The 2023 NBA Playoffs garnered an average of 5.47 million viewers per game across ABC, ESPN, and TNT, making it the most-watched postseason in the league’s history over the past five years. The ratings success was driven by several notable games during the playoffs.
One standout game was Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Finals between the Miami Heat and Boston Celtics, which averaged 11.9 million viewers on TNT. This game became TNT’s most-watched Eastern Conference Finals game ever and the third-most watched NBA game in the network’s history. Additionally, Game 6 of the same series on TNT was the most-watched Game 6 of the Eastern Conference Finals on any network in the past 11 years.
ESPN’s playoff broadcasts saw a two percent increase in viewership compared to 2022, averaging 6.39 million viewers, making it the network’s most-watched NBA playoffs since 2019. The first and second-round coverage on ESPN platforms, including ABC, averaged 5.2 million viewers, marking the highest viewership ever for these rounds on ESPN platforms and a 14% increase compared to the previous year.
Interestingly, the high viewership during this year’s playoffs was driven more by the earlier rounds rather than the NBA Finals between the Denver Nuggets and Miami Heat, which averaged 11.6 million viewers across five games on ABC. This average audience was the third-lowest for an NBA Finals since 2007, surpassing only the pandemic-affected Finals in 2020 and 2021, which were played off-schedule.
Looking ahead, the NBA’s current media rights deals with ESPN and TNT will continue until the end of the 2024-25 season. The league is anticipated to seek between $50 billion and $75 billion in its next round of media rights contracts and has drawn interest from other major players such as NBC and Amazon.