The first game of the series between Golden State Warriors and Sacramento Kings at the NBA Playoffs did not disappoint and was quite watched by NBA fans.
The start of the 2023 NBA Playoffs proved to be the most-watched opening weekend of the postseason since 2011, with the matches garnering an average of 4.15 million viewers on ESPN, ABC and TNT. This was also up 3 percent from last year’s playoff opener, according to Sports Media Watch.
Obviously the Warriors-Kings match took the spotlight among all the contests in the postseason opening weekend, with the showdown getting 6.26 million viewers on ABC. This is 32 percent more than the Warriors’ opener against the Denver Nuggets in the 2022 playoffs. The match peaked at 7.56 million viewers.
In addition to being the most-watched game on the opening Saturday of the NBA playoffs since the 1997 Game 2 matchup between the Charlotte Hornets and New York Knicks, which garnered 6.77 million viewers, the Warriors-Kings battle also had the largest audience this season. It surpassed the number of spectators (6.08 million) of the Christmas Day meeting between Milwaukee Bucks and Boston Celtics.
It is no surprise why many people tuned in to see the Warriors take on the Kings. There are many storylines to follow in the series. First, the Dubs are the defending champions. Second, Sacramento is playing in their first postseason in 16 years after breaking the longest playoff drought in major North American sports.
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