NBA Finals Game 3 draws 23.8 million viewers, highest since 1998
Monday's Knicks-Spurs contest averaged 23.8 million viewers and peaked at 26.3 million, the largest Game 3 audience in nearly three decades. The series through three games is averaging 19.1 million viewers, up 114 percent from last year.
New York PostMonday's Knicks-Spurs Game 3 averaged 23.8 million viewers, the largest NBA Finals Game 3 audience since 1998, according to Nielsen data released Wednesday. Viewership reached a peak of 26.3 million during the fourth quarter. The game also ranked as the most-watched program on broadcast television since the Super Bowl in February.
The first three games of the current Finals are averaging 19.1 million viewers. That figure marks the second-highest average since ABC and ESPN assumed exclusive rights to the championship round in 2003. The current series has produced a 114 percent increase in average viewership compared with last year's Finals.
The Knicks are appearing in the NBA Finals for the first time since 1999. The Spurs feature the league's most prominent young player. Game 4 is scheduled for Wednesday night, with the Spurs seeking to even the series before it returns to San Antonio.
