NBA Announces Impressive TV Viewership Numbers for Playoffs

The NBA playoffs have been an overwhelming success so far, according to some recent viewership figures released by the league.

On Thursday, the NBA announced that the first 10 games of the 2026 postseason yielded the highest viewership numbers in nearly three decades.

“The NBA is averaging its highest viewership in 26 years though the first ten games of the NBA Playoffs across ABC/ESPN, NBC/Peacock and Amazon Prime Video,” the league shared on social media.

The opening Sunday of NBA playoff action brought in more than 35 million viewers in the United States, up 65% compared to last season. The day’s 4.87 million average viewers marked the most in 15 years.

The first round of the NBA playoffs is delivering with some exciting postseason action.

Five of the eight first-round playoff series are tied at 1-1 - guaranteeing at least a Game 5 for each of those series. The Los Angeles Lakers, Oklahoma City Thunder and Cleveland Cavaliers each hold 2-0 leads in their respective series.

The NBA postseason will continue with three games on Thursday night. The New York Knicks will face off against the Atlanta Hawks at 7 p.m. ET, the Cleveland Cavaliers will matchup against the Toronto Raptors at 8 p.m. ET and the Denver Nuggets will take on the Minnesota Timberwolves at 9:30 p.m. ET.

Friday night will feature the Boston Celtics vs. Philadelphia 76ers, the Los Angeles Lakers vs. Houston Rockets and the San Antonio Spurs vs. Portland Trail Blazers.

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This story was originally published April 23, 2026 at 12:32 PM.