The NBA Play-In Tournament is showing early signs of streaming success, with audiences on Amazon Prime Video trending ahead of last year’s linear TV figures despite the shift away from cable.
Across the first two nights, the tournament averaged 2.69 million viewers, marking a 12% increase compared to equivalent windows on ESPN and TNT in 2025. Growth was even more pronounced among younger demographics, with gains exceeding 30% in key age groups.
The standout fixture so far came between the Golden State Warriors and Los Angeles Clippers, drawing 3.15 million viewers and peaking at 3.51 million — the highest audience recorded on Prime Video for an NBA game to date. The matchup, led by Stephen Curry, significantly outperformed last year’s comparable play-in game.
Other matchups, including Orlando Magic vs. Philadelphia 76ers and Miami Heat vs. Charlotte Hornets, also posted year-on-year increases, reinforcing the tournament’s overall upward trajectory.
The data comes amid methodological changes from Nielsen, which now incorporates “Big Data” from connected TVs and platform providers, including Amazon. While the updated measurement framework has generally boosted reported sports audiences, it does not fully account for the scale of the increase.
For Prime Video, the performance is a notable step forward after a regular season in which it trailed traditional broadcasters in average viewership. The platform lacked marquee time slots and key calendar events, making the Play-In Tournament its most prominent live property to date.
Early indications suggest that for high-stakes events, streaming platforms are increasingly capable of delivering audiences comparable to linear television — a critical benchmark as leagues continue to navigate the shift toward digital distribution and face growing regulatory scrutiny over media rights strategies.