The Walt Disney Company’s broadcast network ABC said its telecast of National Basketball Association (NBA) games have drawn more viewership this season compared to last year.
A slate of 24 games broadcast on ABC during the 2024-2025 season drew an average of 2.683 million viewers, the network said, up 10 percent compared to the 2.436 million that tuned in for ABC’s NBA games last year. The viewership figures were based on measurement data from Nielsen.
The schedule of NBA games on ABC included two NBA Cup games, five Christmas Day games, prime-time games on Saturdays and “Sunday Showcase” games. The viewership data did not include the yet-to-be-played NBA playoffs or NBA Finals, which will air on ESPN and ABC later this season and are reported separately from regular season viewership averages.
The data points are likely good news for the NBA, which has been criticized for its lackluster storylines that initially attracted fewer viewers.
Among other things, league officials were chastised for trying to develop a storylone between Los Angeles Lakers veteran LeBron James and his son, Bronny James, who was drafted by the team in order to effectuate a milestone that involved a father and son playing for the same team for the first time in NBA history — which happened earlier in the season.
Things changed in early February when the Lakers agreed to acquire star Dallas Mavericks player Luka Doncic in exchange for sending Anthony Davis to Texas. The trade shook the sports world and dominated the headlines less than two weeks before Super Bowl LIX, which typically captures the nation’s attention.
Disney modified its schedule to pick up the match between the Lakers and the Indiana Pacers the following Saturday, which was widely expected to be Doncic’s first game. The game aired on ABC without Doncic’s involvement, though Disney quickly swapped out its Monday schedule so they could broadcast the Lakers match against the Utah Jazz, which saw Doncic debut in a Lakers uniform.
That game was not simulcast on ABC, and did not count toward the network’s seasonal viewership average. But the prior Saturday game did, and saw Lakers guard Austin Reaves thrown down a career high of 45 points.
