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NBA Finals 2023 ratings down from Warriors-Celtics, but playoff viewership increased

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James Foglio
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James Foglio Sports Editor

James is a Basketball Insiders contributor. He earned his bachelor's degree in English and Creative Writing from Southern New Hampshire University. James enjoys watching sports and helping gamblers win money.

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Updated14 Jun 2023

NBA Finals 2023 ratings viewers down from Warriors-Celtics, but playoff viewership increased

The 2023 NBA Finals averaged 11.64 million viewers on ABC, a decrease of 762,000 viewers from last year’s six-game finals series between the Golden State Warriors and Boston Celtics (averaged 12.402 million).

However, during the 2023 NBA Playoffs on ABC, ESPN, and TNT, these networks averaged 5.47 million viewers per game, making this past postseason the most-watched playoffs in five years.

Referring to a couple of NBA betting sites, the Nuggets are the early favorites to repeat in 2024. Check out which sportsbooks are showing favorable odds for the Celtics, Milwaukee Bucks, and Dallas Mavericks.


On Monday, the Denver Nuggets won their first championship in franchise history after defeating the Miami Heat 94-89 in Game 5 of the NBA Finals. Of course, Game 5 averaged 13.084 million viewers, according to Nielsen.

Denver’s Game 5 victory was a four-year high in NBA Finals viewership, beating out last year’s Game 5 between the Warriors and Celtics (13.03 million).

2023 NBA Finals saw a ratings decline from last year’s Warriors-Celtics series after averaging 11.64 million viewers on ABC, but playoff viewership increased across ESPN, ABC, and TNT platforms

Additionally, Game 2 of this year’s finals became the highest-rated Nuggets game in the Denver market. Game 2 posted a 3% increase in viewership from last year’s Game 2 between the Warriors and Celtics.

In Denver, Game 2 averaged a 22.3 rating. Miami drew a 15.2 rating, West Palm Beach recorded an 11.5, Milwaukee drew a 9.2, and Memphis averaged an 8.7. Those were the top-five local markets.

According to Nielsen, Game 2 averaged 11.91 million viewers, matching the Game 2 average audience from last year’s Warriors-Celtics NBA Finals series. The broadcast peaked at the 10:15 p.m. ET quarter hour with 15.256 million viewers.


Denver led the nation with an average household rating of 21.55 for the length of the NBA Finals series, per Sports TV Ratings. Game 3 saw a 3% loss in ratings from last year’s finals series.

In Denver’s 109-94 win over Miami, Game 3 averaged a 6.0 rating and 11.237 million viewers on ABC. It was also a 2% loss in viewership from last year’s finals series (6.2, 12.402 million).

Game 3 peaked at 12.389 million viewers at 10:45 p.m. ET. At the time, it was the least-watched game of the Nuggets-Heat series until Game 4, which averaged 10.41 million viewers.

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