From Sports Media Watch, a one-stop page for all sports ratings news.
Jon Lewis
Monday’s Pistons-Magic first round NBA playoff Game 4 averaged a combined 5.4 million viewers on NBC across Nielsen and Adobe Analytics, up 155% from a Nielsen-only audience of 2.1 million for a non-exclusive Cavaliers-Heat Game 4 on TNT Sports last year.
Viewership also increased 15% from Hawks-Knicks Game 2 in the same Monday night NBC window the prior week.
Later in the night, Timberwolves-Nuggets Game 5 averaged 3.9 million — actually down from Rockets-Warriors on TNT Sports last year (4.0M).
On Tuesday night, Hawks-Knicks Game 5 averaged 3.8 million on NBC, the most-watched game on a night that included a competing NBA doubleheader on ESPN. Last year’s closest equivalent window was Magic-Celtics on NBA TV, which was subject to local blackout and averaged 739,000.
Source: NBC Sports
Jon Lewis
The latest edition of NBC’s NBA “Coast 2 Coast Tuesday” — Spurs-Celtics in most markets and Timberwolves-Lakers on the West Coast — averaged a combined 3.6 million viewers across Nielsen and Adobe Analytics, marking a season-high for NBC’s Tuesday regional window.
The Tuesday night window included a live cut-in to Miami Heat C Bam Adebayo scoring the final points of his 83-point effort — the second-highest point total in NBA history — but figures for that portion of the telecast were not immediately available.
Source: NBC Sports
Jon Lewis
Lakers-Mavericks averaged a 1.4 rating and 2.6 million viewers in last week’s season premiere of ABC’s “NBA Saturday Primetime,” down from a 1.6 and 3.05 million for Warriors-Lakers last year.
Earlier in the night, Knicks-Sixers drew a 1.2 and 2.06 million, up from a 0.9 and 1.5 million for Nuggets-Timberwolves last year. ABC was slated to carry a tripleheader, but the middle game (Warriors-Timberwolves) was postponed.
In other recent NBA action, ESPN on Wednesday averaged 1.88 million for Lakers-Cavaliers and 1.54 million for Spurs-Rockets.
Numbers for the latest NBA on NBC “Coast 2 Coast Tuesday” window were not immediately available, but the prior week’s January 20 slate — Spurs-Rockets in most markets and Lakers-Nuggets on the West Coast — drew a Nielsen-estimated 1.2 and 2.09 million. (Figures including Adobe Analytics, which measures NBC’s streaming viewership, were not immediately available.)
Source: Nielsen, ESPN
Jon Lewis
Spurs-Thunder was the most-watched game of the NBA’s five-game Christmas Day schedule with 6.71 million viewers across ABC and ESPN, making it the most-watched game in its midday Christmas window since Cavaliers-Warriors in 2017.
Knicks-Cavaliers led in with 6.37 million, marking the most-watched Noon ET game on Christmas. The previous high was 6.01 million for Spurs-Pistons on ABC in 2005.
Keep in mind that Nielsen did not track out-of-home viewing in its estimates until 2020 and did not do so in 100 percent of markets until earlier this year. In addition, Nielsen shifted to a “Big Data + Panel” methodology in September that adds data from smart TVs and set-top boxes to its traditional panel.
The full five-game Christmas average, plus figures for the remaining three games, will be posted when available.
Jon Lewis
Last week’s NBA “Coast to Coast Tuesday” slate — Magic-Sixers and Clippers-Lakers — averaged 2.7 million viewers on NBC and Peacock (across both Nielsen and Adobe Analytics), marking the largest group stage audience in the three years of the NBA Cup.
That comes with the caveat that no previous group stage telecast aired on broadcast television, much less in a regionalized format combining early and late windows. (Plus the standard caveats regarding Nielsen methodological changes.)
The following night, ESPN averaged 2.10 million for a Thanksgiving Eve tripleheader, up 54% from a doubleheader last year. Timberwolves-Thunder led the way with 2.43 million (+83%), followed by Rockets-Warriors at 2.03 million (+45%), with Pistons-Celtics leading off at 1.81 million.
Jon Lewis
Thursday’s ESPN NBA doubleheader averaged 2.07 million viewers, up 53% from the opening Thursday of last season on TNT. That is a bigger year-over-year increase than ESPN had for its season-opening doubleheader the previous night (2.33M, +44%).
While Nielsen this year has expanded its out-of-home viewing sample and shifted to a new “Big Data + Panel” methodology, those changes would not fully explain an increase of that size.
The overtime Nuggets-Warriors game led the way with 2.23 million viewers, up 79% from Thunder-Nuggets on TNT last year (1.25M). The double-overtime Thunder-Pacers NBA Finals rematch led in with 1.98 million, up 37% from last year’s Spurs-Mavericks game (1.45M). (Thunder-Pacers had the bigger peak audience, 2.66 million.)
