NBC Sports' 'Sunday Night Basketball' Premiere Sets Viewership Records Across Platforms

 NBC Sports' first Sunday Night Basketball doubleheader delivered strong ratings for the network. The debut of Sunday Night Basketball featured a tipoff Knicks vs. Lakers game drew 4.5 million viewers across NBC, Peacock, and Telemundo[1] – it was the most-watched single game of the 2025-26 regular season, except for the opening night and Christmas Day games. It was also the most-watched Sunday night regular season NBA game since 2002, the last time NBC had NBA broadcast rights. 

The nightcap game between the Thunder and Nuggets drew 2.9 million viewers – the most-watched game on record in the late primetime slot. 

Combined, the two debut games on Sunday Night Basketball drew an average of 3.7 million viewers. Overall, NBA viewership this season is up 19% year over year with 1.85 million average viewers, reversing a declining viewership trend. This year, nationally broadcast games have drawn over 132 million unique viewers, an 86% increase over last season. 

Sunday Night Basketball will not air Feb. 8 or Feb. 15, yielding its timeslot for Legendary February's Super Bowl LX and the NBA All-Star, respectively. The series will return for its second episode on Sunday, Feb. 22 for a Celtics vs. Lakers matchup that drew last season's biggest ratings, again excluding Christmas Day. 

Sunday Night Football, Sunday Night Basketball, and Sunday Night Baseball – a network broadcast first

Sunday Night Basketball joins the acclaimed Sunday Night Football – primetime's No. 1 show across all metrics for 14 seasons and counting – and at 7 p.m. March 29, Sunday Night Baseball will also join the lineup, with Bob Costas returning to NBC Sports to host the pregame show. Together, in a broadcast network first, the three Sunday Night series will deliver year-round primetime coverage of America's top three sports on the same night of the week.