As the Indiana Pacers eliminated the New York Knicks and advanced to the NBA Finals, the final edition of Inside the NBA to air on TNT Sports averaged 3.5 million viewers on Saturday, rendering the most-watched edition of the show in two years. Ernie Johnson, Charles Barkley, Kenny “The Jet” Smith and Shaquille O’Neal hosted the final version of the show on the network from the atrium inside Gainbridge Fieldhouse amid a capacity crowd. The quartet expressed their gratitude for their time on TNT while also conveying their appreciation for being able to remain together next season on ESPN platforms.
The six-game series between the Knicks and Pacers averaged 6.96 million viewers on TNT and truTV, which was up 10% from the Celtics-Pacers series last year. According to Jon Lewis of Sports Media Watch, the NBA Eastern Conference Finals tilt achieved the strongest viewership among iterations of the round that ended in six games or fewer in the last 11 years. The final game of the series this past Saturday night averaged 8.12 million viewers across the two networks, finishing as the most-watched game of the NBA season.
Warner Bros. Discovery will no longer hold U.S. broadcast rights to the National Basketball Association beginning next season, but it will continue producing the award-winning studio program under a sublicensing agreement between TNT Sports and ESPN. In addition, TNT Sports reached a separate 11-year deal with the league that includes a global license to create, produce and distribute new and existing NBA content across platforms and also air live games in some territories outside of the United States.
“The NBA Eastern Conference Finals Game 6 marked the culmination of TNT’s 40-year history of live NBA games on the network,” Luis Silberwasser, chairman and chief executive officer of TNT Sports, said in a statement. “It has been a privilege to be associated with the NBA over that span, building what undoubtedly will be considered one of the greatest partnerships in the history of sports media.
“Every time we went on the air, our TNT Sports production team and world-class talent strived to elevate and redefine the way fans watched the NBA. In many ways, the NBA on TNT and Inside the NBA became synonymous with the league. We have been thrilled to often exceed the expectations of the fans we serve – a testament to the amazingly talented TNT Sports team – and our fans have rewarded us with their loyalty and appreciation. For that, we are incredibly proud and very grateful.
“We wish the league much success in the years to come and we look forward to continuing to produce Inside the NBA. Most importantly, to our fans, we say thank you.”
The NBA Playoffs have averaged 4.2 million viewers thus far, representing a 3% year-over-year improvement for the matchups on ESPN, ABC, ESPN2, TNT, truTV and NBA TV. TNT Sports finished its slate of postseason games equaling the average of 4.2 million viewers, up 1% from the previous year. The broadcast team for the final series featured play-by-play announcer Kevin Harlan, analysts Reggie Miller and Stan Van Gundy and sideline reporter Allie LaForce.
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