Topline
An average of 11.3 million people tuned in to watch each game in the NBA Finals between the Boston Celtics and Dallas Mavericks this year, marking the series’ lowest viewership since 2021—as ratings for the NBA Finals and other big TV events struggle to return to pre-pandemic levels.
The final game of the series took place Monday. (Photo by Justin Casterline/Getty Images)
Key Facts
The average across all five games was lower than 2023 and 2022’s average NBA Finals ratings (reportedly 11.6 million and 12.4 million, respectively), though the figure far exceeds the 2021 series (9.9 million viewers) and the 2020 contest (7.5 million), both of which were six-game series.
The final game of the Celtics-Mavericks series averaged 12.2 million viewers, according to Disney, peaking at 13.2 million viewers.
Game 4—in which the Mavs routed the Celtics 122-84—drew about 9.6 million viewers, marking the second-lowest NBA finals game 4 to date, behind only a pandemic-era game 4 that had 7.54 million viewers in 2020, according to Sports Business Journal.
Games 1 through 3 also had relatively low viewership by pre-pandemic standards, averaging about 10.99 million viewers, 12 million viewers and 11.4 million viewers, respectively—pre-pandemic, average series ratings were typically higher than 16 million viewers, according to Sports Media Watch.
Big Number
18. That’s how many championships the Celtics have won—the most out of any NBA team. The team broke a years-long tie with the Los Angeles Lakers, which have 17 titles.
Forbes Valuation
In October, we estimated the Celtics to be worth about $4.7 billion, giving them the fourth highest valuation in the NBA. We estimated the Mavericks to be worth about $4.5 billion, the seventh highest value in the league.
Key Background
The NBA Finals isn’t the only marquee TV event to face lower ratings than pre-pandemic levels, as more Americans move away from linear television and streaming services compete for viewers’ attention. Ratings for last year’s World Series hit a record low 9.1 million viewers, below even the pandemic-impacted 2020 MLB series. Major award shows have also suffered lower ratings than previous eras, despite some recovery from the early-Covid doldrums. One exception is the NFL, which continues to notch strong ratings.
Tangent
The Celtics, which had a regular season record of 64-18, had not won an NBA championship since 2008 when they beat the Los Angeles Lakers for their seventeenth title. This year, they were led by Jayson Tatum—who had 31 points, 11 assists and eight rebounds in the Monday night 106-88 win over the Mavericks—and Jaylen Brown, who was named NBA Finals MVP. The Celtics beat the Indiana Pacers in four games in the Eastern Conference finals to make it to the NBA Finals, and beat the Cleveland Cavaliers and Miami Heat prior to that.
Surprising Fact
The Celtics’ Monday night championship came 16 years to the day after the last time they won in 2008.