A 24-year record high! NBA regular season draws 170 million viewers nationwide: a massive 86% increase compared to last season.

On April 16 Beijing time, according to the NBA official announcement, the first season under the new broadcast rights agreement has achieved great success in viewership. The league today released regular season viewing data: this season, a total of 170 million viewers across the United States watched NBA games through four core broadcast platforms, namely ABC/ESPN, Amazon Prime Video, NBC/Peacock streaming service, and NBA TV.

The NBA stated that this figure marks a 24-year high, representing a significant 86% rise compared to the previous season.

This season marks the first time Amazon Prime Video has been included in the NBA broadcast rights system, and also sees NBC and Peacock streaming service returning to the NBA broadcast lineup after many years. In 2024, the NBA signed a new 11-year, total value exceeding $760 billion media rights contract, securing the joint broadcast of games by these four platforms, with the new contract officially taking effect this season.

Other highlights from the viewership data are as follows:

NBA games broadcast on the four platforms achieved an average viewership reaching a 13-year peak, increasing by 35% year-on-year;

This season saw 57 live broadcasts with average viewership exceeding 2 million, the highest number since the 2011–12 season;

Total viewing time for NBA games nationwide surpassed 920 million hours, up 25% compared to the previous period, also setting the highest record since the 2011–12 season;

Data from Videocites shows that total video plays across NBA social media accounts reached 228 billion, a historical high, up 13% year-on-year;

Average attendance at NBA games over the past three seasons has set the highest record for any consecutive three-year period in league history;

Viewership for NBA In-Season Tournament group stage games surged 90% compared to last season;

The All-Star Game broadcast on NBC drew an average viewership of 8.8 million, marking the highest All-Star Weekend game viewership since 2011.

The NBA Play-In Tournament for this season officially began on Wednesday, and the 2026 NBA playoffs will fully commence on April 19.