The NBA got a pleasant surprise to open the week.
ESPN ((DIS)) announced that Game 1 of the NBA Finals between the Denver Nuggets and Miami Heat on Thursday, June 1 averaged 11.5 million viewers on ABC and ESPN2. The viewership peaked at nearly 12.8 million viewers at 10:30 p.m. EDT.
DON’T MISS: How the NBA Finals Ratings Impact the Future of the League
The number is actually down from last year’s NBA Finals, which averaged 11.9 million viewers in Game 1 and 12.4 million for the entire series. However, that was a match-up between the Golden State Warriors and Boston Celtics, two of the league’s most popular franchises. It also featured Steph Curry, one of the league’s most popular stars.
There was some outside buzz that a Finals bout between two mid-sized markets in Miami and Denver would tank viewership compared to last year, or any permutation involving the Celtics and Los Angeles Lakers, both of whom were eliminated in the Conference Finals.
NBA Commissioner Adam Silver spoke on NBATV before Game 2 of the NBA Finals on Sunday and addressed the business implications of the NBA Finals match-up.
“Where we’re getting to, by definition, the teams that are in the Finals are the teams that people want to watch,” Silver said. “It used to be very different … A market could determine what the economics were, what your opportunities are. That’s not the case anymore.”
However, the 2023 NBA Finals ratings are still down significantly versus pre-pandemic years. In 2019, Game 1 between the Toronto Raptors and Golden State Warriors averaged 13.5 million viewers.
The league also saw 19.2 million viewers for the opening game of the 2017 match-up between LeBron James' Cleveland Cavaliers and Curry's Golden State Warriors.
Silver’s diplomatic answer does hide how important the ratings number could be for the NBA -- which is in the midst of an outstanding ratings run through the beginning of the playoffs -- in securing maximum value for its next media rights deal.
The NBA’s current deal with ESPN and TNT ((WBD)) expires after the 2024-25 NBA season.
