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[06/10/26 - 01:49 PM]
23.8M Viewers! ABC and ESPN Deliver Largest NBA Finals Game 3 Audience Since 1998
Through three games, the 2026 NBA Finals is ABC and ESPN's second most-watched ever, averaging 19.1M viewers.
[via press release from ESPN]

23.8M viewers! ABC and ESPN deliver largest NBA Finals Game 3 audience since 1998

· Second most-watched NBA Finals ever on ABC and ESPN through three games

· Most-watched NBA Finals Game 3 ever on ABC and ESPN

· Game 3 viewership up 159 % from last year; audience peaked with 26.3M viewers

· Largest television audience since Super Bowl LX

· Most-watched NBA Finals Game 3 ever on ABC and ESPN

· NBA Finals All-Access with The Pat McAfee Show sets viewership record for an ESPN NBA alt-cast

ABC and ESPN delivered the largest NBA Finals Game 3 audience since 1998, averaging 23.8M viewers, according to Nielsen Big Data + Panel. The Game 3 audience was up 159% from last year's Game 3 and peaked with 26.3M viewers at 11:15 p.m. ET.

Through three games, the 2026 NBA Finals is ABC and ESPN's second most-watched ever, averaging 19.1M viewers. It is up 114% from last year's Championship series.

Monday's Game 3 on ABC and ESPN was the largest television audience since Super LX in February. Additionally, NBA Finals Game 3 was the most-watched program of the day across all of television and in all key male and adult demos for June 8.

NBA Finals All Access with The Pat McAfee Show - ESPN's alternate presentation of Game 3 - averaged 1.1M viewers - the most watched NBA alternate telecast ever on ESPN.

ESPN's coverage of the 2026 NBA Finals on ABC continues Wednesday, June 10, with Game 4, at 8:30 p.m. For the full schedule, visit ESPNPressRoom.com. ESPN has produced the NBA Finals on ABC since 2003.

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