The recently concluded NBA Finals didn’t simply mark the first time that the Denver Nuggets won the NBA title. It also highlighted the rapid growth of streaming audiences for sports, with global NPAW customer data showing that plays were up by 237% and unique viewers increased by 253% compared to 2022 during this year's NBA Finals.
In addition the total playtime increased by 82%.
NPAW also reported that streaming consumption increased during the 2023 Finals compared to the average for the previous three months, highlighting the power of live sports content. Plays increased by 31% compared to the previous three months, while playtime surged by 65% and 10% more unique users tuned in.
The final match of the 2023 Finals wasn’t the most viewed, however. The NPAW data showed that the fourth game stood out with nearly double the number of plays compared to the average of the other four games.
Despite its notable viewership, the audience spent less time watching the fourth game than the average time dedicated to the remaining games, NPAW reported.
Game 5 boasted the highest engagement, with a remarkable 43% increase in both average playtime and average playtime per user.
TVs maintained a dominant position with a 40% share of total playtime, indicating that a significant portion of viewers still prefers the traditional experience of watching live sporting events on big screens, the researchers said.
Meanwhile, smartphones accounted for nearly a quarter of total playtime at 22%, emphasizing their appeal in terms of convenience and portability.
However, the average playtime per user experienced a 19% decline versus 2022. That drop could be attributed to factors such as the Finals’ concurrence with other significant sporting events, with the Champions League final, Roland Garros, Formula 1, and Moto GP all potentially impacting the average playtime per user for the Finals, the researchers said.
More data is available here.
