Adam Silver is laughing all the way to the bank with how successful the in season tournament was.
The finale of the NBA In-Season Tournament delivered the league’s top audience outside of Christmas and the postseason in six years.
Saturday’s Pacers-Lakers NBA In-Season Tournament final averaged a 2.5 rating and 4.58 million viewers across ABC (2.2, 4.14M) and ESPN2 (0.26, 439K), marking the largest NBA audience outside of Christmas and the postseason since Opening Night in 2017 (Celtics-Cavaliers: 5.60M).
Ratings jumped 44% and viewership 46% from a Celtics-Warriors NBA Finals rematch in the same window last season (1.7, 3.14M). Even excluding the ESPN2 simulcast, the ABC-only figures increased 29% and 32% respectively.
The Lakers’ win dominated the competing Heisman Trophy Presentation on ESPN head-to-head (2.31M), though it was no match for the Army-Navy Game on CBS earlier in the day (7.18M). (As is typical for the younger-skewing NBA, it did outperform Army-Navy in the younger demographics of adults 18-34 and 18-49.)
The finale of the NBA In-Season Tournament delivered the league’s top audience outside of Christmas and the postseason in six years.
Saturday’s Pacers-Lakers NBA In-Season Tournament final averaged a 2.5 rating and 4.58 million viewers across ABC (2.2, 4.14M) and ESPN2 (0.26, 439K), marking the largest NBA audience outside of Christmas and the postseason since Opening Night in 2017 (Celtics-Cavaliers: 5.60M).
Ratings jumped 44% and viewership 46% from a Celtics-Warriors NBA Finals rematch in the same window last season (1.7, 3.14M). Even excluding the ESPN2 simulcast, the ABC-only figures increased 29% and 32% respectively.
The Lakers’ win dominated the competing Heisman Trophy Presentation on ESPN head-to-head (2.31M), though it was no match for the Army-Navy Game on CBS earlier in the day (7.18M). (As is typical for the younger-skewing NBA, it did outperform Army-Navy in the younger demographics of adults 18-34 and 18-49.)
