The NBA playoffs capitalized on historic viewership from a holiday weekend to deliver strong growth.

The first round of the postseason averaged 3.7 million viewers across ABC, ESPN, and TNT, up 6% from last year’s 3.5 million total, according to Nielsen. The total was driven, in part, by the 4.4 million average of the league’s eight-game opening weekend, which fell on the Easter holiday, the NBA’s most-watched opening weekend in 25 years and up 17% from last year.

ESPN platforms (ABC and ESPN) averaged 4.46 million viewers across 12 games, up 14% from last year. ABC led the way with 5.56 million viewers over six games, a 14% increase. The six games on ESPN were up 10%. These numbers mirror the regular season, when ABC was up 10% despite the full league national TV viewership declining by 2% due to declines in games on cable.

TNT averaged 3.3 million viewers across 25 first-round playoff games, a 3% increase from last year. That number was highlighted by Game 7 between the Warriors and Rockets on Sunday, which drew 6.6 million viewers, the most-watched first-round Game 7 on cable since 2009 (Bulls vs. Celtics).

That was the third-most-watched game of the entire first round, behind two weekend games on ABC: Game 4 of Lakers vs. Timberwolves (7.4 million) and Game 1 of Magic vs. Celtics (6.7 million). 

The question now is whether the NBA can continue its momentum into the second round after LeBron James, Luka Dončić, and the Lakers were eliminated. In the regular season, the Lakers played in the most-watched game (vs. the Warriors on Christmas Day), the most-watched non-Christmas game (vs. the Celtics on March 8), and the most-watched non-Christmas, non-opening-night game on cable (vs. the Mavericks on Feb. 25).

The positive for the league is that the Warriors, another ratings draw, advanced to the second round and face the Timberwolves and rising star Anthony Edwards, who was the most-watched player on NBA social media in the first round.

Despite ABC seeing a major dip in TV ratings for Sunday’s Miami Grand Prix, the race still drew one of the largest U.S. audiences for Formula One. 

An average of 2.1 million viewers watched McLaren’s 1–2 finish, according to Nielsen ratings, as Oscar Piastri took the checkered flag, followed by teammate Lando Norris. That’s down 32% from last year’s Miami GP audience of 3.1 million, the most-watched F1 race on U.S. airwaves.

Sunday’s race is up 7% from the 2023 Miami GP, and it marks the third-largest live F1 race audience on U.S. TV. The debut event in 2022 is the second-most-watched all-time, with 2.6 million viewers.

Last year’s record rating came in part due to the Miami GP airing on ABC directly after Game 7 of the Magic-Cavaliers first-round NBA playoff series, which drew 4.3 million viewers. This year, there were no live sports on ABC leading directly into the F1 race.

This is the first F1 race of the season that had a smaller audience on ESPN platforms than last year’s comparable broadcast. 

ESPN’s media-rights deal with F1 is expiring at the end of this season. Initially, it appeared ESPN would not renew its contract, due to a difference of opinion regarding how much the sport’s rights are worth. ESPN is paying F1 up to $90 million annually under the current deal. However, F1 president and CEO Stefano Domenicali said in February that talks were still happening with ESPN.

F1 will return to the U.S. for two more races this season in Austin and Las Vegas.

The NHL has not been shy with experimentation. Earlier this season, it reaped the rewards after the 4 Nations Face-Off, which replaced the annual All-Star Game, drew record ratings. During Monday’s 2025 NHL draft lottery, one of the league’s recent rule changes entered the spotlight.

The draft lottery, which was already historic because the draw was done live and in-studio for the first time in its 30-year history, saw the Islanders secure the No. 1 pick despite finishing with the 10th-worst record and having just a 3.5% chance at the top selection. However, it was in the NHL’s second lottery, which typically determines who selects No. 2, that a new rule was utilized as the Utah Hockey Club won but was only awarded the No. 4 pick.

The lottery win was subject to a rule instituted in 2022 wherein any NHL team that wins the lottery is allowed to move up only as many as 10 spots. Because Utah finished with the 14th-worst record, it moved up to the No. 4 pick. (It had a 3.1% chance of moving up to No. 4.) It was the first time since the rule was instituted that a team moved up the maximum 10 slots.

No other major professional league in North America has a rule that restricts a team that missed the postseason from receiving the No. 1 pick despite winning the draft lottery. Utah Hockey Club GM Bill Armstrong, however, was still ecstatic about the result.

“To pick at four … couple seconds ago we were 10 back, so it still hasn’t sunk,” Armstrong said.

The NHL instituted another lottery rule in 2022, which restricts teams from selecting with the No. 1 pick more than two times in five years. While “tanking” (deliberately losing to secure better draft lottery odds) is not as much of an issue in the NHL as it is in the NBA, these rules are instituted to keep teams from constantly bottoming out and depending on lottery luck.

Consolation Prize

The Islanders did not fall victim to the NHL’s lottery limitations, and their nine-spot jump to the No. 1 pick was the largest for the top selection in league history. While this draft does not have a definitive No. 1 prospect like Connor Bedard in 2023 or Macklin Celebrini last year, it still has talent at the top, including James Hagens, a Long Island product who plays for Boston College. 

The Islanders’ win, however, comes at a peculiar time for the organization. The NHL announced Monday that it is canceling the 2026 All-Star Game, which was set to be hosted by the Islanders, in favor of an international event.

Following the announcement, New York Gov. Kathy Hochul sent a letter to NHL commissioner Gary Bettman expressing her “disappointment” in the league’s decision.

“Therefore, we request that the NHL revisit this matter immediately. Given that Long Island’s 2026 NHL All-Star Weekend has been canceled, the NHL should bring a hockey event with equal or greater economic activity and cultural value to the region in 2027,” Hochul’s letter to Bettman read.