NBA Playoffs Paid Off Big For Advertisers This Year

Jul 9

The NBA Playoffs were a win for advertisers in 2025. New data from iSpot’s Q2 Sports TV Transparency Report shows that the “small market” NBA Finals didn’t stop that series or the playoffs from delivering for advertisers. And part of that is thanks to the New York Knicks’ run to the Eastern Conference Finals (cue this Knicks fan sobbing).

According to iSpot data, the NBA Playoffs’ national linear TV ad reach rose by 16 year-over-year, with the conference finals — again, featuring the Knicks this year — jumping by 84% compared to last year’s shorter series that lacked a New York team.

As mentioned in this space before the second round of the playoffs started, the NBA and NHL hadn’t enjoyed much success from New York or Los Angeles teams of late; which had a negative impact on both audience tune-in and advertiser reach in later rounds. Even with the Knicks falling short of the NBA Finals, though, the team making the conference finals provided an immediate boost for the league’s advertisers.

The Finals, for its part, also delivered a better series for advertisers as the Thunder and Pacers played to seven games (compared to last year’s five-game win for the Celtics). Household national linear TV ad impressions climbed by 51% year-over-year for the series,

Some of the biggest beneficiaries of the boosted TV ad reach included Michelob Ultra (3.08% of ad impressions), Wingstop (2.71%) and State Farm (2.45%).

Quick-serve brands like Wingstop accounted for five of the top 10 spots by share of advertiser household TV ad impressions during the NBA Playoffs. And one reason why is because those spots are incredibly effective at reaching QSR brands’ intended audience.

iSpot’s report shows that over the course of the NBA Playoffs (April 19-June 22), those games reached 44.9% of all QSR visitors in the U.S. — the largest figure by far of any programming on TV.

Other sporting events like MLB games (27.5%) and the Stanley Cup Playoffs (25.5%) also had significant reach among those visitors. But it still pales in comparison to the NBA, which in towering over the rest of TV, makes an incredibly compelling case for QSR brands to pay the premiums associated with playoff advertising.

Overall, the advertiser story would seem to suggest something closer to what NBA commissioner Adam Silver suggested: That having two “small market” teams was no disaster for the league (despite what TV ratings said), and still provided value where it was most important, with fans and advertisers.