NBA Finals Game 1, in which the Boston Celtics defeated the Golden State Warriors 120-108, averaged nearly 12 million viewers (11,901,000) across ABC and ESPN2 on June 2. It was up 37 percent from last year’s Game 1, according to Nielsen.
Game 1 peaked with nearly 13 million viewers (12,963,000) at 10:45 p.m. ET and was the most-watched NBA Finals Game 1 in three years. It also propelled ABC to win the night across all of television — broadcast and cable — and in every key demo, including P18-34, P18-49, P25-54, M18-34, M18-49 and M25-54.
The broadcast generated a 19.6 rating in the Boston market, making it the highest-rated NBA game in the market since Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Finals in 2018. In the San Francisco market, Game 1 drew a 22.5 rating, making it the highest-rated NBA game in the market since Game 6 of the NBA Finals in 2019.
The NBA Finals on ABC continues with Game 3 on Wednesday, June 8, at 9 p.m. ET as the series transitions to Boston. Curt Gowdy Award-winning broadcaster Mike Breen is scheduled to return to call the action, alongside analysts Jeff Van Gundy and Mark Jackson and reporter Lisa Salters.
