NBA viewership surged 86% in 2025-26 due to new media rights deals.

NBA viewership surged 86% during the 2025-26 regular season, marking the highest average viewership in 24 years. The increase is largely attributed to new media rights deals with NBC and Amazon Prime Video, along with ABC/ESPN and NBA TV. Key events like the NBA Cup and All-Star Game drew record-breaking audiences, and the season saw 57 telecasts average over 2 million viewers.