The 2024 NBA Finals, marred by several blowouts, will not go down as a classic.
The Finals weren’t much to talk about in terms of ratings for ABC, either. Sports Media Watch reports they were the least-watched NBA Finals since 2007 (excluding the two Covid-era series).
The Boston Celtics’ 4-1 series win over the Dallas Mavericks averaged a 5.8 rating and 11.31 million viewers on ABC (ESPN simulcast Game 3). That’s down 3% in viewership (11.64 million viewers) from the 2023 NBA Finals featuring the Denver Nuggets and Miami Heat.
Only the 2020 and 2021 NBA Finals, both impacted by Covid, featured lower ratings. And this year’s Finals was the least-watched since 2007, when the San Antonio Spurs-Cleveland Cavaliers series drew 9.29 million viewers.
As a whole, the 2024 NBA Playoffs were down significantly from 2023. According to Sports Media Watch, this year’s playoffs averaged a 2.4 rating and 4.53 million viewers, down 11% and 12%, respectively, from 2023 (2.7, 5.12 million).
ESPN reported Tuesday the NBA Finals led the network ratings for all five nights the series aired, and led all key demographics. In addition, the release reports the series boasted the highest share of the audience ever in the key 18-34 demographic.
NBA Finals Game 5, which saw the Celtics claim a record 18th league championship, averaged 12.22 million viewers and peaked with 13.28 million viewers.
While that’s impressive versus other programming, it’s a 6.6% decline from Game 5 of the 2023 NBA Finals. The Nuggets’ win over the Heat averaged a series-high 13.08 million viewers on ABC in the most-watched Game 5 since 2019.
Ratings for other 2024 Finals games were hit or miss for the network, and the numbers appeared to suffer from several games being non-competitive. For example, Game 1, which saw the Celtics blow out the Mavericks 107-89, brought in the lowest ratings for a Finals opener in three seasons, averaging 11.04 million viewers across ABC and ESPN Desportes.
However, Game 2, where the Celtics claimed a seven-point win, averaged 12.31 million viewers, the most-watched Game 2 of an NBA Finals since 2019.
For reference, the most-watched NBA Finals game came in 1998, when Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls knocked off the Utah Jazz in Game 6 to clinch the series. That game attracted 35.89 million viewers.
NBA Countdown averaged 4.02 million viewers for the 2024 NBA Finals, the most viewers since 2019, according to ESPN.
About Arthur Weinstein
Arthur spends his free time traveling around the U.S. to sporting events, state and national parks, and in search of great restaurants off the beaten path.