NBA Makes Major Announcement After Start of Playoffs

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Spencer Ostrow | Last updated Apr 22, 2025 1:04 PM ET

The NBA didn’t get off to the strongest start this season when it comes to TV ratings. Aside from TNT’s opening night on Oct. 22, viewership was down across the board.

ESPN's season debut on Oct. 23 saw a steep 42% drop compared to 2023, while TNT's Thursday games were down 29% year-over-year.

All eyes were on the start of the 2025 NBA Playoffs to see if the ratings would increase – and they did, drastically.

Round one features some big-time matchups — Bucks-Pacers, Clippers-Nuggets, Pistons-Knicks, Timberwolves-Lakers, Warriors-Rockets, Celtics-Magic — and fans definitely tuned in for each series' Game 1.

On Tuesday, the NBA announced on X that the "2025 NBA Playoffs delivered its most-watched opening weekend in 25 years, averaging 4.4M viewers, up 17% vs. last year."

Opening weekend of the #NBAPlayoffs presented by Google https://t.co/bjMPc3CesQ
— NBA (@NBA) April 22, 2025

TNT, ESPN and ABC split coverage of all eight playoff games over the weekend. TNT aired two, while ESPN and ABC each had three.

The most-watched game of the weekend involved the defending NBA champion, the Boston Celtics. Game 1 between the Celtics and the Orlando Magic averaged 6.689 million viewers and made history as the second-most watched first-round NBA playoff game ever. It peaked at 8.022 million.

And for the Timberwolves-Lakers matchup, it boosted ABC to the top of the charts for all of television on Saturday night. It averaged 5.838 million viewers, peaking at 6.756 million.

ESPN has the night off on Tuesday, while TNT airs a pair of Game 2 matchups — Grizzlies vs. Thunder, followed by Timberwolves vs. Lakers. NBA TV will also be in action, airing Game 2 of the Bucks-Pacers series.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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