The NBA regular season games are currently averaging 1.87 million viewers this season, which is down from last season's average of 2.02 million, according to RealGM.com.
The games most affected by this decrease in live viewers are those that are scheduled before 9:30 pm ET. From an average of 2.30 million last season, it is now down to 2.02 million this year — a decrease of around 12 percent.
Meanwhile, NBA games that are scheduled around 9:30 pm and beyond are being watched by an average of 1.70 million viewers this season, up four percent from last year's 1.64 million.
These records are coming from combined viewers of ESPN, TNT, and ABC.
As expected, the Los Angeles Lakers garner the most number of viewers, getting approximately 2.77 million per game. Back-to-back champions Golden State Warriors are second with 2.58 million, while the Boston Celtics are at third with 2.18 million.
Oklahoma City Thunder get around 2.08 million, while the Philadelphia 76ers have an average of 2.03 million viewers.
This decline can be caused by the fact that there's a huge disparity in talent in the league right now, with the top stars joining forces to build title contenders.
The Lakers have the biggest attraction in the league right now in LeBron James, while the Warriors boast five All-Star caliber players on their roster. Meanwhile, the Thunder have unarguably the best duo in the NBA today in Russell Westbrook and Paul George.
It is interesting to see if viewership will increase during the final stretch of the season, as contending teams are expected to play better in order to secure a spot in the postseason. Meanwhile, the rebuilding franchises would also want to end the year with a positive note.
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