Viewership for Game 1 of the NBA Finals was down 19 percent over 2024, marking an expected decline for the battle of the small-market Indiana Pacers and Oklahoma City Thunder despite another magical comeback for Tyrese Haliburton and Indiana.

Thursday night’s Game 1 averaged 8.9 million viewers, making it the least-watched Game 1 since 1988 outside of the two COVID-era NBA Finals, per Sports Media Watch. It is a far cry compared with last year’s Game 1 blowout win by Boston over Dallas, which drew nearly 11 million average viewers.

However, Game 1 did peak at more than 11 million in the final minutes, according to Nielsen data. That could inspire hope for the NBA and ESPN/ABC after Haliburton’s game-winning jumper was the talk of the sports world Thursday night and all of Friday. A nice Sunday-evening slot on ABC awaits for Game 2 as hoops fans look to see how NBA MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and the Thunder respond at home.

A low number was expected here. Both Indianapolis and Oklahoma City are outside the top 20 in market size in the U.S., and neither franchise brings an established name-brand superstar or a championship history to the series.

But with an 11-year, nearly $8 billion rights deal in hand, the NBA is cruising. Viewership for this series, from the league’s standpoint, is gravy. If anything, the NBA is likely rooting for Haliburton and Gilgeous-Alexander to experience a bump in fandom and a competitive series to advertise the product.

Of course, ESPN and ABC will hope Game 2 and beyond rate a little higher. Not only is this a clash of two small-market teams, it was also seen as a lopsided series. Perhaps Indiana stealing Game 1 in miracle fashion convinces the average sports fan to tune in for more excitement going forward.

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