Neither game hit a multi-year high, as Suns-Lakers drew 2.30 million and Sixers-Bucks 2.04 million on TNT the comparable night in 2023.
Source: ESPN
Jon Lewis
Tuesday’s Fever-Aces WNBA semifinal Game 2 averaged 1.7 million viewers on ESPN, marking the largest second round playoff audience since Comets-Sparks Game 2 on NBC in the 2000 Western Conference Finals, also the most-watched ever on the ESPN family of networks.
The previous second round high on ESPN was set by Game 1 of the series last Sunday, which drew 1.4 million.
For more on the second round numbers, see this article.
Source: ESPN
Jon Lewis
Tuesday’s Dream-Fever first round WNBA playoff Game 2 averaged 1.5 million viewers on ESPN, down 40% from Fever-Sun Game 2 last year, which featured Caitlin Clark (2.5M), but still the fifth-largest WNBA playoff audience since 2000. Viewership trailed only the two Fever-Sun games last year (Game 1 averaged 1.8M) and Games 4 and 5 of the WNBA Finals (1.7 and 2.2M respectively).
Game 1 of the series averaged 951,000 on ABC opposite NFL games last Sunday, down 48% from last year’s Fever-Sun Game 1.
As for the rest of the postseason games, Aces-Storm Game 2 ranks as the most-watched of the non-Fever games with 1.1 million Tuesday night. That followed the aforementioned Dream-Fever game. Viewership increased over Storm-Aces in the same Tuesday night window last year (988K), but that game did not have a lead-in from the Fever. (The equivalent post-Fever window last year was Mercury-Lynx on a Wednesday night, which drew 1.22 million.)
As with all sports viewership figures of late, keep in mind that Nielsen has introduced a new methodology (“Big Data + Panel”) that adds data from smart TVs and set-top boxes to the traditional panel. In addition, Nielsen expanded its out-of-home viewing measure to 100 percent of markets earlier this year, up from two-thirds previously.
Jon Lewis
WNBA games averaged 1.3 million viewers across ESPN and ABC during the 2025 regular season, up 6% from last year and the most-watched WNBA season ever on the ESPN networks. Keep in mind that the season average is based on the new Nielsen “Big Data + Panel” metric, which could potentially account for all of the year-over-year gain.
The ESPN networks accounted for eight of the ten most-watched WNBA games this season.
Source: ESPN
Jon Lewis
This year’s NBA Finals Game 7 averaged a 31.9 rating in Oklahoma City and a 25.1 in Indianapolis, according to TVB. Tulsa ranked third at a 20.8, with Chicago and Cleveland as the top neutral markets with a 10.9. San Antonio (10.5), Milwaukee (10.2) and Minneapolis-St. Paul (10.1) rounded out the top eight.
Nationally, the June 22 contest had 7.6 rating and 16.6 million viewers on ABC.
Source: TVB
Jon Lewis
WNBA regular season games on CBS averaged 1.17 million viewers, up 6% from last year’s eight-game slate and the network’s most-watched season. The network’s season finale, Liberty-Dream on Saturday, averaged 595,000.
Source: CBS Sports
Jon Lewis
ABC averaged 1.43 million viewers for its 12-game schedule of regular season WNBA games, up 13% from an eight-game average of 1.26 million last season, and its most-watched regular season yet.
The double-digit increase over last year comes despite Fever G Caitlin Clark playing only three of her team’s five scheduled ABC games — but that still exceeded the two games she played on the network last season.
For more, see this article.
Source: ESPN
Jon Lewis
Regional WNBA action featuring Mystics-Fever in most markets averaged 1.04 million viewers on ION last Friday night, marking the fourth-largest audience of the season on the network. Viewership declined 15% from coverage featuring Mercury-Fever — and a healthy Caitlin Clark on the same night last year (1.22M).
The Fever have played in each of the top four ION games this season, with Clark missing three of those four — Friday’s game and Fever-Wings on August 1 and June 27 (both 1.14M). Clark’s lone appearance on ION ranks as the network’s top game this season, as 1.46 million watched the Fever host Atlanta on July 11.
Later in the night, Aces-Mercury averaged 517,000 — up 7% from Sun-Wings a year ago (485K). ION is averaging 622,000 viewers for WNBA games so far this season, down 3% from the same point last year 640K).
Source: Scripps
Jon Lewis
Saturday’s Liberty-Lynx WNBA Finals rematch averaged 793,000 viewers on CBS, up 25% from Lynx-Mystics on the network the same weekend last year. Viewership trailed the previous matchup between the teams a week earlier on ABC (977K).
CBS is averaging 1.23 million viewers for WNBA games this season, up 8% from a year ago.
Source: CBS Sports
Jon Lewis
Sans Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese, Saturday’s primetime Sky-Fever WNBA regular season game averaged a 0.8 rating and 1.31 million viewers on CBS — down from the network’s previous primetime meeting between the teams, which featured Reese but not Clark (1.92M).
