Derby-night boost sends NBA first round to record viewership

A Derby lead-in helped lift the NBA Playoffs’ opening round to new highs: Game 7 between the Sixers and Celtics averaged 10.99 million viewers on NBC (peaking at 12.6M), the largest first-round audience since 1999. The full first round averaged 4.0 million viewers across NBCUniversal, ESPN/ABC and Prime Video—up 22% from last year and the highest opening-round average since 1993. NBC’s 15 playoff games averaged 5.5 million (with 1.0 million streaming via Adobe Analytics), while Prime Video averaged about 2.58 million per game (up 11%). All first-round games were national telecasts, marking a TV ratings milestone amid Nielsen’s updated measurement methods.