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The Los Angeles Lakers’ win over the Golden State Warriors on ABC produced the National Basketball Association’s (NBA) largest non-Christmas regular season TV audience in four years, with the broadcast averaging 3.95 million viewers.
Confirmed:
- The game’s broadcast on 5th March peaked with 5.41 million viewers and was up 65 per cent from ABC’s NBA Sunday Showcase season average last year
- The Phoenix Suns’ triumph over the Dallas Mavericks on ABC averaged 2.81 million viewers, which was an 18 per cent increase over the previous Sunday Showcase season average
- A peak audience of 4.37 million tuned in for the Suns’ victory, becoming the most-watched Sunday Showcase early game in eight years
- The New York Knicks’ double overtime win over the Boston Celtics was the most-watched NBA game on ESPN this season, with an average of 2.15 million viewers
- The broadcast covering the Knicks’ victory was 52 per cent above ESPN’s regular season average from last year
Context:
The previous record for a non-Christmas NBA regular season game featured both the Lakers and the Warriors in 2019, which amassed an average of 4.09 million viewers. The strong viewership figures come after the recent All-Star Game drew the smallest TV audience in its history.
Coming next:
Disney-owned networks ESPN and ABC will want the strong audience numbers to continue as the NBA regular season prepares to wrap up next month.
