Championship Series Openers Deliver Strong Viewership for ABC

Game one of the major professional basketball championship series and the opening contest of the professional ice hockey championship series both registered substantial ratings, according to the Hollywood Reporter. These initial matchups drew a considerable audience to the ABC network, with the basketball game achieving its best viewership in five years. The hockey game’s first installment similarly saw its largest audience since 2019. The basketball championship opener garnered an average of 11.5 million viewers, reaching a peak of 12.1 million viewers. This represented a slight increase from the previous year's opening game, which had averaged 11.4 million. The Hollywood Reporter noted that this year's viewers, while up from last year’s, did not quite match the 12 million average from 2022. Simultaneously, the ice hockey championship series debut attracted 2.8 million viewers on average, with a high point of 3.2 million. This performance marked a significant improvement over the prior year’s first game, which had an average of 2.2 million viewers. The Hollywood Reporter’s analysis highlighted the substantial growth in viewership for the hockey series’ kickoff. Both championship events were broadcast on ABC, with simultaneous streaming options available on ESPN+. The robust viewership numbers for these high-stakes sporting events underscore their continued appeal to a broad television audience. The strong starts suggest a potentially engaging and widely watched championship season for both professional leagues.