Bucks-Suns NBA Finals draw 9.9 million viewers, up 32% from 2020

The final game of the National Basketball Association’s final series starring the Milwaukee Bucks and the Phoenix Suns drew 12.5 million viewers on Tuesday, up 50% from Game 6 of the 2020 Series, which s’ is played in October due to the Covid pandemic. But overall, the series still attracted fewer viewers than the three previous NBA Finals contested before the pandemic.

The Bucks beat the Suns 105-98 in Game 6 of the NBA Finals, winning their first title in 50 years. Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo won the NBA Finals MVP title after scoring a record 50 points and 14 rebounds and leading the team to their first championship since 1971.

The contest peaked at 16.5 million viewers at 11 p.m. EST, and the series averaged 9.9 million viewers. That’s a 32% increase from the 2020 NBA Bubble Finals series featuring the Los Angeles Lakers and Miami Heat, and no spectators. The six-game series was played in October due to the pandemic and averaged 7.5 million viewers, down 51% from the 2019 series.

NBA Finals are usually played in June, and league officials note that July is the worst time of year for PUT (people using TVs) levels.

Still, the 2021 series helped the league bounce back from a drop in ratings when Game 1 drew 8.5 million viewers for two smaller-market clubs. This was up 13% from last year, and Game 2 was up 41% and peaked at around 11 million viewers.

The Bucks-Suns series averaged 9.3 million viewers in the first four games and 9.5 million for the fifth game, which was played last Saturday. The last time a playoff game was played on a Saturday was in 1981. In media circles, some have wondered why the NBA did not have a Sunday time slot, arguing that that day would generate more viewers.

The NBA Finals last took place in June 2019, when the Golden State Warriors and Toronto Raptors drew 13.3 million viewers for the series opener. The six-game package attracted an average of 15.1 million viewers. The 2018 (Golden State Warriors-Cleveland Cavaliers) series, featuring the NBA’s biggest stars in LeBron James and Steph Curry, averaged 17.6 million in four games. And the five-game series in 2017, including the same two teams, averaged 20.4 million viewers.

The 2021 NBA Finals were the first time in 10 years that the league had its championship streak without James or Curry involved.

But with the Bucks’ victory – overcoming a 0-2 series hole – and Antetokounmpo’s performance in Game 6, expect his trademark NBA participation to increase, as did Curry’s. A media official noted that Curry’s performance in the 2015 NBA Finals – his first championship – helped his mark and helped increase the Warriors’ popularity in the NBA.

Antetokounmpo, 26, averaged 35.2 points and 13.2 rebounds in the series against the Suns, and after the game his character and personality was on display, including an emotional moment after the Bucks win. This could impact Antetokounmpo’s future Q Score, a metric used by marketers to determine athlete popularity and liking.

“He continues to prove that he is an eminently nice guy,” said Scott Rosner, branding and marketing expert. “You combine that trait with incredible ability, and by showing that during the final at a level we rarely see, and overcoming adversity with the knee injury, the story adds up perfectly.”

Rosner, a professor of sports management at Columbia University, said Antetokounmpo was more exposed to casual NBA fans. This should help improve its market value for companies looking to add to their approval list.

Antetokounmpo’s approval is for companies, including Nike, and owns a stake in sports drink maker Ready Nutrition. According to Forbes, Antetokounmpo earns around $ 25 million from sponsorship deals, adding that money to his (average) salary of $ 45 million, the highest in the league.

Asked what marketers will now see in Antetokounmpo after winning the NBA Finals, Rosner said: “A citizen of the world, a great personality, a 10,000-watt smile and an athlete who can do things seldom. Combine that with a championship and his performance at the highest level in the greatest moment, it’s a pretty magical formula.

“But you have to do it again,” Rosner added. “Repeat it or get closer and keep that level of play very high. Repeating will help.”