Ratings Roundup: NBA Playoffs Return to NBC Sports up 38%; NFL Draft Down 12% Overall From 2025

Ratings Roundup is a rundown of recent rating news and is derived from press releases and reports around the industry. In this week's edition, more than 13 million people tuned into the first round of the NFL Draft across ESPN platforms; USA Sports delivers most watched volleyball match in LOVB history with more than 100,000 viewers; and more.

First Round of the 2026 NFL Draft Delivers 13.2 Million Viewers Across ESPN Platforms, Generates Third Most-Watched Day 1 Ever

Round 1 of the 2026 NFL Draft (Thursday, April 23) earned the third most-watched audience ever, averaging 13.2 million viewers on all linear and digital platforms including ESPN, ABC, NFL Network, ESPN Deportes, Disney+, Hulu, the ESPN App, NFL+, YouTube, TikTok and X. That figure is down 3% from the comparable figure from the 2025 draft, but is up 8% from Day 1 of the 2024 NFL Draft.

Overall, TV coverage of the 2026 NFL Draft averaged 6.6 million viewers across all networks over the three-day event - down 12% from 2025's 7.5 million, but still the third-most-watched draft since the league adopted its current three-day format in 2010. Only the 2020 draft, held virtually during the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic, drew more, with a record 8.4 million viewers.

The seventh edition of The Pat McAfee Show Draft Spectacular delivered more than 54 million total minutes consumed across YouTube, TikTok, X and the ESPN App on Day 1, along with 2.2 million total views.

NBA Playoffs Return to NBC Sports Delivers Big Viewership Gains Over First Three Nights

NBC Sports' presentation of the NBA Playoffs for the first time in 24 years delivered strong viewership gains and multiple milestones across NBC and Peacock during the first week of coverage, powered by a star studded postseason featuring stars such as LeBron James, Kevin Durant, Nikola Joki , Anthony Edwards, Victor Wembanyana, Jalen Brunson, and more.

NBC Sports' first six NBA Playoff games from Sunday, April 19, through Tuesday, April 21, averaged 4.9 million viewers, up 38% vs. comparable coverage last year and the most-watched for the first Sunday, Monday, and Tuesday nights of the playoffs since 1994.

Following are highlights for NBC Sports' first three nights of NBA Playoffs coverage* (all viewership is Total Audience Delivery across NBC and Peacock unless noted):

Tuesday

Trail Blazers-Spurs Game 2 (8:00-10:46 pm ET) peaked at 6.7 million viewers tying it with Magic-Pistons Game 1 on Sunday night for NBC Sports' best viewership peak of the playoffs thus far. The game also averaged 4.6 million viewers, up 105% from the game in the same window last year.

Rockets-Lakers Game 2 (10:46pm-12:56am ET) peaked at 5.8 million viewers and averaged 5.2 million, up 27% vs. comparable game last year and ranking as the most-watched First Round Game 2 since 2011.

The two-game average of 4.9 million viewers ranks as the most-watched day of First Round Game 2s since 1998.

Monday

Hawks-Knicks Game 2 (8:00-10:52 pm ET) peaked at 6.1 million viewers and averaged 4.7 million viewers, up 43% vs. the comparable game last season and making it the second-most-watched First Round Game 2 since 2012, behind only NBC Sports' Rockets-Lakers on Tuesday night.

Timberwolves-Nuggets Game 2 (10:52pm-1:12am ET) peaked at 5.0 million viewers and averaged 4.4 million, up 27% compared to the game in the same window last year and the most-watched First Round Game 2 in the late primetime window since 2012.

The two games combined to average 4.6 million viewers, up 35% from Day 3 of the NBA Playoffs last year.

Through its first four games, NBC Sports averaged 5.0 million viewers on NBC/Peacock, the most for the opening Sunday and Monday nights of the NBA Playoffs since 1995.

Sunday

Trail Blazers-Spurs Game 1 (9:10-11:45 pm ET) peaked at 6.5 million viewers and averaged 5.7 million viewers, making it the most-watched game of the 2026 NBA Playoffs to date and up 35% vs. the comparable playoff game last year.

Magic-Pistons Game 1 (6:39-9:10 pm ET), which averaged 5.0 million viewers, peaked at 6.7 million viewers, tying it with Trail Blazers-Spurs Game 2 on Tuesday night for NBC Sports' best viewership peak of the playoffs thus far.

The two games combined to power NBC to a Sunday night win in all key demos.

LINK:	https://www.sportsvideo.org/2026/04/30/ratings-roundup-nba-playoffs-re...
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