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The NBA All-Star Game brought a new, tournament-style format—but it wasn’t enough to entice viewers to tune in.
The midseason showcase averaged 4.7 million viewers across TNT platforms, down 13% compared to last year, according to FOS media and entertainment reporter Ryan Glasspiegel. It’s the second-least-watched NBA All-Star Game, ahead only of the 2023 All-Star Game (4.6 million).
The last three NBA All-Star Games have all averaged under six million viewers, the only three in NBA history that have not breached that threshold.
Three of the league’s biggest stars (LeBron James, Giannis Antetokounmpo, and Anthony Edwards) did not play in Sunday’s tournament. When stars are unable to participate, the NBA normally brings in a replacement player—as they did with Kyrie Irving and Trae Young, who replaced Anthony Davis and Antetokounmpo, respectively. But James and Edwards were both late scratches.
The league also competed against “SNL 50,” the special 50th anniversary episode of Saturday Night Live. NBC, which owns the rights to NBA All-Star weekend starting next season, drew 14.8 million viewers for “SNL 50”—202% more than its usual viewership this season.
The NBA’s new format was a contentious topic throughout Sunday’s tournament. While the players competed in the games more than they have in recent years, Draymond Green rated the new format a “zero” out of 10.
FOS reported Sunday that there are already discussions of potential changes to All-Star weekend, including the addition of a one-on-one tournament—and many big names have publicly expressed interest in participating.
Saturday Night Blunder
NBA All-Star Saturday Night also fell in the ratings, averaging 3.4 million viewers, the least-watched iteration of the event. Last year’s event drew 4.57 million viewers, carried by the three-point challenge between Sabrina Ionescu and Steph Curry.
However, just days before All-Star Saturday Night, The Athletic reported that the event would not continue this year. The league originally envisioned a revamped version of the shootout that featured Klay Thompson and Caitlin Clark, but the WNBA star declined to participate this year.
The NBA’s Saturday Night contests were overshadowed by the NHL’s 4 Nations Face-Off match between the U.S. and Canada, which drew 4.4 million viewers on ABC.
The highlight of the NBA’s Saturday showcase was Mac McClung’s Slam Dunk Contest performance. McClung secured his record third title in a row by performing four dunks that received perfect scores—cementing his legacy as one of the greatest dunkers of all time. The Magic guard has earned $310,000 in the last three years from winning the contest, nearly three times as much as the guaranteed money he’s received in the NBA, per Spotrac.
However, despite McClung’s performance—and a worthy runner-up finish from Stephon Castle—the lack of star power certainly factored into the record-low ratings.
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