The Oklahoma City Thunder and the Golden State Warriors were not the only teams celebrating during this year’s NBA season opener. After a hiatus of over two decades, NBC and Peacock attracted an impressive average viewership of 5.6 million for their broadcast of both games on Tuesday night.
This figure, derived from Nielsen’s linear metrics and Adobe Analytics’ digital statistics, marks an 87% increase compared to last year’s NBA tip-off, which drew only 3 million viewers on TNT. Moreover, this is the highest audience for the doubleheader in over ten years. No season opener has achieved such numbers since 2012—unless you consider the unusual Christmas Day games of 2011. Considering the 2010 games featured LeBron James’ inaugural match with the Miami Heat, it’s noteworthy that NBC’s coverage approached those historic numbers.
The average viewership of 5.6 million reflects the number of viewers at any moment throughout the broadcast. However, the Tuesday night doubleheader reached a peak of 7.1 million viewers between 10:45 and 11 p.m. ET, coinciding with the thrilling match where the Thunder triumphed over the Houston Rockets in a double overtime by a single point. The game further attracted attention due to it being Kevin Durant’s first appearance as a Houston player, going up against the team where he began his career. Meanwhile, the Warriors-Lakers clash averaged 5.1 million viewers overall.
In addition, NBC Sports recorded its highest-ever non-NFL and non-Olympics simulstream audience, achieving an average minute viewership of 1 million across Peacock and NBC Sports Digital.
