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.
![NBA In-Seaon Tournament](https://mickeyblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/Screenshot-2023-12-12-at-17-45-48-960x0.jpg-WEBP-Image-960-×-640-pixels-—-Scaled-88-1024x683.png)
![NBA In-Seaon Tournament](https://mickeyblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/Screenshot-2023-12-12-at-17-45-48-960x0.jpg-WEBP-Image-960-×-640-pixels-—-Scaled-88-1024x683.png)
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.
![NBA In-Season Tournament](https://mickeyblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/Screenshot-2023-12-12-at-17-46-01-With-assist-from-LeBron-NBA-scores-with-first-In-Season-Tournament.png)
![NBA In-Season Tournament](https://mickeyblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/Screenshot-2023-12-12-at-17-46-01-With-assist-from-LeBron-NBA-scores-with-first-In-Season-Tournament.png)
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.
![NBA In-Season Tournament](https://mickeyblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/In-Season-Torunament-NBA-Cup-1024x512.jpg)
![NBA In-Season Tournament](https://mickeyblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/In-Season-Torunament-NBA-Cup-1024x512.jpg)
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](https://mickeyblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/106844636-1614123155643-curry-1024x576.jpg)
![NBA Top Shot](https://mickeyblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/106844636-1614123155643-curry-1024x576.jpg)
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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