NBA and NHL Finals openers see record TV ratings on ABC

The opening games of the NBA and NHL Finals received significant television viewership on ABC. The NBA Finals Game 1, featuring the New York Knicks and San Antonio Spurs, averaged 16.93 million viewers, marking the highest ratings for a series opener since 2018. Meanwhile, the Stanley Cup Finals Game 1 attracted 4.78 million viewers, the largest audience for a final opener since 2019. Both leagues experienced increased ratings this postseason. The NBA game showed a 90 percent rise from the previous year's Game 1, while the NHL audience was up 54 percent from the last Cup opener in 2024. These figures reflect a continued trend of growing viewership across the playoffs this year.

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