2023 NBA Draft shatters viewership records with Victor Wembanyama / News - Basketnews.com

The 2023 NBA Draft captivated record-breaking audiences, as viewership soared by 23% compared to the previous year, securing its place as the most-watched program of the night and setting new standards in ratings for ESPN and ABC.

Credit: AFP-SCANPIX Credit AFP-SCANPIX

The 2023 NBA Draft, featuring highly anticipated prospect Victor Wembanyama as the top pick, proved to be a major success for ESPN and ABC in terms of viewership.

According to Nielsen fast-nationals, Thursday's NBA Draft attracted an average of 3.74 million viewers across ESPN and ABC, marking a 23% increase compared to last year and the largest audience ever recorded for this event.

This surpassed the previous record set in 2015 by a slight margin (3.743 million viewers compared to 3.738 million). Prior to 2021, the draft was exclusively aired on cable networks.

During the first round, viewership averaged 4.93 million viewers, experiencing a 24% boost.

The highest point of viewership, peaking at 6.09 million viewers, occurred from 8-8:15 PM ET when Wembanyama was selected as the first overall pick by the San Antonio Spurs.

The second round, which was exclusively broadcasted on ESPN, garnered an average of 1.19 million viewers, reflecting a 6% rise.

The 2023 NBA Draft emerged as the most-watched program of the night across television and ranked first among all key demographics.

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