As the NBA Finals between the Oklahoma City Thunder and Indiana Pacers continue, the ratings on ABC have been slowly moving upwards towards the 10 million viewer threshold. The network has yet to reach this point throughout the series after surpassing the mark for four of the five games last year between the Boston Celtics and Dallas Mavericks.
The fifth game of the Pacers-Thunder series, which took place this past Monday and ended in a victory for the Thunder, averaged 9.54 million viewers on ABC. This was the most-watched game of the NBA Finals thus far, but it was nonetheless down 22% from the clinching game of the series last season.
In addition to the year-over-year comparison, the fifth game between the Thunder and Pacers was the least-watched iteration of a Game 5 in the NBA Finals, excluding the 2020 bubble, since the San Antonio Spurs faced the New Jersey Nets in 2003. That game averaged 9.31 million viewers on ABC in its first year broadcasting the NBA Finals. The network, which is owned by The Walt Disney Company, will continue serving as the exclusive television home of the championship series under a new 11-year media rights deal reportedly worth $2.62 billion per season.
Jon Lewis of Sports Media Watch reported that no fifth game of the NBA Finals had failed to eclipse 10 million viewers since 1988, which is when Nielsen began utilizing people meters for measurement. The victory for the Thunder peaked with 10.91 million viewers in the 11 p.m. EST quarter-hour, indicative of the second-lowest peak for the series. Through its first five games, the NBA Finals is averaging 9.18 million viewers on ABC, representative of a 19% year-over-year decline. Even though six out of the last seven NBA Finals games have averaged less than 10 million viewers, the five games this season have garnered the largest television audiences since the beginning of May.
The ESPN on ABC broadcast of Game 5 featured play-by-play announcer Mike Breen joined by analysts Doris Burke and Richard Jefferson. Lisa Salters, the reporter for the series, made her return after a three-game absence due to personal reasons. Pregame coverage on NBA Countdown featured host Malika Andrews alongside analysts Stephen A. Smith, Bob Myers and Kendrick Perkins, all of whom were on site from Paycom Center in Oklahoma City, Okla.
Barrett Media produces daily content on the music, news, and sports media industries. To stay updated, sign up for our newsletters and get the latest information delivered straight to your inbox.
