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[06/02/26 - 04:06 PM]
NBC and Peacock Deliver Most-Watched Conference Finals Game Since 2016 with 15.9 Million Viewers for Spurs-Thunder Game 7 on Saturday Night
Across 28 playoff games, NBC Sports' presentation of the 2026 NBA Playoffs averaged 7.2 million viewers on NBC and Peacock, up 72% versus comparable coverage last season.
[via press release from NBC Sports]

NBC AND PEACOCK DELIVER MOST-WATCHED CONFERENCE FINALS GAME SINCE 2016 WITH 15.9 MILLION VIEWERS FOR SPURS-THUNDER GAME 7 ON SATURDAY NIGHT

Game 7 Peaked at 22.2 Million Viewers as Victor Wembanyama and San Antonio Spurs Defeated Oklahoma City Thunder to Advance to First NBA Finals Since 2014

Western Conference Finals Averaged 10.8 Million Viewers on NBC and Peacock, the Most-Watched Conference Finals Since 2002

NBC Sports Averaged 7.2 Million Viewers for its 28 NBA Playoff Games Across Three Rounds on NBC and Peacock, Up 72% vs. Comparable Coverage Last Season

Nine of 10 Most-Viewed 2026 NBA Playoff Games Have Aired on NBC and Peacock

NBA's Triumphant Return to NBC Sports for 2025-26 Season Powers NBCUniversal to Significant Wins Across Ad Sales, Peacock Engagement, and More

STAMFORD, Conn. - June 2, 2026 - Game 7 of the epic 2026 NBA Western Conference Finals between the San Antonio Spurs and Oklahoma City Thunder on Saturday, May 30, averaged a Total Audience Delivery of 15.9 million viewers across NBC and Peacock, marking the most-watched Conference Finals game since 2016 and the most-watched game of the 2025-26 season to date, according to official Nielsen Big Data + Panel and Adobe Analytics data.

The Spurs' 111-103 win over the Thunder -- sending San Antonio to its first NBA Finals since 2014 -- peaked at 22.2 million viewers and capped NBC Sports' coverage of the 2026 NBA Playoffs, its first postseason presentation in 24 years.

Game 7 also powered the 2026 Western Conference Finals to average 10.8 million viewers on NBC and Peacock, the best for a Conference Finals - Eastern or Western - since 2002.

Across 28 playoff games, NBC Sports' presentation of the 2026 NBA Playoffs averaged 7.2 million viewers on NBC and Peacock, up 72% versus comparable coverage last season. Nine of the top 10 (and 17 of the top 25) most-watched NBA playoff games this season aired on NBC and Peacock.

Following are NBC Sports' 10 most-watched games of the 2026 NBA Playoffs:

Date Teams Round/Game Viewers

1. May 30 Spurs-Thunder Western Conference Finals, Game 7 15.9 million

2. May 28 Thunder-Spurs Western Conference Finals, Game 6 11.6 million

3. May 2 76ers-Celtics First Round, Game 7 11.0 million

4. May 24 Thunder-Spurs Western Conference Finals, Game 4 10.3 million

5. May 26 Spurs-Thunder Western Conference Finals, Game 5 10.2 million

6. May 20 Spurs-Thunder Western Conference Finals, Game 2 10.1 million

7. May 18 Spurs-Thunder Western Conference Finals, Game 1 9.2 million

8. May 22 Thunder-Spurs Western Conference Finals, Game 3 9.0 million

9. May 10 Spurs-Timberwolves Conference Semifinals, Game 4 7.9 million

t10. May 12 Timberwolves-Spurs Conference Semifinals, Game 5 7.0 million

t10. May 11 Pistons-Cavaliers Conference Semifinals, Game 4 7.0 million

***

NBA DRIVES SIGNIFICANT WINS ACROSS NBCUNIVERSAL

NBC GROWS OVERALL REACH WITH NBA, BOASTS MOST SPORTS HOURS THAN ANY OTHER BROADCASTER

NBA games significantly extended NBC's reach in Primetime (+28%) and Total Day (+19%) within key demos this season, particularly with younger viewers, female viewers, and Black and Hispanic audiences.

