend and the fifth-most watched game of the playoffs.
On Friday night, Celtics-Knicks Game 6 averaged 5.73 million viewers on ESPN — up 14% from Knicks-Pacers last year (5.02M) despite New York’s 38-point rout. The Knicks’ series-clinching win, which peaked with 6.6 million in the 9 PM ET quarter-hour, delivered the ninth-largest audience of the playoffs. Knicks-Celtics accounted for three of the top ten, more than any other series.
The most-watched game of the playoffs remains Lakers-Timberwolves Game 4 in the first round (7.35M) and the most-watched game of the season remains Lakers-Warriors on Christmas (7.91M).
Across the main networks of ABC, ESPN and TNT, playoff games are averaging a 10.1 share — meaning 10.1% of viewers watching television are tuned to the games — up 23% from last year and a new high. As the number of viewers watching television declines, live sports will tend to make up a greater and greater share of the pie.
