The NBA Finals saw its most competitive game yet in Game 3, but even though the spread was considerably closer than the previous contest, there was no significant ratings uptick.
Viewership for the Boston Celtics’ 116-100 victory peaked around 11:15 pm with 13.25 million viewers. That means it is the least-watched Game 3 in the NBA Finals since 2007 outside of the two seasons effected by the Covid-19 pandemic.
The game averaged an audience of 11.52 million. That is good enough for a 6.2 rating.
It’s a trend that the NBA certainly isn’t happy about. Andrew Marchand said recently on an episode of Marchand and Ourand that it shouldn’t be all doom and gloom though.
Ratings are important as leagues get ready to negotiate their next TV rights deal. There are plenty of networks and streaming companies that want to be in business with the NBA. The ratings drop off in the NBA Finals will not make the league’s next media rights deals any less lucrative, especially considering that the games are still beating everything else on TV when they are on.
Game 4 is set for Friday night. It is another late tip-off. Boston won’t begin it’s attempt to string together back-to-back wins until 9 pm. The start time is something that has likely been a problem for ABC and potential viewers.
