Viewing To The 2023 NBA Finals Drop 6% From 2022

The 2023 Finals saw the Denver Nuggets defeat the Miami Heat in five games. The series averaged 11. 65 million viewers. This was a 6% decline from last season’s finals, which had averaged 12.4 million viewers (Golden State Warriors defeated the Boston Celtics in six games). The fifth and deciding game averaged 13.08 million viewers, the highest rated game of the Finals and NBA postseason. Viewing peaked in the final minutes of the game with an average audience of 17.8 million viewers. With the exception of the deciding Game 5, the audience delivery of the 2023 NBA Finals had been lower than the previous season. The 2023 NBA Finals rank among the five least watched since regular measurement began the late 1980’s. (Nielsen began including out-of-home audiences in 2020.)

Despite the decline, leading up to Finals, the NBA touted strong ratings. The opening round generated the highest viewership in nine seasons. The first and second rounds were the highest ratings in 12 seasons. When the two conference finals were included, the NBA postseason games delivered its best audience performance in 11 years. The NBA announced, in total, postseason games on ABC, ESPN and TNT, averaged 5.47 million viewers, the highest in five seasons. The league also reported since May 1, nine of the ten most watched television programs were NBA playoff games.

Prior to the NBA Finals, postseason ratings highlights included Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Finals which averaged 12.0 million viewers (Miami over Boston). With the exception of the last game of the NBA Finals, it was the most watched 2023 postseason game. The Boston Celtics had been attempting to be the first NBA team in 151 tries to win a playoff series down by three games. Miami became only the second #8 seed and first “play-in” team in the NBA Finals.

Another playoff ratings high point was Game 7 of a Western Conference semifinals game between the LeBron James-led Los Angeles Lakers and the Golden State Warriors led by Steph Curry. The deciding game (won by the Lakers), averaged 9.8 million viewers, the most watched second-round game in 27 years.

While viewers, advertisers and probably ABC, were hoping for another Boston and L.A. Lakers NBA Finals (both teams lost in the conference finals), fans watched the smaller market teams Denver and Miami. Los Angeles and Boston rank among the ten largest TV markets, Denver is the 16^th largest and Miami is listed at 18. For Denver, it was its first title since joining the NBA 47 seasons ago. (Denver had also never won an ABA title, making the drought 56 seasons.)

Also, after years of dynasties, there is the possibility that parity has come to the NBA. Denver is the fifth different team to win an NBA championship over the past five years. This occurrence last happened in 1975 to 1980. In addition, over the past three seasons, six different teams have played in the NBA Finals.

While the NBA Finals did not have the desired matchup, or a marquee name such as LeBron James or Steph Curry (one or both had played in all but NBA Finals since 2011), fans got to witness the extraordinary exploits of Denver’s Nikola Jokić. Over the entire NBA playoffs, Jokić became the first player to lead in points, rebounds and assists. The 28-year-old Serbian-born center, is a five-time All-Star, two-time MVP and was named MVP of the NBA Finals. In the 2014 NBA draft, Denver selected Jokić as the 41^st overall pick, the selection was thought to be so insignificant, ESPN aired a Taco Bell Quesarito commercial instead.

It was reported for the playoffs, Disney garnered $241 million in ad revenue, an increase of 12% from 2022. Disney sold last-minute :30 ads for the NBA Finals for $1.2 million. Front Office Sports reported Disney had 240 different advertisers, an increase from last year’s 184. In addition, Disney added 91 new advertisers. This is an indication of the growing importance of live premier televised sporting events, along with the popularity of the NBA, with their young and diverse fan base. Among the product categories investing in the NBA include automotive, travel, entertainment, financial and, of course, sports wagering. For ABC Sports it was their 21^st consecutive season covering the NBA Finals. Mike Breen has been the announcer for a record 18 seasons, 100 games in total.

The audience delivery for the 2022 NBA Finals had been a 22% increase from the 2021 NBA Finals, Milwaukee Bucks over the Phoenix Suns in six games, which averaged 9.9 million viewers. (Because of the pandemic delaying the start of the season, the 2021 NBA Finals were played in July.) The lowest rated NBA Finals was in 2020, Los Angeles Lakers over Miami Heat in six games, which averaged 7.45 million viewers. Again, because of the pandemic, the 2020 NBA Finals were pushed back to October and played in Orlando with no spectators.

The highest rated NBA Finals was the 1998 when the Chicago Bulls defeated the Utah Jazz. In what turned out to be Michael Jordan’s sixth and final title. With a far less fragmented TV/video landscape, the series, on NBC, averaged 29.0 million viewers with the deciding game generating over 35.9 million viewers, both records.

Last year, not one NBA Finals game ranked among the 100 most watched telecasts on television. (By comparison, the NFL had 82 postseason and regular season games ranked.) Looking at other live premier sporting events, last month’s Kentucky Derby on NBC, averaged 14.8 million viewers. The 2022 World Series averaged 12.03 million viewers on Fox/Fox Deportes. The World Cup finale, on Fox/Telemundo (Argentina over France), averaged nearly 26 million viewers.

In all likelihood, by the time the 2024 NBA Finals is being played, negotiations for the media rights of NBA games beginning with the 2025-26 season will have started.