Suns-Bucks NBA Finals series viewership increases by 50% from 2020
Jul 21, 2021, 8:40 PM
People watch television coverage of the Milwaukee Bucks and Phoenix Suns playing in Game 6 of the NBA basketball finals, Tuesday, July 20, 2021, in Milwaukee. The Bucks won the championship. (AP Photo/Jeffrey Phelps)
(AP Photo/Jeffrey Phelps)
Concerns that the NBA Finals viewership would be lowered because of a matchup between two small market teams were put to rest on Tuesday.
Numbers released by the NBA showed that Game 6 of NBA Finals between the Phoenix Suns and Milwaukee Bucks was watched by an average of 12.52 million viewers, peaking with 16.4 million between 8:30 p.m. and 8:44 p.m.
The average number of 12.52 million was up by 50% compared to Game 6 between the Los Angeles Lakers and Miami Heat in 2020.
In Phoenix, ratings were the highest they had been in the last 25 years coming in at 25.9.
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Overall, viewership for the NBA Finals series was up by 32% and averaged 9.91 million viewers.
However, the average makes it the fourth-lowest since 1997.
The numbers were also down 34.5% compared to two years ago, when the Toronto-Golden State series averaged 15.14 million.
The final series was a reflection of the overall performance of the NBA Playoffs.
Compared to the 2020 playoffs, viewership was up by 35% and averaged 4.25 million viewers on ABC, ESPN and TNT.
The percentage of households that tuned in to the NBA playoffs was its highest since 2002 at 7.1%
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