NBA’s Declining Viewership Gets Steph Curry Bump

A splash of Steph Curry helped curb the NBA’s declining TV viewership to open the season.

The first nationally televised game for Curry and the Warriors—a close win Wednesday over the defending champion Celtics—drew 2.14 million viewers on ESPN, the most-watched game since opening week and up 30% from the comparable game last year (Spurs-Knicks), according to Sports Media Watch. 

Curry and the Warriors, along with LeBron James and the Cavaliers, were the league’s viewership darlings for most of the 2010s. But the Warriors were not expected to make much noise this year following a season in which they finished 10th in the West and were ousted in the play-in—and were missing from the league’s opening-week schedule. 

Curry has averaged just 22 points per game, his lowest since an injury-riddled 2019–2020 campaign, but Golden State’s depth has propelled the team to an 8–2 start.

Still Trending Down

The viewership boost comes after declines in viewership through most of the first two weeks of the season that sparked a conversation about whether the waning fan interest is correlated to the three-point-happy style of play. 

However, James and Kevin Durant weren’t able to carry the positive momentum into Friday’s games, as the ESPN doubleheader (Suns-Mavericks and Lakers-76ers) averaged about 1.36 million viewers. That number is down 19% versus the comparable window from last year—though last year’s nightcap saw James and the Lakers face off against Durant and the Suns, drawing almost two million viewers.

This year’s second game featured a healthy Lakers team against a Sixers squad missing Tyrese Maxey to injury and Joel Embiid to suspension. Paul George was the lone “star” player available for Philadelphia, but he was playing just his third game of the year as he returned from a left knee injury and was on a minutes restriction.

In-Season Hope

The second iteration of the NBA’s in-season tournament, now called the Emirates NBA Cup, tipped off Tuesday—and the league is hoping it bolsters interest in its regular season, especially during the period before Christmas. Last year’s tournament saw a 26% viewership increase versus viewership windows from the previous season.

The tournament, won by the Lakers last year, runs until the semifinals and finals on Dec. 14 and 17 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.