audience success for the NBA’s return to NBC
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After more than twenty years of absence, v NBA signed off on his big comeback on Tuesday night NBC…and the American public has largely responded. The double bill of “Opening” thus gathered an average of 5.61 million viewers, according to Nielsen and Adobe Analytics. This is easily the best crowd for an October season opener in 15 years!
A figure that reflects the enthusiasm for this return, but also a clear jump compared to last season: +87% compared to the 3 million viewers recorded last year on TNT Sports.
XXXL opening with current champions
Game 1 between the defending champion Thunder and Rockets drew 5.85 million viewers on NBC and Peacock. The win by Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and his teammates even peaked at 7.1 million during the second overtime: unheard of for a first-night opener since 2010, the year LeBron James played his first game with the Heat against the Celtics (7.4 million on TNT).
This Rockets–Thunder thus shows an increase of +95% compared to last year’s duel between the Celtics and the Knicks.
The second matchup between the Warriors and the Lakers couldn’t be beat: 5.11 million average viewers, a +76% increase from the Lakers-Timberwolves opener last season.
Overall, NBC dominated the night in the 18-49 age group, all channels combined, a strong signal for the league’s return to the historic channel, which followed the NBA’s golden age in the ’90s.
2025-10-24 11:23:00