With the addition of the NBA, NBC has more sports viewing hours and more sports programming than any other broadcast network, with the biggest year-over-year increase in viewership and programming hours from sports versus the broadcast competition.

PEACOCK IS #1 MAJOR SVOD FOR LIVE SPORTS

Peacock has more live sports than any other major SVOD. Following a successful first NBA season and record-breaking Legendary February, consumers in a recent survey rank Peacock as the #1 SVOD for live sports.

NBA DRIVES VIEWERSHIP TO ENTERTAINMENT & NEWS ACROSS NBC & PEACOCK

The NBA served as a critical and valuable entry point for audiences to also watch NBCUniversal's entertainment and news content across linear and streaming.

· NBC late night programming and local news saw meaningful lifts during the NBA playoffs, pulling in over 50% higher viewership on game nights.

· Nearly three-quarters of NBA viewers on Peacock also watched non-sports content, accounting for 86% of their total viewing time.

THE NBA'S RETURN TO NBC AND LAUNCH ON PEACOCK WAS HIGHLY SOUGHT AFTER BY ADVERTISERS, WITH OVER 250 CLIENTS INVESTING IN THE 25-26 SEASON

Nearly 60% of clients bought NBA inventory cross-platform, further demonstrating the combined power of linear and streaming. Additionally, NBC Sports' NBA coverage brought in over 50 new advertisers across NBC and Peacock.

*Nielsen and internal NBCU data

***

Following are additional viewership highlights for NBC Sports' coverage of Spurs-Thunder Game 7, the Western Conference Finals, and the 2026 NBA Playoffs on NBC and Peacock (all highlights are Total Audience Delivery unless noted):

SPURS-THUNDER GAME 7

· With 15.9 million viewers, Spurs-Thunder is the most-watched Conference Finals game -- Eastern or Western -- since 2016 (Thunder-Warriors).

· Up 33% vs. most recent Conference Finals Game 7 (Heat-Celtics, 2023) and up 7% vs. most recent Western Conference Finals Game 7 (Warriors-Rockets, 2018).

· The most-watched game of the 2025-26 NBA season to date.

· The game peaked at 22.2 million viewers at the end of the game as the Spurs advanced to the NBA Finals for the first time since 2014.

· By averaging 12.7 million TV-only viewers, NBC won the night in total viewers and all key demographics.

· For TV-only viewers, it's the most-watched Saturday night primetime program on NBC since the NFL Wild Card Game (Chargers-Jaguars) on Jan. 14, 2023, excluding the Olympics.

· Led by Peacock, the game streamed an Average Minute Audience (AMA) of 3.2 million viewers, making it the most streamed NBA game on NBC/Peacock.

WESTERN CONFERENCE FINALS

· The seven-game Western Conference Finals averaged 10.8 million viewers, making it the most-watched Western Conference Finals since 2002.

· Up 100% vs. the average of last year's Western Conference Finals.

· It's the first time on record that the Western Conference Finals have averaged 9+ million viewers for all games in the series.

· For TV-only viewers, NBC won the night in total viewers and all key demographics for all seven Western Conference Finals games.

· Led by Peacock, the series streamed an AMA of 2.3 million viewers.

· Oklahoma City was the top-ranked market for NBC Sports' coverage of the NBA Playoffs with a 19.3 rating and 50 share. It was followed by San Antonio (15.7/42), Tulsa (11.8/32), Austin (7.5/31), and Memphis (5.8/19).

Rank Market Rating Share
1 Oklahoma City 19.3 50
2 San Antonio 15.7 42
3 Tulsa 11.8 32
4 Austin 7.5 31
5 Memphis 5.8 19
6 Dallas-Ft. Worth 5.3 21
6 New Orleans 5.3 16
8 Cleveland 4.9 17
t9 Birmingham 4.8 14
t9 Atlanta 4.8 19
11 Indianapolis 4.7 17
t12 Houston 4.6 20
t12 Detroit 4.6 16
t14 New York 4.4 16
t14 Minneapolis-St. Paul 4.4 16
16 Richmond 4.3 14
t17 Washington 4.2 19
t17 Dayton 4.2 13
t19 Philadelphia 4.1 15
t19 Albuquerque-Santa Fe 4.1 15

2026 NBA PLAYOFFS

· For its 28 games of the 2026 NBA Playoffs on NBC and Peacock, NBC Sports averaged 7.2 million viewers, up 72% vs. comparable coverage last year.

