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The Daily Insight

Are NBA Finals ratings down?

Author

Eleanor Gray

Updated on February 20, 2026

Are NBA Finals ratings down?

Topline. This year’s NBA Finals averaged just under 10 million viewers, a 32% increase from 2020’s pandemic-induced slump, but the games still drew a far smaller audience than NBA Finals runs in previous years.

Are NBA finals ratings up or down?

NBA Finals Viewership Soars 32% From Last Year, but Still Way Down From 2019.

What are the ratings for NBA Finals?

The 2021 NBA Playoffs overall (inclusive of Finals) averaged 4.25 million viewers across ABC, ESPN and TNT, up 35% vs. the 2020 postseason. The share — the percentage of households with televisions on tuned into the NBA – for NBA playoff and Finals games finished at its highest since 2002 (7.1).

Is NBA ratings down in 2021?

But the NBA is decidedly not more popular than ever by any means. To the contrary, regular-season ratings in 2020-21 were down 25% compared with the last uninterrupted season in 2018-19.

What were the ratings for the 2021 NBA Finals?

Viewership of the 2021 NBA Finals on ABC was up 32 percent from last year’s NBA Finals, according to Nielsen. The six -game series averaged 9,911,000 viewers. Tuesday’s title clinching Game 6 broadcast was up 50 percent and was the most-watched game of the series.

Are the NBA ratings?

NBA games on ESPN averaged 1.19 million viewers down 10% from 2019-20 and -25% from 2018-19. TNT averaged a slightly better 1.22 million viewers, a decline of 7% from last season and -18% from 2018-19. (The audiences for 2020 and 2021 include out-of-home viewing.)

Are NBA ratings bad?

Eventually, it will be official: The NBA again lost viewership on its ABC games, down from last season’s all-time low of a 2.95 million average in 12 games. The current average for those premium network TV games in 2020-2021 is 2.83 million, per Showbuzz, with three ABC games to go.

How bad are NBA ratings?

“At the start of the 2020-2021 NBA season, Nielsen Media Research data showed that NBA viewership for nationally televised games on TNT, ABC and ESPN was up 34 percent compared to the same 27-game period from last season,” Newsweek noted.

Is the NBA losing fans?

The Problem The NBA saw a 37% decline in ratings from the 2019 playoffs to the 2020 playoffs. A large part of this decline is attributed to the COVID-19 pandemic. It’s no wonder the NBA is losing viewers, as these morning games don’t have anywhere near the same turnout that a primetime game would draw.

Why are NBA ratings going down?

There were several reasons television ratings were down for sports in 2020—increased streaming options, the weirdness of having no fans in the stands, an all-encompassing presidential election, the fact that the entire world was falling apart—but the primary reason may be the simplest: Sports were on at different times …

How are NBA ratings?

Key Facts. ESPN is averaging 1.44 million viewers through 12 games so far this season, up from the 2020-21 season’s average of 1.2 million, according to Nielsen data relayed by ESPN Press Room. Viewership is up across many demographics, including adults ages 18-49 (up 28%) and women (up 26%).

Is the NBA in decline?

NBA revenue slipped from $8.8 billion in 2018-19 to $8.3 billion for the 2019-20 season. The NBA hasn’t released revenue numbers for the shortened 72-game season in 2020-21, but Silver addressed reporters on Monday and notified the NBA’s revenue was down about 35% last year instead of the estimated 40%.

What is the most points scored in NBA Finals game?

Elgin Baylor set The Finals record for scoring when he poured in 61 points against the Boston Celtics in the 1962 NBA Finals. Below is a list of players who scored 40 or more points in a Finals game.

Who has the most points in NBA Finals history?

On March 2, 1962, Wilt Chamberlain set the NBA single-game scoring record by tallying 100 points for the Philadelphia Warriors in a 169-147 victory over the New York Knicks .

What NBA team has never made it to the finals?

Teams that have never played in the NBA Finals (ie never have been Conference Champions): Los Angeles Clippers. Denver Nuggets. Minnesota Timberwolves . Charlotte Hornets. Toronto Raptors. Memphis Grizzlies. New Orleans Pelicans .

What NBA team has the most NBA playoff appearances?

Los Angeles Lakers (previously Minneapolis Lakers) – 32 NBA Finals appearances.

  • Boston Celtics – 21 NBA Finals appearances. The Boston Celtics are the most successful franchise in NBA history,with 17 championship wins in 21 Finals appearances.
  • Golden State Warriors (previously Philadelphia and San Francisco Warriors) – 11 NBA Finals appearances.