NBA Finals Ratings Underwhelm To Very End

The NBA Finals ended Thursday night and so did the string of underwhelming ratings the Warriors-Celtics matchup garnered over the course of the six-game series.

Golden State's 103-90 victory in Game 6 drew a total of 13.99 million viewers, the most viewed game of the Finals, per ShowBuzzDaily. When compared to pre-pandemic levels, however, the final number falls well short.

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Game 6 of the 2019 NBA Finals between the Warriors and Raptors was watched by 18.1 million viewers. In total, Toronto's triumph over Golden State was watched by an average of 15.125 million viewers. That's well ahead of the 12.39 million on average that tuned in to this year's Finals. In total, all but Game 6 drew lower viewership than every game during the 2019 Finals.

2022 NBA Finals Viewership

OutKick's Alejandro Avila reported after Game 5 of the series Monday that viewership was on the decline compared to the years prior.

"The NBA’s gradual decline in viewership over the past several seasons has run concurrently with several topics debated around the Association, including its avid political messaging during broadcasts, waning interest in matchups, and a strained connection with a critical portion of the NBA’s viewership in China," Avila wrote.