ESPN announced Friday that the 2023 NBA draft was the most-watched NBA draft ever on any network. Here’s what you need to know:
- The first round averaged 4,928,000 viewers across ESPN and ABC, which was a 24 percent increase from last year’s first round on both platforms.
- The broadcast peaked with 6,085,000 viewers at 8 pm EST.
- This year’s draft included a player considered a generational talent in French phenom Victor Wimbanyama, who was selected first overall by the Spurs.
the athleteInstant Analysis:
What made this year so special
What is the reason behind the large viewership? (Last year’s first round averaged 3,989,000 viewers for context.)
Here’s an educated guess: First, you can’t rule out the impact of having the NBA draft on ABC over the air. It makes a big difference to potential households considering the NBA draft began airing on both ESPN and ABC in 2021. So does out-of-home viewing, which Nielsen introduced in 2020 and has increased viewership for all historically determined sporting events.
There was clearly a lot of curiosity about Wembanyama for its rhino status, even if we knew where it was headed. (The league should really pay its games this year.) There was also some uncertainty about the number 2 and number 3 picks and always remember this is TV show at the end of the day.
The trades leading up to the NBA Draft — from Bradley Beal to Chris Paul to Marcus Smart — likely gave her some extra juice, too. Add it all up, and you get record viewership. – German
the background
Wimbanyama, 19, was long considered one of the best prospects in his pre-draft age group on Thursday. like the athleteSam Vecenie of Sam Vecenie wrote, “Wembanyama is the best draft prospect to enter the NBA since LeBron James.”
The 7-foot-4 center has exploded with the French Pro Metropolitans 92 this season, averaging 21.6 points, 10.4 rebounds and 3.0 blocks per game. San Antonio won the rights to the No. 1 pick in the NBA Draft lottery in May. The Spurs got their first start in 1997, when the team selected future Hall of Famer Tim Duncan.
Thursday’s NBA draft averaged 3,743,000 viewers overall across ESPN (both rounds) and ABC (first round), with the average audience up 23 percent compared to 2022.
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(Photo: Sarah Steer/Getty Images)