The NBA Draft 2023 was not only a landmark event since super-hyped French phenom Victor Wembanyama was the top overall pick, but the event was the most watched ever.
Despite tons of rumors that made it seem like the NBA Draft 2023 would be the most active in league history, there were not many unexpected moves during Thursday’s event. Super-prospect Victor Wembanyama went to the San Antonio Spurs at No. 1, and fellow star youngsters Brandon Miller and Scoot Henderson rounded out the top three.
Related: NBA Draft 2023 – 5 major takeaways, including Portland Trail Blazers’ decision
While the event itself did not deliver shocking results, it was special when it came to the number of people that tuned into the June 22 event that aired on both ABC (first round) and ESPN.
NBA Draft 2023 peaked with over 6 million viewers
ESPN announced on Friday that the NBA Draft 2023 averaged 3,743,000 on the two major platforms — up 23% from 2022. However, the opening round of the event pulled in an average of nearly 5 million viewers, which was above last year’s numbers by 24%.
Both were all-time bests, but they were trumped by the 6,085,000 viewers that watched during the first quarter hour of the event when Wembanyama, Miller, and Henderson were drafted. NBA Draft 2023 was the most-watched program of the day across all of television and in all key demographics, and also the most viewed on any network in the over 70-year history of the draft.
Yet, those numbers could actually increase. The first round of ratings figures does not factor in full streaming data due to a holiday delay for Nielsen. When the final numbers are released on Monday, the NBA Draft 2023 may have a rating that could never be surpassed.
In comparison, the NFL Draft in April averaged over 6 million viewers over the three-day event.