playStephen A.: Knicks are biggest threat to Celtics (2:26)Stephen A. Smith breaks down why the Knicks are the biggest threat to the Celtics in the Eastern Conference. (2:26)Associated PressMultiple AuthorsApr 15, 2026, 01:09 PM ETOpen Extended ReactionsNEW YORK — The numbers are in, and the NBA says Year 1 of its new television deals were a hit.The league released numbers for the regular season Wednesday showing that 170 million people in the U.S. watched NBA games across the league’s four primary broadcast platforms: ABC/ESPN, Amazon Prime Video, NBC/Peacock and NBA TV.Those numbers are the league’s best in 24 years, the NBA said, and represented an 86% rise over last season.Prime Video was part of the NBA’s television rights package for the first time this season, and NBC/Peacock returned for the first time in a generation. The league signed a new 11-year, $76 billion-plus media rights deal in 2024 that kicked in at the start of this season.Other highlights of the viewership numbers:• NBA games across ABC/ESPN, Amazon Prime Video, NBC/Peacock and NBA TV had the highest average viewership in 13 years, up 35% over last season.• A total of 57 telecasts reached an average of 2 million viewers, the most since 2011-12.• People watched NBA games for more than 920 million hours, up 25% over last season and the most since 2011-12.• The NBA’s social media channels generated a record 228 billion views, according to Videocites. That’s up 13% over last season.• Attendance over the past three seasons in NBA arenas is higher than any other three-season span in league history.• Viewership for NBA Cup group play games was up 90%.• The audience for the All-Star Game on NBC, averaging 8.8 million viewers, was the largest for the league’s midseason showcase event since 2011.
Stephen A.: Knicks are biggest threat to Celtics (2:26)Stephen A. Smith breaks down why the Knicks are the biggest threat to the Celtics in the Eastern Conference. (2:26)
playStephen A.: Knicks are biggest threat to Celtics (2:26)Stephen A. Smith breaks down why the Knicks are the biggest threat to the Celtics in the Eastern Conference. (2:26)Associated PressMultiple AuthorsApr 15, 2026, 01:09 PM ETOpen Extended ReactionsNEW YORK — The numbers are in, and the NBA says Year 1 of its new television deals were a hit.The league released numbers for the regular season Wednesday showing that 170 million people in the U.S. watched NBA games across the league’s four primary broadcast platforms: ABC/ESPN, Amazon Prime Video, NBC/Peacock and NBA TV.Those numbers are the league’s best in 24 years, the NBA said, and represented an 86% rise over last season.Prime Video was part of the NBA’s television rights package for the first time this season, and NBC/Peacock returned for the first time in a generation. The league signed a new 11-year, $76 billion-plus media rights deal in 2024 that kicked in at the start of this season.Other highlights of the viewership numbers:• NBA games across ABC/ESPN, Amazon Prime Video, NBC/Peacock and NBA TV had the highest average viewership in 13 years, up 35% over last season.• A total of 57 telecasts reached an average of 2 million viewers, the most since 2011-12.• People watched NBA games for more than 920 million hours, up 25% over last season and the most since 2011-12.• The NBA’s social media channels generated a record 228 billion views, according to Videocites. That’s up 13% over last season.• Attendance over the past three seasons in NBA arenas is higher than any other three-season span in league history.• Viewership for NBA Cup group play games was up 90%.• The audience for the All-Star Game on NBC, averaging 8.8 million viewers, was the largest for the league’s midseason showcase event since 2011.
playStephen A.: Knicks are biggest threat to Celtics (2:26)Stephen A. Smith breaks down why the Knicks are the biggest threat to the Celtics in the Eastern Conference. (2:26)Associated PressMultiple AuthorsApr 15, 2026, 01:09 PM ETOpen Extended ReactionsNEW YORK — The numbers are in, and the NBA says Year 1 of its new television deals were a hit.The league released numbers for the regular season Wednesday showing that 170 million people in the U.S. watched NBA games across the league’s four primary broadcast platforms: ABC/ESPN, Amazon Prime Video, NBC/Peacock and NBA TV.Those numbers are the league’s best in 24 years, the NBA said, and represented an 86% rise over last season.Prime Video was part of the NBA’s television rights package for the first time this season, and NBC/Peacock returned for the first time in a generation. The league signed a new 11-year, $76 billion-plus media rights deal in 2024 that kicked in at the start of this season.Other highlights of the viewership numbers:• NBA games across ABC/ESPN, Amazon Prime Video, NBC/Peacock and NBA TV had the highest average viewership in 13 years, up 35% over last season.• A total of 57 telecasts reached an average of 2 million viewers, the most since 2011-12.• People watched NBA games for more than 920 million hours, up 25% over last season and the most since 2011-12.• The NBA’s social media channels generated a record 228 billion views, according to Videocites. That’s up 13% over last season.• Attendance over the past three seasons in NBA arenas is higher than any other three-season span in league history.• Viewership for NBA Cup group play games was up 90%.• The audience for the All-Star Game on NBC, averaging 8.8 million viewers, was the largest for the league’s midseason showcase event since 2011.
