• Loading stock data...
Monday, August 25, 2025
Front Office Sports Honors winners are here! View the 2025 winners

Airball: NBA All-Star Game Falls to Historic TV Lows

  • TV viewership was down 27% from last year.
  • Game was nearly lapped in viewership by Sunday’s Daytona 500.
LeBron James slams ball during the lowest rated NBA-All Star Game.
Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports

This year’s NBA All-Star Game was the “worst basketball game ever played,” said Denver Nuggets coach Michael Malone. Television viewers seemed to agree as the game sank to its worst-ever viewership levels.

Team Giannis’ 184-175 victory over Team LeBron averaged 4.6 million viewers across Warner Bros. Discovery Sports’ TNT/TBS channels.

That’s down 27% from last year’s All-Game. And a 22% drop from the previous TV low of 5.9 million viewers in 2021. 

The game was nearly lapped by Fox Sports’ coverage of the Daytona 500, which averaged 8.2 million viewers on Sunday afternoon.

“The NBA All-Star Game was an airball in the ratings, falling to easily its smallest audience on record,” noted Sports Media Watch.

In contrast, the 1993 All-Star Game with the likes of Michael Jordan, Shaquille O’Neal, and Charles Barkley grabbed a record 22.91 million viewers on NBC.

There were several factors for the steep drop this year.

Superstars Steph Curry, Kevin Durant, and Zion Williamson didn’t play.

NBA stars don’t seem to care about the All-Star Game anymore. There was almost no defense played during the game. If players are apathetic, then viewers will be too. 

“The game was unwatchable,” said one TV talent, who declined to be named.

Stephen A. Smith, the voice and face of NBA media rights partner ESPN, laid into players for their embarrassing performance.

“There was no effort whatsoever…It just reeks of a level of arrogance and taking fans for granted that we continue to lament,” Smith said. 

To be fair to the NBA, TV numbers for all-star games have been trending downward. 

The NFL, for example, finally gave up on the Pro Bowl, replacing it with a flag football game coached by Peyton and Eli Manning. 

The power of the Shield helped the re-imagined Pro Bowl outpace the NBA All-Star with 6.28 million viewers.

More on the TV performance of NBA All-Star Weekend:

  • Despite the record-low number, Sunday night’s All-Star Game was still the most-viewed cable TV program. It was also the No. 1 program for viewers aged 50 and under. The number of cable TV homes used Saturday and Sunday nights was down 10% from last year. 
  • Sunday’s first live All-Star Draft averaged 3.9 million viewers across TNT/TBS. That was up eight times from last year’s Draft on TNT, which averaged 460,000 viewers.
  • All-Star Saturday Night averaged 3.4 million across TNT/TBS. It was the most-viewed program that night. Friday night’s Celebrity Game pulled 1.4 million viewers, up 8%.
  • On the digital front, All-Star Weekend generated 1.75 billion views across social and digital platforms globally. The league’s Twitter and Instagram feeds were the most-viewed accounts this past weekend. The NBA app posted its most-viewed All-Star Weekend ever.
Obi Toppin goes up for a dunk during the 2022 NBA Slam Dunk Contest.

Will the NBA Slam Dunk Contest Ever Matter Again?

It’s gone from Michael Jordan to Mac McClung in 35 years.
February 18, 2023

During the first half of the 2022-2023 season, NBA games across ABC, ESPN, and TNT averaged 1.6 million viewers. That’s flat compared to last season, despite the continuing erosion of cable TV homes. 

On the other hand, the NBA has received some good news as the league is just off of a record pace for average game attendance.

According to an SBJ Atlas analysis, games average 17,985 fans per game, just slightly behind the all-time mark of 17,987 from the entire 2017-18 season.

Linkedin
Whatsapp
Copy Link
Link Copied
Link Copied

What to Read

Titans

Crypto Group Claims Responsibility for NFL, PGA Dildo Tosses

The group behind many WNBA incidents says it has struck again.
Malik Beasley

Malik Beasley Could Still Be Charged in Gambling Probe Despite Feds Dropping..

Beasley’s lawyer is hoping his client can return to the NBA.
Jul 13, 2025; Atlanta, GA, USA; MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred announces the pick for the Athletics pick during the MLB Draft at The Coca-Cola Roxy.

MLB Confident New Rights Will Exceed $550M ESPN Deal

MLB would redistribute rights forfeited by ESPN back in February.

Fox Enters Streaming Wars With Leaner, Sports-Heavy Approach

A different strategy marks the arrival of the network’s streaming service.

Featured Today

The Honey Deuce Effect: How Tennis Perfected the Signature Cocktail

Sold every 1.5 seconds, they total more than $12 million in sales.
Dec 21, 2024; Austin, Texas, USA; Texas Longhorns quarterback Arch Manning (16) warms up as the Texas Longhorns prepare to play the Clemson Tigers in the first round of the College Football Playoffs at Darrell K Royal Texas Memorial Stadium.
August 23, 2025

Schools Are Hesitant to Allow PE Into Their Athletic Departments

Regardless of budget, schools don’t believe the risk is worth the reward.
Oct 2, 2024; Rosemont, IL, USA; Big Ten commissioner Tony Petitti speaks with the media during the 2024 Big Ten Women’s Basketball media day at Donald E. Stephens Convention Center.
August 22, 2025

‘Not Ready to Jump In’: Power 4 Commissioners Aren’t Sold on PE

Top leaders in college sports have yet to see a satisfactory proposal.
Nov 23, 2024; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Penn State Nittany Lions head coach James Franklin looks at quarterback Drew Allar (15) during the first quarter against the Minnesota Golden Gophers at Huntington Bank Stadium.
August 22, 2025

Private Equity Enters College Sports—Without the Equity

As college football starts, lending agreements have become PE’s best way in.
HAPPY GILMORE 2. (L to R) Quin Stiller as Will Zalatoris Caddie, Will Zalatoris as Himself, Benito Antonio Martínez Ocasio as Oscar Mejias and Adam Sandler as Happy Gilmore in Happy Gilmore2.

‘Happy Gilmore 2’ Becomes Netflix’s Most-Watched U.S. Movie Debut

The Adam Sandler, golf-themed movie sets more streaming records.
Jey Uso and Pat McAfee look at each other after Uso’s win Saturday, Feb. 1, 2025, during the WWE Royal Rumble at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis.
August 20, 2025

WWE Will Leave Peacock for ESPN 6 Months Early

Peacock’s final show will be “Clash in Paris” on Aug. 31.
August 20, 2025

Bundesliga Bets on YouTube Creators for Live U.K. Game Streams

Bundesliga is the top German soccer league.
Sponsored

Building A Pro League From Scratch

Front Office Sports and Gainbridge® spotlight what it takes to build a professional women’s soccer league.
August 20, 2025

NFL Preseason Games Are Popping Up on YouTube’s Sunday Ticket

The $2 billion out-of-market package covers only the regular season.
August 20, 2025

Inside ESPN’s ‘Industry Shaping’ DTC Plan, What’s at Stake

Many bundle offers and opaque metrics mark the high-profile launch.
Kyle Busch talks with Nexstar Media Group, Wednesday February 14, 2024 during Daytona 500 Media Day at Daytona International Speedway
August 19, 2025

$6.2B Nexstar-Tegna Deal Could Create Local Sports Juggernaut

CW parent company Nexstar looks to acquire its rival in a major deal.
August 15, 2025

NFL Preseason Week 1 Delivers Record Audience for NFL Network

The channel averaged 2.1 million viewers for its eight live telecasts.