The 2022-23 NBA season was the league’s most-watched ever in India, surpassing 100 million unique viewers across linear, social media and digital media platforms for the first time ever.

The 2023-24 NBA season tips off on October 25 and games will air live in India on Sports18-1, JioCinema and NBA League Pass via the NBA App, NBA India said in a press release.

“Surpassing the milestone of 100 million unique viewers last season is a testament to the growing interest in basketball here in India. Our strong distribution network and local language commentary on the platform has expanded the league’s audience in the country, especially within the Hindi-speaking markets,” said NBA India Global Partnerships & Media Business Head Sunny Malik in a statement.

“As we gear up for the 2023-24 season, we look forward to building on this momentum by providing fans in India with new and exciting ways to experience the NBA, including digital innovations and customized content on the devices and platforms they use the most,” Malik added.

Some consumption highlights from the 2022-23 NBA season in India, according to the basketball association, are the following:

Linear & Digital

 NBA games generated more than 100 million unique viewers in India across linear and digital platforms.

Viewership of NBA games on digital platforms grew 12x from the 2021-22 season.

Overall linear and digital watch time of NBA games and programming grew by 50 percent compared to the 2021-22 season.

Fifty-three percent of viewers were 30 years-old and younger, while 45 percent of all viewers were female.

Hindi commentary was available for 112 games throughout the season, contributing to an overall reach of 33 million viewers.

The NBA introduced a youth-focused educational broadcast series on Nickelodeon Sonic featuring local cartoon characters Happy and Pinaki to further engage with Indian children and teach them the fundamentals of the game. The series reached 11 million viewers.

Social Media

 More than 3.8 million fans follow the NBA’s localized social media channels in India, registering a 2.6x increase in followers added this season as compared to 2021-2022.

NBA’s localized social media channels in India generated 1.3 billion video views, up 209 percent from the 2021-22 season, and 968 million engagements, registering an increase of 200 percent from last season.

The NBA released 10 locally-produced content series in India that generated 182 million views across the league’s social media channels, including ‘This Is Basketball’, starring NBA brand ambassador for India Ranveer Singh, which showcases the diversity of the basketball community in India; ‘All The Way Up’, a series with leading hip-hop artists that explores the convergence between hip-hop and basketball; ‘The NBA India Weekly Show’, centered around all things NBA and basketball in India; and ‘The Real Talk’, a video series featuring players, legends and other special guests.

The NBA’s user-generated content initiative,#MadeInBallywood, generated 42 million views on social media and received more than 50 entries from aspiring players across the country.

The National Basketball Association (NBA) is a global sports and media organization with the mission to inspire and connect people everywhere through the power of basketball. Built around five professional sports leagues: the NBA, WNBA, NBA G League, NBA 2K League and Basketball Africa League, the NBA has established a major international presence with games and programming available in 214 countries and territories in more than 50 languages, and merchandise for sale in more than 200 countries and territories on all seven continents.

(Photo courtesy NBA India Twitter handle)