The NBA In-Season Tournament Championship Sets Viewership Records on ABC and ESPN2
Based on television ratings, the NBA’s inaugural In-Season Tournament was a smashing success.
The tournament managed to inject some life into the normally dreary NBA season, and the league’s television ratings show it.
Photo: Forbes
The tournament finale, which saw the Los Angeles Lakers defeat the Indiana Pacers, managed to bring 4.58 million viewers on ABC and ESPN2, making the championship the most-watched NBA game since February 2018 (excluding Christmas Day games).
The victory not only gave the Los Angeles Lakers a new kind of trophy, but each player won $500,000.
Photo: NBC News
A Boon For ABC and ESPN
According to Nielsen, viewership peaked at 11 p.m. ET when nearly 5.7 million viewers turned in. The audience average was up 46% versus last year’s NBA Saturday Primetime on ABC debut between the Boston Celtics and the Golden State Warriors.
Photo: Dunkest
While the traditional NBA broadcast aired on ABC, ESPN2 aired a Manningcast-style broadcast hosted by Kevin Hart. The ESPN2 telecast made up 10% of the total audience.
Streaming Numbers Were Also Up
The championship game was also available on the NBA League Pass outside of linear television. There, it was the most-engaged game ever. Additionally, throughout the NBA In-Season Tournament, NBA League Pass viewership was up 45% vs. last season.
NBA Top Shot
Between the strong television ratings and the way that NBA players embraced the In-Season Tournament, the new wrinkle to the NBA season looks to be here to stay. With Disney set to renegotiate their NBA television rights, the In-Season Tournament will be a valuable asset for both parties.
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