Wednesday’s Game 4 of the 2026 NBA Finals will go down in history, and a whole lot of people tuned in live to see it happen.
Game 4 of the NBA Finals between the New York Knicks and San Antonio Spurs averaged 20.9 million viewers on ABC, marking the largest Game 4 audience since 1998. The Knicks’ comeback win that erased a 29-point Spurs lead and gave them a 3-1 series lead peaked at 23.2 million viewers in the 11:15 p.m. ET quarter-hour.
Compared to last year’s lackluster NBA Finals audience, Game 4 increased by 123% (9.41 million viewers for Thunder-Pacers).
Per ESPN, the 2026 NBA Finals are ABC and ESPN’s most-watched ever and the most-watched NBA Finals since 1998 through four games, averaging 19.6 million viewers, up 116% from last year’s Finals.
There might have been an expectation that the Game 4 numbers would have been higher (they’re actually lower than Game 3, which included a Pat McAfee altcast on ESPN), but it stands to reason that some viewers saw the Spurs’ massive halftime lead or 81-59 third-quarter lead and tuned out, assuming the outcome was already settled.
Game 1 averaged 16.93 million viewers, while Game 2 averaged 16.43 million viewers.
As usual, it is important to note that this is the first NBA Finals to be measured using Nielsen’s new Big Data + Panel standard, which tends to increase live sports audiences compared to prior years. That said, the increases seen in this series are beyond what could be attributed solely to Nielsen’s methodological changes.
The 2026 NBA Finals continue Saturday, June 13, with a potential series-closeout Game 5 at 8:30 p.m. on ABC.
About Sean Keeley
Along with writing for Awful Announcing and The Comeback, Sean is the Managing Editor for Comeback Media. Previously, he created the Syracuse blog Troy Nunes Is An Absolute Magician and wrote 'How To Grow An Orange: The Right Way to Brainwash Your Child Into Rooting for Syracuse.' He has also written non-Syracuse-related things for SB Nation, Curbed, and other outlets. He currently lives in Seattle where he is complaining about bagels. Send tips/comments/complaints to sean@thecomeback.com.