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NBA's viewership numbers experience strong upsurge as new media rights deals start to pay off

After years of concern about declining ratings in the late 2010s, the NBA is now experiencing a full-scale resurgence, pulling in its strongest viewership numbers in decades New broadcasting partnerships and a rapidly expanding media footprint have helped

Written by Casino House Group Editorial Team

Published on April 16, 2026

Summary

After years of concern about declining ratings in the late 2010s, the NBA is now experiencing a full-scale resurgence, pulling in its strongest viewership numbers in decades
New broadcasting partnerships and a rapidly expanding media footprint have helped push NBA audiences to levels not seen in over 20 years, signaling a major commercial rebound for the league
From record-breaking TV audiences to unprecedented social media engagement, the NBA’s current growth cycle marks a sharp reversal of its previous decade-long viewership slowdown

The viewership decline in the late 2010s, NBA is attracting more eyeballs at an unseen in two decades rate, with the sport in renaissance and interest from viewers rekindled. With the association renewing its television deals, the pay off is apparent, as more than 170m people in the United States alone watched NBA games for the league’s primary broadcast platforms this year.

Record viewers are watching the NBA, highest in 24 years

The NBA celebrated with a social media post, highlighting this achievement, touting a 86% increase over last season, and arguing that these viewership numbers were its best in the past 24 or so years. Part of this has to do with the fact that the NBA is attracting new fans, but smart broadcasting rights do not hurt, with the league signing a $76bn media rights package in 2024 which will last for 11 years. As Prime Video and NBC/Peacock return, the new broadcasting partners are also playing a deserved role in the upsurge in numbers. The league was able to break down the numbers further, offering insight into just how impactful these partnerships have been on viewerships, with the highest average viewership in the past 13 years and an increase of 35% over the last year. A total of 57 telecasts were produced, with an average of 2m viewers, which was the highest recorded number since 2011/12, with more than 920m hours of watched.

NBA is expanding, as social media and other channels drive records

The NBA did even better on social media, with the league generating 228bn views, which was described as a record. The All-Star Game on NBC hit 8.8m average viewers, which was also the largest since 2011. The NBA's return to record viewership and overall metrics comes at a time when the league is planning further expansion with two franchises, one of which has been confirmed for Las Vegas. The news about an upcoming NBA Las Vegas team has galvanized entrepreneurial investors, with a seventh site for the future team pitched only recently.