NBA Finals Game 4: Big Numbers, But Still Not Enough?
The 2025 NBA Finals had the Oklahoma City Thunder going up against the Indiana Pacers, and Game 4 pulled in a series-high audience of 9.41 million on ABC. But for all the hype, those numbers are still down 2% from last year's Game 4 between the Celtics and Mavericks. Here's the thing — that makes this the lowest NBA Finals Game 4 rating outside of the oddball 2020 pandemic 'bubble' Finals, where almost nothing was normal.
You'd think a close Finals — Thunder and Pacers aren't even from the usual big markets — would lift TV ratings more. But the numbers keep reminding us that even huge events like this can't buck the trend. Linear TV, which is broadcast or cable that you watch in real time, just isn't what it used to be. People are cutting the cord, streaming, and picking up highlights on their phones.
TV Shares Stay Strong as the Viewing Landscape Shifts
Here's the twist: while fewer total people are watching compared to five or ten years ago, the share of people who are actually watching TV at that moment is still impressive. Game 3, for example, had an 18 share. That means 18% of Americans watching any TV at that time were tuned into the Finals. That kind of number is right up there with classic series like the 2002 Lakers-Nets Finals — back when appointment television ruled and smartphones barely existed.
The NBA isn't alone in dealing with this. Just about every sport has seen 'absolute' viewership go down, the result of everyone having a thousand more options. What matters now is share — how big a piece of the pie a show grabs out of those still watching TV. That's become the key stat for sports leagues. Even if total viewers are down, dominating whatever audience is left helps keep those big ad deals flowing.
Game 4 managed to outdraw every non-sports show on TV that night, confirming that live sports are still king where linear TV is concerned. But the NBA, like every league, can't ignore how splintered media habits have become. People might follow the Finals on YouTube clips, social media, or a dozen streaming apps, and none of that shows up in the traditional ratings. So the league is forced to juggle old-school numbers and new-age metrics.
Still, getting 9.41 million for Thunder vs Pacers in this era says a lot about the NBA's reach—even if it can't match the glory days. The challenge now? Keeping sports at the center as TVs keep changing and the audience keeps spreading out. The focus has shifted to grabbing the biggest NBA Finals ratings share possible, even as total numbers dip, and finding new ways to keep the audience tuned in wherever they are.
