The NBA has reported its highest viewership in 24 years, crediting new television rights deals for the surge. The league announced on Wednesday that 170 million people in the United States watched games across its four main broadcast platforms: ABC/ESPN, Amazon Prime Video, NBC/Peacock, and NBA TV.
This represents an 86 per cent increase on last season. The season marked the debut of Prime Video as part of the rights package, while NBC/Peacock returned for the first time in a generation. These platforms are part of an 11-year media rights deal valued at over $76 billion, signed in 2024.
Further highlights include the highest average viewership in 13 years, up 35 per cent from last season. Fifty-seven telecasts averaged two million viewers, the most since the 2011-12 season. Fans collectively watched more than 920 million hours of NBA games, a 25 per cent increase and the highest total since 2011-12.
The NBA's social media platforms generated 228 billion views this season, a 13 per cent increase. Arena attendance over the last three seasons has surpassed any comparable period in league history. Viewership for the NBA Cup group stage surged by 90 per cent, and the All-Star Game drew 8.8 million viewers, the most since 2011.
The SoFi NBA Play-In Tournament began on Tuesday and runs until Friday, with the playoffs starting on Saturday. The 2026 NBA Draft Lottery is scheduled for 10 May.
