or


[04/22/25 - 08:50 AM]
Most-Watched NBA Playoffs Opening Weekend Ever on ESPN Platforms
The six-game slate across Saturday, April 19, and Sunday, April 20, averaged 4,487,000 viewers, up 15 percent from last year.
[via press release from ESPN]

Most-Watched NBA Playoffs Opening Weekend Ever on ESPN Platforms

· Audience Up 15 Percent From Last Year; Averaged 4,487,000 Viewers Across Six Games

· Boston Celtics Game 1 Victory Over Orlando Magic on April 20 Averaged 6,689,000 Viewers; Peaked with 8,022,000 Viewers and Up 44 Percent from Last Year's Comparable Game

· Minnesota Timberwolves Victory Over Los Angeles Lakers on April 19 Propelled ABC to Win the Day Across All of Television and in All Key Demographics

ESPN generated its most-watched NBA Playoffs opening weekend ever across its platforms, according to Nielsen. The six-game slate across Saturday, April 19, and Sunday, April 20, averaged 4,487,000 viewers, up 15 percent from last year. ESPN's NBA Playoffs coverage began with the 2002-03 season.

Most-Watched Game

The defending NBA Champion Boston Celtics' victory over the Orlando Magic in Game 1 of their first round series was the most-watched game of the weekend, averaging 6,689,000 viewers Sunday afternoon on ABC. The broadcast peaked with 8,022,000 viewers at 5:45 p.m. ET and was the second-most watched NBA Playoffs first round Game 1 ever, just behind the Celtics vs. Brooklyn Nets game in 2022. Sunday's viewership was up 44 percent from its comparable game last year.

Winning the Night

Saturday night's Minnesota Timberwolves victory over the Los Angeles Lakers on ABC averaged 5,838,000 viewers and peaked with 6,756,000 viewers at 10:30 p.m. The game broadcasted propelled ABC to win the night for April 19 across all of television and in all key demographics, including amongst People and Males. It was up three percent from its comparable game last year.

Additional viewership numbers from ESPN's opening weekend:

Date Game Average Viewership Peak Viewership Platform

Sat, Apr. 19

Milwaukee Bucks vs. Indiana Pacers 2,368,000 3,145,000 ESPN

LA Clippers vs. Denver Nuggets 3,642,000 5,197,000 ESPN

Detroit Pistons vs. New York Knicks 4,124,000 4,661,000 ESPN

Sun, Apr. 20

Memphis Grizzles vs. Oklahoma City Thunder 4,451,000 5,601,000 ABC

-30-





  [april 2025]  
S
M
T
W
T
F
S
  


· SHOWATCH
(series past and present)
· DEVWATCH
(series in development)
· MOVIEWATCH
(tv movies and mini-series)




most recent ratings | view all posts
[06/04/25 - 07:01 AM]
ESPN Scores Stellar Pre-Finals Women's College World Series Viewership
Through the first 12 games, viewers have consumed 2.4 billion minutes of the WCWS across linear and ESPN+.
[06/03/25 - 03:04 PM]
ABC News' "Nightline" Ranks No. 1 in Total Viewers, Adults 25-54 and Adults 18-49 vs. CBS' "After Midnight" and NBC's "Late Night with Seth Meyers"
For the 2nd week in a row, "Nightline" posted increases in Total Viewers, Adults 25-54 and Adults 18-49, turning in its strongest numbers across the board in more than 4 months.
[06/03/25 - 12:01 PM]
Netflix Top 10 Week of May 26: "Sirens" Enchants Top 10 Again, "Adolescence" Jumps to No. 2 on Most Popular
Also in English TV, "Cold Case: The Tylenol Murders" debuted at No. 2, as the three-part documentary series reexamined a string of unsolved murders tied to the over-the-counter painkiller that triggered a national panic in the '80s (11.9 million views).
[06/03/25 - 10:05 AM]
FOX MLB Scores 2.2 Million Viewers for 18-2 Yankees-Dodgers Blowout
The network's "Baseball Night in America" coverage was up 16% versus last year's FOX MLB regular-season average, despite heavy competition.
[06/03/25 - 09:40 AM]
ESPN Delivers Two of the Three Most-Watched Women's College World Series Non-Finals Games on Record
UCLA versus Tennessee delivered the largest softball audience in a decade.
[06/03/25 - 09:28 AM]
ESPN's Most-Watched Season of "Sunday Night Baseball" in Eight Years
The June 1 edition was the most-watched in seven years, since August 2018.
[06/03/25 - 07:32 AM]
Mega-Hit "Rock the Block" Delivers Another Standout Season for HGTV
The seven-episode run averaged a .66 live plus three-day rating among Adults 25-54 and a .84 live plus three-day rating among Women 25-54.
[06/02/25 - 01:00 PM]
"Saturday Night Live" Is the #1 Broadcast Entertainment Series for the 2024-25 Season in the 18-49 Demo
The 50th season of "Saturday Night Live" averaged 8.1 million viewers (L7) across all platforms.

[05/28/25 - 02:04 PM]
ABC News' "Nightline" Ranks No. 1 in Total Viewers vs. CBS' "After Midnight" and NBC's "Late Night with Seth Meyers"
"Nightline" posted double-digit gains week to week across the board: Total Viewers, Adults 25-54 and Adults 18-49, drawing its largest overall audience in 12 weeks.
[05/28/25 - 01:29 PM]
Mets-Dodgers Produces FOX's Most-Watched Baseball Telecast This Season
Through seven telecasts, FOX Saturday baseball coverage is up +10% over last year.
[05/28/25 - 11:35 AM]
"The American Music Awards" Hosted by Jennifer Lopez Posts Largest Audience Since 2019
The live broadcast delivered 4.73 million viewers, up +34% from its last live broadcast in 2022 (airing November 20, 2022, on ABC).

[05/28/25 - 10:19 AM]
ESPN's "Sunday Night Baseball" Averaged 1.7 Million Viewers for NLCS Rematch Featuring Los Angeles Dodgers vs New York Mets
Said telecast was up 11% versus last year's "Sunday Night Baseball" average.
[05/28/25 - 07:52 AM]
Formula 1 Monaco Grand Prix Telecast on ABC Attracts Largest Live Audience Ever for Iconic Event
The audience broke the event's record viewership of 2.0 million that watched last year's race, with viewership peaking at 2.6 million during the 10:30-10:45 a.m. quarter hour.

[05/28/25 - 06:05 AM]
"The Chi" Season Seven Premiere Scores Two Million Cross-Platform Viewers
The season seven premiere scored two million cross-platform viewers, making the season seven premiere the most-streamed in the series' history, up +2% on streaming versus last season.
[05/27/25 - 12:01 PM]
Netflix Top 10 Week of May 19: "Sirens" Makes a Splash with No. 1 Debut
The limited series starring Julianne Moore, Meghann Fahy, Milly Alcock, and Kevin Bacon debuted in the No. 1 spot in English TV this week, claiming 16.7 million views in just four days and arriving in the Top 10 in all countries.