Game 1 between the Golden State Warriors and the Sacramento Kings The NBA Playoffs series did not disappoint, and it brought plenty of attention to the league.
The commencement of the 2023 NBA Playoffs was the most-watched opening weekend of the postseason since 2011, with 4.15 million viewers tuning in across ESPN, ABC, and TNT.
According to Sports Media Watch, this is also a three percent increase from last year's playoff opener.
That is 32% more than the Warriors' opening game against the Denver Nuggets in the 2022 playoffs. The game had a high audience of 7.56 million people.
The Warriors-Kings game was not only the most-watched game on the first Saturday of the NBA Playoffs since the 1997 Game 2 matchup between
the Charlotte Hornets and New York Knicks, which drew 6.77 million people, but it was also the most-watched game this season.
Second, Sacramento is in the playoffs for the first time in 16 years, ending the longest playoff drought in major North American sports.
The Kings already hold a 2-0 lead against the Warriors, and as the series travels to Golden State, viewership is likely to rise even more.