The 2025 NBA Playoffs was the most-watched opening weekend in 25 years, with the eight-game schedule averaging 4.4 million viewers, marking a big 17 p.c improve in comparison with final 12 months’s figures.
Each main broadcast companions set spectacular milestones throughout the playoff kickoff. ESPN platforms (ABC/ESPN) averaged 4.49 million viewers throughout their six-game slate, establishing a brand new document for the most-watched playoffs opening weekend in community historical past. In the meantime, TNT Sports activities’ protection throughout TNT, truTV, and Max drew 4.13 million viewers for his or her two-game bundle, representing the community’s finest opening weekend efficiency in eight years.
The Boston Celtics’ first-round opener in opposition to the Orlando Magic emerged because the standout broadcast, drawing 6.69 million viewers on ABC and peaking at 8.02 million. This made it the second most-watched First Spherical Sport 1 in ABC’s broadcast historical past. Equally, ESPN’s protection of the Detroit Pistons versus New York Knicks matchup attracted 4.12 million viewers, securing the place because the community’s second most-watched First Spherical Sport 1 ever.
TNT Sports activities’ Sunday doubleheader additionally carried out effectively, with the Miami Warmth versus Cleveland Cavaliers recreation averaging 4.02 million viewers and the Golden State Warriors going through the Houston Rockets attracting 4.24 million viewers throughout TNT, truTV, and Max platforms.
Saturday’s primetime matchup between the Minnesota Timberwolves and Los Angeles Lakers delivered ABC’s strongest viewership of the day with 5.84 million viewers, peaking at 6.76 million. The Milwaukee Bucks versus Indiana Pacers contest was the weekend’s least-watched recreation, however nonetheless managed a 2.37 million viewer common on ESPN.
