Interest in the NBA is strong in local markets to begin the 2025-26 season.
Earlier this week, reports indicated that streaming consumption of local NBA games is up substantially from last year, now accounting for approximately 15% of viewing. But not only are more fans watching via streaming, more fans seem to be watching period.
According to a league source, viewership across all of the NBA’s local broadcasts is up 8% year-over-year. The figure includes viewership on both regional sports networks and the local over-the-air affiliates that some teams have opted to move towards instead of RSNs in recent years. Total hours consumed is up a similar 9% year-over-year.
A few teams have notched very notable increases, but mostly on account of increased availability for the networks those games air on. The Denver Nuggets, for instance, have seen a 280% year-over-year increase for its local broadcasts on Altitude, KTVD, and KUSA. However, Altitude was unavailable for Comcast customers until February of this year, so making any year-over-year comparisons before then doesn’t tell the full story. Similarly, the Chicago Bulls have seen a 174% year-over-year increase in local viewership, but Chicago Sports Network didn’t become available to Comcast customers until this June.
The Portland Trail Blazers, who moved from Root Sports to local over-the-air distribution via Rip City Sports Network in 2024, has seen a 118% year-over-year viewership increase so far this season.
The local viewership story mirrors what the NBA has seen on a national level through the first few weeks of the season. Per NBA PR, national NBA games saw a 92% year-over-year viewership bump through the first two weeks of the season.