The Los Angeles Lakers victory over the Indiana Pacers in Saturday’s NBA In-Season Tournament championship averaged 4,580,000 viewers on ABC and ESPN2.
According to Nielsen, it is the most-watched NBA game during the regular season that wasn’t played on Christmas Day on any network in nearly six years.
Viewership reached the highest total of 5,680,000 viewers at 11 p.m. ET.
NBA Saturday Primetime on ABC had a 46% increase in audience vs. last year in the comparable window.
NBA Countdown Presented By Door Dash, ABC’s pregame show, averaged 2,060,000 viewers before the Championship Game. It was up 30% compared to the comparable window last year – the pregame show for NBA Saturday Primetime on ABC season debut.
What is the future of the NBA In-Season Tournament?
It goes without saying that the attendance and ratings success will keep the tournament around. Those numbers can’t be ignored.
According to NBA Commissioner Adam Silver, there will be some changes, but the league was happy with the success of the tournament in the first year.