The New York Knicks' victory over the San Antonio Spurs on June 3 drew an average audience of 16.93 million viewers on ABC, making it the network's most-watched NBA Finals Game 1 since 2018, according to Nielsen Big Data + Panel.

The broadcast peaked at 19.63 million viewers at 11 p.m. ET and ranked as the most-watched program of the day across all television in all key male and adult demographics.

The game also stands as the most-watched NBA Finals Game 1 in ABC history excluding Golden State Warriors vs. Cleveland Cavaliers matchups, and the most-watched NBA Finals game overall since Game 6 of the 2019 Finals.

Viewership for Game 1 rose 90% compared to last year's series opener.