Indiana’s win was the least-watched meeting of the Sky and Fever in the two years since Clark and Reese have been in the league.
In other WNBA action, Saturday’s Lynx-Liberty WNBA Finals rematch averaged 977,000 on ABC, and Tuesday’s Fever-Wings game on ESPN averaged 1.3 million on ESPN — the latter ranking as the third-most watched WNBA game on ESPN this season.
Source: CBS Sports, ESPN, Programming Insider
Jon Lewis
Sunday’s Fever-Storm WNBA regular season game averaged 1.60 million viewers on ABC, marking the eighth-most watched game of the season (ninth including the All-Star Game). Excluding games involving Caitlin Clark — who was again absent due to injury — it ranks second for the season.
On Saturday, ABC averaged 822,000 for the Lynx’ historically lopsided rout of the Aces — a 53-point margin that was the second-largest in WNBA history.
Source: ESPN
Jon Lewis
ESPN averaged 788,000 viewers for a Liberty-Lynx WNBA Finals rematch on Wednesday and 702,000 for a Liberty-Wings game two nights earlier, marking the network’s two largest WNBA audiences outside of Fever games in more than 25 years. The previous high was 701,000 for Aces-Liberty three weeks earlier.
Viewership was still no match for the network’s previous Fever game, a matchup against the Liberty last week that averaged 1.2 million despite the absence of Caitlin Clark.
Source: Rebecca Lobo, Programming Insider
Jon Lewis
Despite the absence of both Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese, Sunday’s Fever-Sky WNBA regular season game averaged 1.5 million viewers on ABC — the network’s sixth-largest regular season WNBA audience, and one of the ten most-watched games this season.
The two Fever-Sky games that Clark has missed this season both rank in the top ten, with the teams’ primetime June 7 matchup on CBS averaging 1.92 million.
Source: ESPN
Jon Lewis
The NBA Summer League, which concluded last week, averaged 255,000 viewers on the ESPN networks — up 27% from last year. The Kings-Hornets title game averaged 420,000 in a post-Sunday Night Baseball window last weekend, up 3% from last year’s Monday night title game.
Source: ESPN
Jon Lewis
Saturday’s WNBA All-Star Game averaged 2.2 million viewers on ABC, down 36% from last year — when the game delivered the largest WNBA audience since the opening weekend of play in 1997 — but up 158 percent from 2023.
In addition to the absence of the injured Caitlin Clark, who played in last year’s game, this year’s All-Star Game reverted back to the usual format after last year’s more intense WNBA vs. Team USA matchup.
Source: ESPN
Jon Lewis
Friday’s WNBA All-Star Three-Point Contest and Skills Challenge averaged a 0.7 rating and 1.32 million viewers on ESPN, up 79% in ratings and 90% in viewership from last year (0.38, 695K). While Fever G Caitlin Clark was initially set to participate in the three-point contest, she was absent due to injury.
Source: Programming Insider
Jon Lewis
Facing the MLB All-Star Game, Tuesday’s Fever-Sun WNBA regular season game from Boston averaged a 0.9 rating and 1.68 million viewers on ESPN — on par with the network’s final game before the All-Star break last season, Fever-Wings on a Wednesday night (1.70M). Last year’s game did not face the MLB All-Star Game.
Source: Programming Insider
Jon Lewis
Friday’s Dream-Fever WNBA regular season game averaged 1.5 million viewers on ION, marking the network’s largest audience of the season and its second-largest WNBA audience overall. It was the first ION game this season for Fever G Caitlin Clark.
Friday’s audience, which peaked with 1.8 million in the 9:15 PM ET quarter-hour, surpassed all other sporting events from last Monday through last Friday.
In the nightcap, Sun-Storm averaged 470,000 viewers. ION is now averaging 595,000 for the season, up 12% from the same point last year (529K).
Source: Scripps
Jon Lewis
Sunday’s Wings-Fever WNBA regular season game averaged 2.1 million viewers on ABC, doubling Mercury-Sun in the same window last year (1.02M) and the network’s fourth-largest WNBA regular season audience.
Figures for ABC’s Lynx-Sky game on Saturday were not immediately available.
Source: ESPN
Jon Lewis
Thursday’s Lakers-Mavericks NBA Summer League game, which marked the NBA debut of #1 pick Cooper Flagg, averaged 955,000 viewers on ESPN — marking the fourth-largest Summer League audience ever on the ESPN networks. The Mavericks’ win, which peaked with 1.12 million viewers, trails only Hornets-Spurs in 2023 (Victor Wembanyama’s debut: 1.39M), Pelicans-Knicks in 2019 (Zion Williamson’s debut: 1.61M) and Celtics-Lakers in 2017 (1.1M).
Source: ESPN
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