Sports Media Watch
@sportsmediawatch
Sports media news and information. Run by Jon Lewis.
A theory from a NASCAR exec, quoted in this article: www.sportsmediawatch.com/2026/05/nasc...
A number of college championship games/events hit or neared historic highs during the 2025-26 academic year:
NBC owns four of the six largest MLB audiences this season and the top three since Opening Week:
Wouldn't be the first time Oklahoma won a national title by this score.
The ten most-watched Stanley Cup Final series dating back to 1994. Carolina and Vegas both on the list twice:
The ten most-watched NBA Finals of the Nielsen people meter era (1988-present): -- All six involving Jordan's Bulls -- Both Lakers-Pistons series in the '80s -- LeBron vs. Steph/KD And now Knicks' first NBA title in 53 years.
Here are the most-watched NBA Finals since 1998 through the first four games. Knicks-Spurs on this list twice. Note that due to changes in Nielsen methodology, a virtual lock that Warriors-Cavs and Lakers-Sixers would rank higher all things being equal.
Here is a chart that until today was last updated nine years ago: The ten most-watched NBA games since 1998:
Are Friday nights any different in the Nielsen out-of-home/"Big Data" era? Not sure if I'd say yes. Here is how NBA Finals games have fared on Friday nights vs. the previous game in the series, dating back to 1992.
Amazing to see how candid execs were before the blogs came around. As written by Miami Herald's Barry Jackson in '99:
Outside of the four-straight Cavaliers-Warriors NBA Finals, Knicks-Spurs was the most-watched Game 1 of the Finals in 25 years (Sixers-Lakers 2001):
Spurs-Thunder finished as the sixth-most watched NBA conference final dating back to 1994, and the second-most watched Western Conference Finals over that span.
On U.S. television, the team with the most games among the most-watched this postseason is ... Montreal.
Again noting all of the standard methodological caveats (Nielsen changes, Adobe Analytics, etc.), Spurs-Thunder Game 1 is on a list of most-watched conference final openers otherwise occupied by iconic teams -- Jordan's Bulls, the Bad Boys, LeBron's Heat and the Shaq-Kobe Lakers.
Reminder that the cable news scroll began as an emergency measure during the biggest breaking news story of our lifetimes.
Instead of me trying to recap all the scenarios here, let me just share the actual tables from the NBA.
This, from the AP, is truly one for the books. apnews.com/article/kent...
How NBA and MLB fared against each other during their most recent full seasons:
Here are the ten most-watched college basketball games this year. (Corrected -- original chart omitted Michigan-Wisconsin Big Ten semifinal.) With that correction, Duke and Michigan account for 8 of the top 10 games, not 7 of the top 9.
Bob Costas calling an NBA game tonight for the first time in 24 years -- since Dallas-Minnesota Game 3 in 2002. Costas did a handful of playoff games in '02 after Marv Albert was hurt in a car accident. Costas' partner that day is also working tonight's game -- P.J. Carlesimo.
Most-watched NBA games last season: All five Christmas games, Opening Night doubleheader, NBA Cup Final and two others. Most-watched NBA games so far this season: All five Christmas games, Opening Night doubleheader, NBA Cup Final and two others.
I believe that tonight marked the first time John Tesh actually physically appeared on the "NBA on NBC" -- but not the first time he has been part of an NBA broadcast. (Remember, he was a sportscaster.)
I assume this would have impacted the rest of the playoff schedule too much, but *this* would have been my preferred 'avoid the World Cup' schedule:
They've mentioned this game a few times today -- LeBron's first Christmas appearance, Cavs-Magic in 2003. On the call for ESPN were the late John Saunders and Bill Walton. (Doris Burke on the sidelines in one of her first NBA assignments for ESPN.)
Where F1 viewership ranked in 2025 among major motorsports series:
ESPN's eight-year run with F1 took viewership to new levels:
How "College Gameday" and ABC's college football tripleheader fared before, during and after the YouTube TV blackout: