On Sunday, ESPN’s NBA Today hosted their annual Free Agency Special show to inform viewers of some of the biggest moves on Day 1 of free agency. And while there weren’t any overly shocking signings on the first day to speak of, viewers tuned into the show at a record rate.
ESPN released a statement on the viewership numbers on the special edition of NBA Today, which produced an average of 1,244,000 viewers, peaking at 1,436,000 viewers from 5:30-5:45 p.m. ET. This is the highest average number of viewers the show has ever had.
Sunday’s ‘NBA Today Free Agency Special’ was ESPN’s most-watched NBA free agency special ever
🏀 1.244M avg. viewers
🏀 Up 207% vs last year’s Free Agency Special pic.twitter.com/BXoDvzwhZZ— ESPN PR (@ESPNPR) July 2, 2024
This number of viewers also represents a 207% increase from last year’s free agency show, which is quite impressive when you consider the biggest signing that was announced was likely 12-time All-Star Chris Paul agreeing to a one-year deal with the San Antonio Spurs.
For ESPN, this kind of dramatic increase in viewership for their NBA Free Agency Special shows there is significant interest in transactions in the NBA, which is incredibly promising for the network’s coverage of the sport altogether.
It also continues what has been a very positive trend for NBA Today, a show that has continued to show a year-over-year viewership increase since it was implemented in 2021 by ESPN.
[ESPN PR]
About Reice Shipley
Reice Shipley is a staff writer for Comeback Media that graduated from Ithaca College with a degree in Sports Media. He previously worked at Barrett Sports Media and is a fan of all things Syracuse sports.