Jaylen Brown and the Celtics powered past the Pistons during ESPN’s tripleheader last week.
ESPN generated its most-watched NBA Thanksgiving Eve audience in six years, since 2019, on Wednesday, November 26. The inaugural tripleheader averaged 2,099,000 viewers, up 54% from last year’s Thanksgiving Eve doubleheader, according to Nielsen Big Data + Panel.
ESPN’s exclusive coverage of the Minnesota Timberwolves vs. Oklahoma City Thunder game averaged 2,433,000 viewers and peaked with 2,921,000 viewers at 10:15 p.m. ET. It was up 83% from last year’s comparable game.
In the nightcap, the Houston Rockets vs. Golden State Warriors game averaged 2,031,000 viewers on ESPN, up 45% from the 2024 game in the same window. The audience peaked with 2,448,000 viewers at 10:30 p.m.
ESPN’s tripleheader began with the Boston Celtics defeating the Detroit Pistons, which averaged 1,812,000 viewers for the 5 p.m. start. The audience peaked with 3,024,000 viewers at 7:45 p.m.
Through Thanksgiving, NBA games on ESPN are averaging 1,681,000 viewers, up 30% from the same period last season.