playStephen A.: Knicks are biggest threat to Celtics (2:26)Stephen A. Smith breaks down why the Knicks are the biggest threat to the Celtics in the Eastern Conference. (2:26)Associated PressMultiple AuthorsApr 15, 2026, 01:09 PM ETOpen Extended ReactionsNEW YORK — The numbers are in, and the NBA says Year 1 of its new television deals were a hit.The league released numbers for the regular season Wednesday showing that 170 million people in the U.S. watched NBA games across the league’s four primary broadcast platforms: ABC/ESPN, Amazon Prime Video, NBC/Peacock and NBA TV.Those numbers are the league’s best in 24 years, the NBA said, and represented an 86% rise over last season.Prime Video was part of the NBA’s television rights package for the first time this season, and NBC/Peacock returned for the first time in a generation. The league signed a new 11-year, $76 billion-plus media rights deal in 2024 that kicked in at the start of this season.Other highlights of the viewership numbers:• NBA games across ABC/ESPN, Amazon Prime Video, NBC/Peacock and NBA TV had the highest average viewership in 13 years, up 35% over last season.• A total of 57 telecasts reached an average of 2 million viewers, the most since 2011-12.• People watched NBA games for more than 920 million hours, up 25% over last season and the most since 2011-12.• The NBA’s social media channels generated a record 228 billion views, according to Videocites. That’s up 13% over last season.• Attendance over the past three seasons in NBA arenas is higher than any other three-season span in league history.• Viewership for NBA Cup group play games was up 90%.• The audience for the All-Star Game on NBC, averaging 8.8 million viewers, was the largest for the league’s midseason showcase event since 2011.
playStephen A.: Knicks are biggest threat to Celtics (2:26)Stephen A. Smith breaks down why the Knicks are the biggest threat to the Celtics in the Eastern Conference. (2:26)Associated PressMultiple AuthorsApr 15, 2026, 01:09 PM ETOpen Extended ReactionsNEW YORK — The numbers are in, and the NBA says Year 1 of its new television deals were a hit.The league released numbers for the regular season Wednesday showing that 170 million people in the U.S. watched NBA games across the league’s four primary broadcast platforms: ABC/ESPN, Amazon Prime Video, NBC/Peacock and NBA TV.Those numbers are the league’s best in 24 years, the NBA said, and represented an 86% rise over last season.Prime Video was part of the NBA’s television rights package for the first time this season, and NBC/Peacock returned for the first time in a generation. The league signed a new 11-year, $76 billion-plus media rights deal in 2024 that kicked in at the start of this season.Other highlights of the viewership numbers:• NBA games across ABC/ESPN, Amazon Prime Video, NBC/Peacock and NBA TV had the highest average viewership in 13 years, up 35% over last season.• A total of 57 telecasts reached an average of 2 million viewers, the most since 2011-12.• People watched NBA games for more than 920 million hours, up 25% over last season and the most since 2011-12.• The NBA’s social media channels generated a record 228 billion views, according to Videocites. That’s up 13% over last season.• Attendance over the past three seasons in NBA arenas is higher than any other three-season span in league history.• Viewership for NBA Cup group play games was up 90%.• The audience for the All-Star Game on NBC, averaging 8.8 million viewers, was the largest for the league’s midseason showcase event since 2011.
Associated PressMultiple AuthorsApr 15, 2026, 01:09 PM ETOpen Extended ReactionsNEW YORK — The numbers are in, and the NBA says Year 1 of its new television deals were a hit.The league released numbers for the regular season Wednesday showing that 170 million people in the U.S. watched NBA games across the league’s four primary broadcast platforms: ABC/ESPN, Amazon Prime Video, NBC/Peacock and NBA TV.Those numbers are the league’s best in 24 years, the NBA said, and represented an 86% rise over last season.Prime Video was part of the NBA’s television rights package for the first time this season, and NBC/Peacock returned for the first time in a generation. The league signed a new 11-year, $76 billion-plus media rights deal in 2024 that kicked in at the start of this season.Other highlights of the viewership numbers:• NBA games across ABC/ESPN, Amazon Prime Video, NBC/Peacock and NBA TV had the highest average viewership in 13 years, up 35% over last season.• A total of 57 telecasts reached an average of 2 million viewers, the most since 2011-12.• People watched NBA games for more than 920 million hours, up 25% over last season and the most since 2011-12.• The NBA’s social media channels generated a record 228 billion views, according to Videocites. That’s up 13% over last season.• Attendance over the past three seasons in NBA arenas is higher than any other three-season span in league history.• Viewership for NBA Cup group play games was up 90%.• The audience for the All-Star Game on NBC, averaging 8.8 million viewers, was the largest for the league’s midseason showcase event since 2011.