Thunder-Pacers NBA Finals Game 1 Draws Lowest Audience in Nearly 40 Years
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Entering the 2025 NBA Finals, one of the biggest debates around the series was how the ratings would play out. With both the Oklahoma City Thunder and Indiana Pacers being small-market teams, many wondered whether fans would be tuning in.
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Game 1 between the two teams was electric, but the fears of the NBA did play out. According to Sports Media Watch, Game 1 of the NBA Finals generated the lowest audience since 1988, excluding the 2020 and 2021 series, which were impacted by COVID-19.
The game reportedly averaged a 4.7 rating and 8.91 million viewers on ABC. This is far lower than Game 1 of last season between the Boston Celtics and Dallas Mavericks, which drew in around 11 million viewers on average.
OKLAHOMA CITY, OKLAHOMA – JUNE 05: Tyrese Haliburton #0 of the Indiana Pacers scores a basket with .3 seconds remaining during the fourth quarter against the Oklahoma City Thunder in Game One of the 2025… OKLAHOMA CITY, OKLAHOMA – JUNE 05: Tyrese Haliburton #0 of the Indiana Pacers scores a basket with .3 seconds remaining during the fourth quarter against the Oklahoma City Thunder in Game One of the 2025 NBA Finals at Paycom Center on June 05, 2025 in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.
Photo by Matthew Stockman/Getty Images
But there is one saving grace for the league. With the game being close at the end, the NBA Finals peaked around 11 million viewers to witness the game-winning shot by Pacers star Tyrese Haliburton.
The NBA also reports that Game 1 generated nearly three times more viewers than any other network. Additionally, the game registered more than 500 million views on social media, which is an all-time record.
🏀 Indiana’s Game 1 victory over Oklahoma City in the NBA Finals on ABC peaked with 11 million viewers at the end of the 4th quarter when Tyrese Haliburton hit the game-winning shot.
🏀 Game 1 averaged nearly 3 times more viewers than the next most-watched program on any other…
— NBA Communications (@NBAPR) June 7, 2025
It seems that more people were tuning in online, rather than actually watching the game. This could be part of the new digital era, or people simply not wanting to pay for all the different streaming services to watch games.
This could either help set up more excitement for the next game, or it could just be a spur-of-the-moment situation for the NBA. Either way, the league could be in trouble if ratings continue to be low throughout this series.
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But with two tiny markets in the NBA and no established stars in the series, things could be tough for the league. Haliburton and Thunder star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander are superstars in the NBA, but neither one of them is established enough to draw in an audience of casual fans.
Entering the series, many believed that Oklahoma City would dominate the Pacers. But Indiana showed some tricks up its sleeve, and that could help generate more interest as the series goes forward.
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For more on Pacers, Thunder, and general NBA news, head over to Newsweek Sports.
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