NBA Cup Opener Sees Big Ratings Boost As Star Power Dominates

A week after Steph Curry boosted NBA viewership, his former Splash Brother’s return to Golden State provided another huge ratings bump.

Night 1 of the 2024 Emirates NBA Cup, the second iteration of the league’s in-season tournament, drew an average of 1.93 million viewers Tuesday on TNT, up 71% versus last year’s comparable doubleheader. 

The nightcap—which featured Mavericks wing Klay Thompson’s first game back in the Bay Area against Curry and the Warriors since a sign-and-trade in July—averaged 2.14 million viewers, an 84% increase from last year’s second game between the Clippers and then-defending champion Nuggets.

The first game of Tuesday’s slate featured the Knicks and Sixers, in what served as the season debut for 2023 MVP Joel Embiid, who returned from injury and a three-game suspension. The game drew 1.71 million viewers, 58% more than last year’s Spurs vs. Thunder matchup.

The start of the NBA Cup added intrigue to Tuesday’s matchups, together with the flashy, albeit polarizing, court designs, but the viewership increase once again shows that stars and storylines drive ratings for the league. Curry’s season debut last week against the Celtics on ESPN averaged 2.14 million viewers—the most since the opening week of games.

Before two positive ratings days featuring the Warriors, NBA viewership had dipped to start the year. Most games in the first two weeks saw double-digit percentage declines in viewership.

So far this season, TNT’s average viewership is at 1.8 million, a 3% decline compared to this point last year. ESPN has averaged just 1.31 million viewers through its first 12 games, down about 28% from 1.8 million last year.

The next slate of nationally televised NBA Cup games will be Friday on ESPN, with LeBron James and the Lakers visiting Victor Wembanyama and the Spurs, followed by the Grizzlies facing the Warriors.