NBA Playoffs Experiencing Second-Highest Ratings In A Decade

Fittingly, the league is returning to NBC next season, and the network has to like the latest update. It says that more people are watching the playoffs than they did at almost any other time since 2014, back when LeBron James was still with the Miami Heat.

This information comes from Jon Lewis of Sports Media Watch.

“NBA playoff viewership is trailing only the elevated levels of two years ago as the highest in more than a decade,” Lewis wrote. “NBA playoff games are averaging 3.85 million viewers across ABC, ESPN, ESPNU, TNT and NBA TV entering the conference finals, up 2% from last year and the second-highest average since 2014. 

“With ESPNU and NBA TV excluded, that average rises to 4.17 million — up 3% and still the second-highest since 2014. The 2023 playoffs, which included several viewership milestones in the first two rounds, holds the top spot.”

Interestingly, James and the Los Angeles Lakers, and Stephen Curry and the Golden State Warriors are nowhere to be found (the Warriors did advance to the second round, though all but one of their games came without Curry).

Instead, the conference finals feature four teams that aren’t exactly considered traditional powers in Oklahoma City, Minnesota, New York, and Indiana. Yes, the Knicks play in the league’s largest market. But they have flown mostly under the radar nationally until a year or two ago. Now, they’re back in the spotlight.

No matter how you spin it, these playoffs have been a lot of fun to watch, and that’s more than just an opinion. Clearly, people are tuning in, and that’s all the proof we need.