NBA caps strong first round with milestone audience for Derby-fueled Sixers-Celtics
Sports Media Watch • • sports
Key Points:
- The Sixers-Celtics Game 7 on NBC averaged 10.99 million viewers, marking the largest first round NBA playoff audience since 1999 and the most-watched Triple Crown horse racing lead-out ever on NBC.
- NBC's 15 playoff games averaged 5.5 million viewers, up 61% from last year, while ABC averaged 5.7 million for Magic-Pistons Game 7, showing an increase from previous years despite a 15% overall drop in ESPN/ABC's first round viewership.
- Prime Video's Lakers Game 6 telecast drew 4.45 million viewers, the most-watched NBA telecast on the streamer to date, with Prime's overall first round average increasing 11% from last year.
- The full first round of the NBA Playoffs averaged 4.0 million viewers across NBCUniversal, ESPN/ABC, and Prime Video, up 22% from last year and the highest opening round average since 1993, with all first round games nationally exclusive for the first time.
- Broadcast television aired a record 20 first round windows between NBC and ABC, surpassing previous records, and viewership gains were noted despite some declines in specific games on ESPN and Prime Video.