· 12 of NBC Sports' 28 games on NBC and Peacock averaged 7+ million viewers, the most since 2002.

· Nine of the top 10 (and 17 of the top 25) most-watched NBA Playoff games this season have aired on NBC and Peacock.

· Led by Peacock, NBC Sports' NBA Playoffs coverage streamed an Average Minute Audience (AMA) of 1.4 million viewers.

NBC Sports also streamed seven games on Peacock and NBCSN across the First Round (5) and Conference Semifinals (2).

EARLIER SEASON RECAP

Following are previously published viewership highlights from NBC Sports' coverage of the 2025-26 regular season and first two rounds of the NBA Playoffs.

CONFERENCE SEMIFINALS

· For six Conference Semifinals games, NBC/Peacock averaged a TAD of 6.6 million viewers and delivered three consecutive nights of 7+ million viewers (May 10-12) - the first time that has ever happened within the first two rounds of the NBA Playoffs.

For more viewership information on NBC Sports' coverage of the Conference Semifinals, click here.

FIRST ROUND

· NBC Sports' First Round coverage culminated in the most-watched First Round Game 7 in NBA history, with 76ers-Celtics on May 2 averaging a TAD of 11.0 million viewers on NBC and Peacock.

· For its 15 First Round playoff games on NBC and Peacock, NBC Sports averaged a TAD of 5.5 million viewers, up 61% vs. comparable coverage last year and the most watched for comparable windows since 1994.

For more viewership information on NBC Sports' coverage of the First Round, click here.

REGULAR SEASON

· The combined viewership for NBC Sports' NBA coverage for games on NBC/Peacock on Sunday and Tuesday nights - plus five Monday games - averaged a Total Audience Delivery (TAD) of 2.8 million viewers, up 109% vs. comparable coverage last season.

· Sunday Night Basketball averaged 3.4 million viewers this season across NBC, Peacock, and Telemundo, making it the most-watched Sunday NBA package in 13 years (excluding Christmas Day games) as well as the most-watched NBA window since the 2015-16 season.

· Coast 2 Coast Tuesday averaged 2.6 million viewers on NBC and Peacock, up 99% vs. the comparable games last year.

· The first NBA All-Star Game presented by NBC Sports since 2002 featured the widely-acclaimed "USA vs. The World" format and delivered the largest NBA All-Star audience since 2011, averaging 8.8 million viewers across NBC, Peacock, and Telemundo.

· Sunday night's studio show - Basketball Night in America - averaged 1.6 million viewers, making it the most-watched NBA pregame program in 15 years.

For more viewership information on NBC Sports' coverage of the 2025-26 NBA regular season, click here.

SOCIAL MEDIA BOOST

NBC Sports' coverage of the 2025-26 NBA season delivered more than two billion impressions and one billion video views across NBC Sports social channels.

@NBAonNBC channels doubled their total followers during the season, earning more than 430,000 followers since NBA Tip-Off across Facebook/X/Instagram/TikTok combined.

INNOVATIONS, NOSTALGIA, AND MILESTONES

With NBC Sports' return to NBA coverage for the first time in 24 years, click here for a recap of how it used innovations and nostalgia to elevate the viewer experience, from 'On the Bench' to Peacock Performance View to Roundball Rock.

More than 25% of NBA viewers on Peacock used one of the platform's new viewing features, including Courtside Live, Peacock Performance View and Peacock ScoreCard.

Fans using Peacock's NBA viewing features, such as Courtside Live, Peacock Performance View and Peacock ScoreCard, watched between 40% to 70% more hours of any content on the platform each week.

NBA VIEWERS' MOST-WATCHED SHOWS ON PEACOCK

NBA viewers on Peacock watched a mix of Peacock Originals, including The 'Burbs and MIA; unscripted franchises such as Real Housewives of Atlanta and Love Island USA: Beyond the Villa, which both ranked in the top 10 among NBA viewers; NBC classic and current series like The Office and Chicago P.D.; and award-winning dramas like Yellowstone.

--NBC SPORTS--





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