NBA - The 2025/26 NBA season is proving its commercial power: the opening weekend of the playoffs averaged 4.3 million viewers per game in the United States, the second-largest opening-round audience since 2011, reinforcing the league’s leverage as it enters a new, multi-billion-dollar media-rights cycle. TRANSMISSÃO: Record | Prime Video.
- In short: Opening playoff weekend averaged 4.3M viewers; Play-In games rose 18% to 2.79M, and Prime Video now carries part of the tournament.
- TRANSMISSÃO: Record | Prime Video
Understand the dynamics
The surge centers on strong TV and streaming performance: NBC peaked at 5.73 million viewers for Game 1 between the San Antonio Spurs and Portland Trail Blazers — boosted by Victor Wembanyama’s playoff debut — while the Play-In series averaged 2.79 million viewers, up 18% from last year.
Those figures were first highlighted by Front Office Sports, which notes the combination of linear and streaming distribution is expanding reach and commercial appeal.
"The opening weekend of the playoffs averaged 4.3 million viewers per game in the United States (the second largest opening-round audience since 2011), behind only last season's 4.4 million."
Context and impact
Beyond raw audiences, the numbers matter because they translate directly into advertising revenue, sponsorship interest and higher valuations for broadcast packages. The Play-In’s 18% increase — coinciding with Prime Video’s entrance under the new media deal — demonstrates the NBA’s ability to grow audiences across platforms.
The presence of marquee stars and large-market matchups — including names like LeBron James, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Wembanyama — continues to drive appointment viewing, a valuable asset as rights holders and bidders assess offers in the current negotiation cycle. Industry outlets have emphasized that consistent postseason ratings give the league stronger footing when pricing future rights.
What do you think? Will this ratings momentum change how broadcasters bid for NBA rights? For more details, check out our specialized section.