THE 2025 NBA playoffs drew the best ratings for an opening weekend in 25 years, the league announced on Tuesday.
The eight-game slate on Saturday and Sunday averaged 4.4 million viewers, a 17% increase from a year ago.
The six games on the ABC/ESPN platforms averaged 4.9 million viewers, making it the most-watched playoffs opening weekend in network history.
The two contests carried Sunday night by TNT, truTV and MAX — Cleveland over Miami, and Golden State downing Houston — averaged 4.13 million viewers. That’s the best ratings on that network platform in eight years and up 23% from 2024.
Most popular was the defending champion Boston Celtics’ 103-86 home win over the Orlando Magic that tipped off at 3:30 p.m. ET on Easter Sunday. The 6.69 million average made it the second-most watched first-round Game 1 ever on ABC. Ratings peaked at 8 million viewers.
ESPN, which showed the host New York Knicks’ 123-112 victory over the Detroit Pistons on Saturday and averaged 4.12 million viewers. — Reuters
