The Boston Celtics, led by NBA Finals MVP Jaylen Brown, won their 18th NBA championship more than any other … (+)
Another NBA Finals is in the books as the Boston Celtics defeated the Dallas Mavericks, in five games. For the Celtics, the NBA’s original franchise, it was their 18th championship, breaking a tie with rival Los Angeles Lakers for the most titles in league history. Boston became the sixth different franchise to win the NBA championship in the last six seasons. Jaylen Brown of the Celtics was named Finals MVP.
Despite this historic performance, many viewers tuned out. The average audience for the five-game series was 11.31 million, year over year. drop of -3% of the 2023 NBA Finals (Denver vs. Miami) which was also a five-game series. The fifth and decisive Game 5 averaged 12.22 million viewers, down 7% from last year’s Game 5 which averaged 13.08 million viewers.
Even though Dallas and Boston are among the ten largest television markets, the series has been marred by lopsided victories that have limited viewer interest. Ratings success depends on two factors: having more viewers and having them watch for an extended period of time. With a number of blowouts, viewers seemingly tuned out.
According to Sports media monitoring, four of the five games had, at some point, a lopsided score. In the first game, at one point, Boston held a commanding lead of 29 points. In Game 3, Boston led by 21 points. Additionally, in the fifth and final game, Boston led by 26 points. On the other hand, in Game 4, the only game Boston failed to win, Dallas, at one point, had led by as many as 48 points.
Of the five games, the most watched was Game 2, the only one not to be one-sided. In the second game, Boston won by seven points, which attracted an average audience of 12.31 million viewers. Game 2 was the most-watched NBA telecast of the entire 2023-24 season and the second-most-watched game of an NBA Finals in five years.
Comparing audiences to other NBA Finals, 2024 was the least watched since the two pandemic-era Finals in 2020 and 2021. The 2020 NBA Finals (LA Lakers vs. Miami) played in September-October in a “Bubble” near Orlando averaged just 7.66 million viewers. The following year, the NBA finals (Milwaukee vs. Phoenix) played in July attracted an average of 9.91 million viewers. The only non-COVID NBA Finals lower than this season was in 2007 (San Antonio vs. Cleveland), which averaged 9.29 million viewers. (In 2007, any out-of-home viewing was not included in the ratings.)
NBA FINALS
Average audience (in millions)
2024 2023
Boston vs. Dallas Denver vs. Miami
Game 1 10.99 Game 1 11.58
Game 2 12.31 Game 2 11.91
Match 3 11:43 a.m. Match 3 11:24 a.m.
Game 4 9.62 Game 4 10.41
Match 5 12.22 Match 5 13.08
Average 11.31 Average 11.64
All games on ABC
Source: Nielsen
Heading into the 2024 NBA Finals, ratings for the playoffs were lower than for the 2023 playoffs. In 2024, the average audience for the first three rounds of the playoffs was 4.1 million viewers, a decline by 13% over one year (4.7 million). Including the NBA Finals, the entire NBA Playoffs (including all six Play-In Tournament games) averaged 4.44 million viewers, a 10% year-over-year decline on the other compared to last year’s average of 4.95 million viewers. Interest in the NBA playoffs was also down this year. According to TabboulaIn 2024, the NBA playoffs accumulated 66 million page views compared to 79 million in 2023.
For the regular season, the average national television audience across all networks averaged 1.09 million viewers, a slight increase of 1% compared to the previous season. Excluding NBA TV games, viewership on ABC, ESPN and TNT averaged 1.59 million viewers, the lowest level in three years.
The NBA will have an unusually busy offseason. There will be the usual free agent signings, trades and the two-day NBA draft begins on June 26. Additionally, the Paris Summer Olympics will begin on July 26 with Team USA’s roster filled with NBA players led by four-time Olympians LeBron James and Kevin Durant. At the Tokyo 2020 Games, the U.S. men’s team won their fourth consecutive gold medal.
The most anticipated announcement of the NBA offseason, however, will be the finalization of a new media rights agreement. Despite losing viewership last season, numerous reports indicate the NBA could potentially triple its annual fee from $2.66 billion starting with the 2025-2026 season.
A Press release of ESPN reported that the NBA Finals on ABC were the highest-rated program of the five nights across all key demographics, including among young adults. With a report 95 advertisers (including 32 for the first time) scheduled for the NBA Finals, Disney had no difficulty selling the game to advertisers. Sportico estimates that advertising revenue from the fifth and final contest generated approximately $155 million in advertising revenue for Disney.
This explains why the NBA will benefit from a considerable increase in media rights.
