Aided by a huge increase on Martin Luther King Jr. Day, the NBA on Thursday announced the overall viewership on nationally televised broadcasts is up compared to the same number of games from last season.
Viewership through MLK Day drew an average of two million average viewers through the first 27 games across TNT, ESPN and ABC, an increase of 34% from the same number of games last year. Comparatively, the first 27 games last year drew in an average of 1.49 million viewers.
In addition to the increase in nationally-televised games, NBA League Pass has also delivered strong regular-season viewership. The average minutes watched increase by 18% versus last season and engagement on the NBA’s social media platforms is up 201% in minutes watched.
NBA viewership across TNT, ESPN and ABC through MLK Day is up 34% vs. the comparable number of games (27) during the 2019-20 season (2.0 million vs. 1.49 average viewers), according to Nielsen.
— Cody Taylor (@CodyTaylorNBA) January 21, 2021
On Monday, the Golden State Warriors and Los Angeles Lakers capped an action-packed schedule on MLK Day, drawing an average of 2.2 million viewers, an increase of 84% based on the same telecast window from last year.
Overall, the prime time doubleheader coverage on TNT was up 31% over last year.
The NBA opened the 2020-21 season to a strong start after enjoying the most-watched opening week since 2012, with combined viewership up 67% compared to last year. The Christmas Day lineup netted a 10% increase in viewership, with the Dallas Mavericks and Lakers contest averaging 7.01 million viewers.
Amidst an unprecedented season in the NBA, fans have continued to tune into games at a high volume to watch the stars of the league take the court each night.
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