NBA television ad revenue jumped 38 percent to record $2.11 billion

The NBA’s new television era is already producing some enormous numbers.

NBA game broadcasts generated a record $2.11 billion in advertising revenue during the 2025-26 season, an increase of 38 percent from the previous year, according to Anthony Crupi of Sportico, citing data from Guideline.

That’s an increase of roughly $580 million from the $1.53 billion generated in 2024-25.

A major factor was the expanded reach created by the NBA’s new 11-year, $76 billion media rights agreements with ABC/ESPN, NBC Sports and Amazon’s Prime Video.

The league had 62 regular-season games on ABC and NBC last season, compared to just 24 over-the-air broadcasts the previous year. That number will increase again to 71 in 2026-27.

More people watched, too. According to Sportico, average in-game viewership increased 16 percent to 1.78 million, the NBA’s best regular-season average in seven years.

Regular-season advertising sales jumped 74 percent to $870 million, while the playoffs generated another $987.9 million.

The Knicks’ five-game NBA Finals victory generated $256.1 million in advertising revenue, up 39 percent from the previous year’s Pacers-Thunder series.

Perhaps the most striking number involved streaming.

Streaming platforms accounted for $874 million in NBA advertising spending after generating just $10 million the year before. ABC/ESPN led the league’s partners at $824.5 million, followed by NBC Sports ($782.2 million) and Prime Video ($507.4 million).

Amazon also delivered a significantly younger audience, with a median viewer age of 46.9 compared to 56 for traditional television.

So much for wondering whether the NBA could make its sprawling new television arrangement work. One season in, advertisers certainly seem convinced.