NBA Opening Night Ratings Increase 1% From a Year Ago

NBA Opening NIght
The NBA's opening night games drew more viewers than a year ago (Image credit: TNT)

The National Basketball Association’s new season got off to a strong start, with its opening night games on TNT drawing 2.85 million viewers Tuesday, up 1% from a year ago.

The NBA opening night audience was the largest since 2017, according to Nielsen data.

Also Read: NBA Looks to Rebound as New Season Begins

Viewership was also up 5% from when the NBA restarted play in July for the 2019-20 season after being shut down by COVID-19.

The gains came despite a 13% drop in overall primetime viewership.

TNT’s share was up 5% from a year ago and the network was the most-viewed TV network--including broadcast--for most of the key advertising demos, including adults 18-34, adults 18-49 and adults 25-54.

On the court, the Brooklyn Nets beat the Golden State Warriors and the Los Angeles Clippers topped the defending champion L.A. Lakers.

Also Read: NBA Tips Off ‘Only Here’ Campaign New Season

The NBA was also hot on social media, with @NBA being the most-viewed account on Instagram with 58 million viewers, up 146 from opening night a year ago.

The league’s #NBAJerseyDay promotion, highlighted by a video compilation of celebrities wearing their favorite team’s jerseys drew 2.6 million engagements and 21 million views across the NBA's social platforms.

Jon Lafayette

Jon has been business editor of Broadcasting+Cable since 2010. He focuses on revenue-generating activities, including advertising and distribution, as well as executive intrigue and merger and acquisition activity. Just about any story is fair game, if a dollar sign can make its way into the article. Before B+C, Jon covered the industry for TVWeek, Cable World, Electronic Media, Advertising Age and The New York Post. A native New Yorker, Jon is hiding in plain sight in the suburbs of Chicago.