The National Basketball Association's TV network appears to be paying dividends, as NBA TV has delieved the most-viewed telecast ever and four of its top five telecasts of all-time in 2012.
NBA TV sent out a year-end release documenting their success in the past year. During its record setting 2012, the network recorded its most watched telecast with 868,000 total viewers for the Lakers-Blazers season opener. This eclipsed NBA TV’s previous high from June when 847,000 total viewers watched the premiere of NBA TV's original documentary, The Dream Team.
Based on the calendar year to date, NBA TV’s primetime viewership is up 55 percent compared to the same period in 2011 and their 96 game telecasts were up 32 percent versus last year. The Lakers/Blazers game as well as Celtics/Hawks from last year's playoffs and a January Lakers/Clippers game rank among the most watched shows in NBA TV history with all reaching over 750,000 viewers.
Overall, it was an encouraging year for the league-owned network. It'll be interesting to see if they go for more original documentaries and high-profile games to ensure these numbers continue to grow.
