TV ratings have been declining for most entertainment shows and sports as more and more people transition to streaming things off their phones. Despite the lowering of interest in watching TV, the NBA made some big splashes on TV during the playoffs this season.
The 2023 Playoffs averaged 5.47 million viewers across their multiple media partners at ABC, ESPN, and TNT. This number is the highest in the last five seasons, stretching back to the 2019 Finals.
2023 NBA Playoffs averaged 5.47M viewers across ABC, ESPN and TNT, making it the most watched in five years. pic.twitter.com/vjTrjvtGZc
— NBA Communications (@NBAPR) June 13, 2023
For all the chatter about people not wanting to watch the 2023 Finals due to the matchup being Nuggets vs. Heat instead of Lakers vs. Celtics, it is clear that people will tune in for good basketball.
The most-watched series prior to the Finals was the Lakers and Warriors in the second round, which must have given a boost to the overall number.
Does TV Viewership Matter?
The NBA had to report TV figures as historic lows in recent years, especially during the 2020 Bubble Playoffs that took place from August to October and was overlapping with other sports as well. Now that they have a large enough sample size for recent years, they can report future numbers relative to what they achieved recently.
This is why they are saying this is the most viewership they have had in the last five years, as it’d still be a low number if a larger sample size was evaluated. It wasn’t long ago when over 30 million viewers watched Game 7 between the Cavaliers and Warriors in 2016, showing how quickly people are moving away from using a TV.
The NBA did do all-time highs in social media numbers as well, so the league is definitely feeling very healthy and happy after the end of this season.
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