Tip-Off Doubleheader Marks NBA's Return To NBC

The NBA kicked off the 2025-26 regular season Tuesday with a high-stakes doubleheader broadcast on NBC and streamed on Peacock, marking the league's highly anticipated return to NBC after a 24-year absence (since the 2001-02 season). 

Dubbed the "NBA Tip-Off" doubleheader, the event featured two marquee Western Conference matchups: the Oklahoma City Thunder vs. Houston Rockets and the Los Angeles Lakers vs. Golden State Warriors. 

The broadcast drew an impressive average of 5.6 million viewers across NBC and Peacock, the largest audience for an NBA opening-night doubleheader since 2010 (excluding the lockout-shortened 2011 season, which opened on Christmas Day).

This viewership surge—nearly double the 2.95 million average from last year's TNT doubleheader—signals strong early momentum for NBCUniversal's new 11-year media rights deal (valued at $76 billion league-wide), which brings NBC back as a key partner alongside ESPN/ABC and Amazon Prime Video.

Thunder vs. Rockets (7:30 p.m. ET): This opener became an instant classic, extending to double overtime—the sixth NBA tip-off game in history to do so and the first since 2005. The Thunder edged out a 1-point victory (final score: 128-127), powered by standout performances from Chet Holmgren (OKC) and Alperen Şengün (HOU). It was only the fourth double-OT game of the entire 2024-25 season, adding to the drama.

Warriors vs. Lakers (10 p.m. ET): The nightcap pitted Stephen Curry's Warriors against LeBron James' Lakers, a rematch of the 2023 Western Conference Semifinals. The game stretched past midnight ET due to the preceding overtime thriller, delivering star power with Curry and James trading buckets in a competitive affair (Lakers won 112-108).

Both games were simulcast on NBC and Peacock, with a one-hour pregame studio show featuring NBA analysts and highlights from the league's return to the network's iconic "Roundball Rock" theme.

Viewership Breakdown The 5.6 million average includes:NBC linear TV: 4.6 million viewers.
Peacock streaming: 1 million viewers (18% of total), setting a record for NBC Sports' largest simulstream audience outside of NFL games or the Olympics.

Key highlights: The Thunder-Rockets game alone averaged 5.9 million viewers, peaking at 7.1 million during the double-OT climax (10:45-11 p.m. ET). The Warriors-Lakers game averaged 5.1 million (measured from 11:02 p.m. ET tip-off).