The NBA continues to post strong viewership figures in the first year of its new media rights deals.
According to data published by Jon Lewis of Sports Media Watch, the NBA has averaged 1.8 million viewers per game across NBC, ESPN/ABC, and Prime Video through regular-season play through the All-Star break. That figure is up 16% versus last season under the old deals with ESPN/ABC and TNT. It’s the highest average the NBA has posted up to the All-Star break since 2018.
When including games that air on NBA TV, viewership increases to 38% compared with last season. However, NBA TV has aired fewer games this year under the new deals, removing several lower-watched games from the dataset.
Much of the year-over-year increase can be attributed to NBC. Per Lewis, NBC’s games are averaging 2.6 million viewers, up a staggering 97% versus last year’s comparable windows, most of which aired on TNT. NBC’s reach as a broadcast network is significantly greater than TNT’s reach as a cable network. Of course, that was part of the NBA’s calculus when deciding whom to partner with during its 2024 media rights negotiations.
So far, the NBA’s broadcast-heavy strategy seems to be paying off. Of the 10 most-watched games so far this season, nine have aired on a broadcast network. The only exception is the NBA Cup Final, which averaged 3.1 million viewers on Prime Video (currently the 10th-most-watched game of the season).
While NBC has provided the lion’s share of the year-over-year lift, ESPN and ABC have also seen solid gains. Per Lewis, the Disney-owned networks are averaging 2.06 million viewers per game, up 18% versus last season. Five of the ten most-watched games of the season so far have aired on ESPN/ABC. Unsurprisingly, all five of those games aired on Christmas Day.
Prime Video is the only partner to see a decrease in viewership when compared with last year’s comparable windows, though that’s somewhat expected when transitioning from linear television to streaming. Through 44 games, Prime Video is averaging 1.06 million viewers. In 30 comparable games to last season, the streamer is averaging 1.21 million viewers, a 7% decrease.
The Amazon-owned platform is displaying a similar pattern to its first couple of years of Thursday Night Football. Audiences declined, but the viewers who did tune in are younger. Prime Video has seen increases in the 18-34, 18-49, and 25-54 demos. The media age of a Prime Video NBA viewer is 46.9, about nine years younger than the NBA’s linear partners (55.3).
It’s important to note that the NBA’s numbers through the All-Star break reflect Nielsen’s recent methodology changes to expand out-of-home viewing and integrate Big Data. Given the magnitude of the NBA’s gains this season, it’s unlikely that the Nielsen updates alone account for the viewership increases.