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By Pat Evans
NBA TV viewership dropped significantly in the U.S. during its playoffs — finals ratings were down 49% year-over-year — but the league’s continued investment in international markets helped buoy its popularity.
The Philippines drew the largest viewership of any international market for the NBA, averaging 1.3 million viewers through the playoffs and 4.1 million viewers during the finals. NBA awareness in the Philippines is nearly 98% and there are 2 million participants in the country’s Jr. NBA program.
Typically, China is the league’s biggest market outside the U.S. As a result of ongoing disputes with the country, NBA games were not on China’s state-run TV network CCTV until Game 5 of the finals. CCTV drew an estimated 25 million viewers per game for the 2019 NBA Finals.
Top 5 International NBA League Pass Markets:
- Australia
- Brazil
- Mexico
- Philippines
- Spain
