The 2025 NBA playoffs have been a major win for the league’s new TV partners. Since the conference semifinals began on May 5, NBCUniversal and Amazon Prime Video executives have enjoyed exciting, close games that keep fans hooked.
Most games have been competitive and unpredictable. These matchups showcase rising NBA stars and team rivalries that promise to continue for years. This is great news for NBCUniversal, Amazon, and Disney, who signed a massive $76 billion, 11-year TV rights deal with the NBA. This deal starts later this year and runs through the 2035-36 season.
This season saw many top teams like the Los Angeles Lakers, Golden State Warriors, Boston Celtics, Miami Heat, and Dallas Mavericks exit early or miss the playoffs entirely. Injuries to stars such as LeBron James, Steph Curry, and Jayson Tatum created openings for underdog teams to rise.
The New York Knicks and Indiana Pacers reached the Eastern Conference Finals. In the West, the Oklahoma City Thunder and Minnesota Timberwolves each beat recent champions, the Denver Nuggets and Golden State Warriors, to claim their spots.
The Pacers last appeared in the NBA Finals in 2000, losing to the Lakers. The Knicks’ last trip was in 1999 against the San Antonio Spurs. The Thunder reached the finals once, in 2012, after moving to Oklahoma City in 2008. The Timberwolves have never made it to the finals.
The semifinals have highlighted star players driving their teams beyond expectations. Players like Jalen Brunson (Knicks), Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (Thunder, 2025 regular season MVP), Tyrese Haliburton (Pacers), and Anthony Edwards (Timberwolves) have proven themselves as the NBA’s next generation of superstars.
TV ratings have been strong, though not yet at NFL levels. ESPN reported a 12% increase in viewership for its conference semifinals coverage compared to last year. Over 22 games, ESPN averaged 4.9 million viewers, the second-highest playoff series viewership since 2011.
TNT’s coverage of the Eastern Conference Finals Game 1 on May 21 drew 6.6 million viewers, peaking at 8.5 million. The Pacers won in overtime 138-135 after a late rally. After winning Game 2, the Pacers were defeated by the Knicks in Game 3, who came back from a double-digit deficit to win 106-100.
Ernie Johnson Jr. of TNT’s “Inside the NBA” called Game 3 “one of those games that just defies description.”
The excitement of the 2025 playoffs makes this a bittersweet moment for TNT executives and production teams who have covered the NBA for 35 seasons. The popular “Inside the NBA” show with hosts Charles Barkley, Shaquille O’Neal, Kenny Smith, and Ernie Johnson Jr. will end its run on TNT after this season.
The NBA’s move from cable channel TNT to streaming service Amazon signals a major shift in sports broadcasting. TNT faces challenges ahead in replacing the NBA in its schedule. But for now, the focus remains on the games, the shot clock, and the thrilling competition on the court.
