NBA Finals television ratings

This is a list of television ratings for NBA Finals in the United States, based on Nielsen viewing data.[1] The highest rated and most watched NBA Finals series was the 1998 NBA Finals between the Chicago Bulls and Utah Jazz, which averaged an 18.7 rating / 33 share and 29.04 million viewers on NBC. That series also featured the highest rated and most watched NBA Finals game, as the Sunday night averaged a 22.3 rating / 38 share and 35.89 million viewers. The 1987 NBA Finals between the Los Angeles Lakers and Boston Celtics was the highest rated and most watched NBA Finals series on CBS, averaging a 15.9 rating / 32 share and 24.12 million viewers. Game 7 of the 1988 NBA Finals registered the network's highest rated and most watched NBA game with a 21.2 rating / 37 share.

The 2015 NBA Finals between the Golden State Warriors and Cleveland Cavaliers was the highest rated NBA Finals series on ABC averaging an 11.6 rating / 21 share and 19.94 million viewers. The 2017 NBA Finals featuring the same two teams was the most watched NBA Final series on ABC averaging an 11.3 rating / 22 share and 20.38 million viewers. Game 7 of the 2016 NBA Finals registered the network's highest rated and most watched NBA game with an average 15.8 rating / 29 share and 31.02 million viewers.[2] It was the first basketball game to draw more than 30 million average viewers in 18 years, and only the seventh non-NFL sports telecast (excluding the Olympics) to have done so since 1998.[3]

The 2019 NBA Finals between the Golden State Warriors and the Toronto Raptors had a drop in American viewership. Analysts cited the presence of a Canadian team (Canadian viewership does not count towards U.S. Nielsen ratings, leading to only one U.S. home market being reflected in viewership), as a factor in the drop.[4][5] At the same time, the presence of the Toronto Raptors in the NBA Finals boosted Canadian viewership to record levels.[6]

For the 2020 NBA Finals, the ratings dropped to a historic low, with one of the games drawing only 5.9 million viewers.[7] The average viewers figure over 6 games was 7.5 million, which is a 51% decline from the previous year.[8] Some have claimed this was due to the players' political activism; others have claimed this was due to the finals being played out of season caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, as other sports such as the NHL playoffs and the MLB playoffs also showed a significant decline in ratings.[7][9]

  1. ^ Lewis, Jon. "NBA Finals Ratings History (1988-Present)". Sports Media Watch. Retrieved June 18, 2024.
  2. ^ Douglas Pucci (June 21, 2016). "Sunday Final Nationals: Cavaliers-Warriors NBA Finals Game 7 on ABC Draws Best NBA Game Ratings in 18 Years". Programming Insider. Retrieved June 22, 2016.
  3. ^ Paulsen (June 20, 2016). "LeBron, Cleveland's Game 7 Triumph Tops 30 Million Viewers". Sports Media Watch. Retrieved June 21, 2016.
  4. ^ Thorne, Will (May 31, 2019). "NBA Finals Game 1 Scores Lowest Ratings in 10 Years". Variety. Retrieved May 31, 2019.
  5. ^ "TV Ratings: NBA Finals Open With 10-Year Low". The Hollywood Reporter. 31 May 2019. Retrieved May 31, 2019.
  6. ^ "Raptors set Canadian TV record in Game 1 of NBA Finals, but U.S. ratings down". CTV News. Canadian Press. 31 May 2019. Retrieved May 31, 2019.
  7. ^ a b Helin, Kurt (October 9, 2020). "Report: Adam Silver surprised by low ratings for NBA Finals". NBC Sports.
  8. ^ Palmeri, Christopher (October 13, 2020). "NBA Ratings Decline Points to Broader Trouble in TV Watching". Bloomberg.
  9. ^ Beer, Tommy (October 15, 2020). "NBA's Ratings Drop Not Due To Blowback Over Players' Activism, Poll Suggests". Forbes.