NBA viewership has trended solidly up over the past week, including double-digit gains for TNT’s Martin Luther King Day slate.
Monday’s Martin Luther King Day NBA tripleheader on TNT averaged 1.73 million viewers, up 33% from last year, including 2.22 million for the two primetime games (+38%). Warriors-Lakers led the way with 2.32 million, up 92% from Warriors-Blazers on MLK Day last year (1.21M), though off 6% from the same Warriors-Lakers matchup two years ago (2.47M).
Bucks-Nets averaged 2.11 million earlier in the night, up 4% from Lakers-Celtics last year (2.02M) and up 10% from Rockets-Sixers in 2018 (1.92M). Suns-Grizzlies started the day off with 727,000 (+12%), marking the league’s most-watched MLK Day matinee since 2018 (Lakers-Grizzlies: 1.04M).
The MLK Day gains were the latest in a run of increases for the NBA over the past week. Last Friday, ESPN averaged 1.64 million for Pelicans-Lakers and 1.31 million for Mavericks-Bucks — up 47 and 35 percent respectively from the comparable doubleheader last January (1/17/20: Blazers-Mavericks: 1.12M; Bulls-Sixers: 968K).
The previous night, TNT drew 1.49 million for Warriors-Nuggets — up 70% from the same matchup on the comparable date last year, which did not feature then-injured Warriors G Stephen Curry (873K). The early game was an exception, as Rockets-Spurs (1.06M) declined 17% from last year (Celtics-Bucks: 1.28M).
NBA games are averaging 2.0 million viewers on TNT, ESPN and ABC through Martin Luther King Day, up 34% from the comparable number of games last year (1.49M). Keep in mind that last season began in October and that several games in the first month of the season competed with NFL Thursday Night Football.
Ten of the 15 NBA windows on ESPN and TNT since the turn of the new year have posted an increase in viewership.
Beyond the traditional TV partners, the NBA said Thursday that viewership on NBA League Pass jumped 46% on Martin Luther King Day.
[Nielsen estimates from Turner Sports PR, ShowBuzz Daily 1.19, ShowBuzz Daily 1.20]
