The 2026 NBA Finals are keeping the ratings streak going, with Game 3 bringing in the biggest Game 3 audience since 1998.
Monday’s game on ABC and ESPN brought in 23.8 million viewers, according to Nielsen live-plus-same-day big-data-plus-panel figures, marking the biggest Game 3 audience since ’98. It also marked the largest TV audience since the Super Bowl in February.
Viewership for the game, which peaked with 26.3 million viewers at 11:15 p.m. ET, was up 159% from last year’s Game 3. The game also marked most-watched program of the day across all of television and in all key male and adult demos.
Elsewhere, “NBA Finals All‑Access with The Pat McAfee Show” — ESPN’s alternate presentation of Game 3 — averaged 1.1 million viewers, making it the most‑watched NBA alternate telecast ever on the network.
Through three games, the 2026 NBA Finals is averaging 19.1 million viewers, marking a 114% rise from last year. It’s also ABC and ESPN’s second most-watched championship series ever.
Game 3 has scored the series’ biggest audience thus far, with Game 1 bringing in 16.93 million viewers on Wednesday, June 3, and Game 2 scoring 16.43 million viewers on Friday, June 5. Both games scored ABC’s most-watched Game 1 and Game 2, respectively, since 2018.
After two consecutive victories for the New York Knicks for Game 1 and Game 2, the San Antonio Spurs took victory with Game 3 115-111.
Game 4 will continue the championship on Wednesday at 8:30 p.m. ET.
