NBA Finals and World Cup ratings point to a bigger sports rights fight

The NBA Finals and the men’s World Cup competed for U.S. attention in June, and both drew audiences large enough to shape future sports media deals. Fortune reported that the overlap has become a case study for leagues, networks and brands weighing how much premium live sports can command.

The NBA said the 2026 Finals averaged 19.6 million viewers through four games on ABC and ESPN, the league’s best Finals figure at that stage since 1998. Yahoo Sports reported that Game 4 drew 20.4 million viewers and reached 23.2 million viewers as the New York Knicks rallied from a 29-point deficit against the San Antonio Spurs.

The Hollywood Reporter said the series averaged 19.1 million viewers through three games. Hypebeast reported that the Finals finished as the most-watched NBA championship series since 1998 and rose 116% from the previous year’s Finals.

Soccer’s U.S. audience also broke records

Front Office Sports reported that the U.S. men’s national team’s 4-1 World Cup win over Paraguay averaged 24.9 million viewers across Fox, Telemundo and streaming platforms. The Athletic reported that Fox’s audience alone peaked at 18.86 million viewers between 10:45 p.m. and 11 p.m. ET, making it the most-watched USMNT broadcast on record.

Sports Media Watch reported that the World Cup opener between Mexico and South Africa averaged 6.31 million viewers on Fox. Forbes described that audience as a record for a World Cup opening match on English-language U.S. television, up 97% from 2022.

Fortune cited Google Trends data showing that U.S. searches during the same week split by state between “last Knicks championship” and “FIFA World Cup 2026.” Fortune said the search behavior suggested the events were drawing from some of the same sports audience.

Rights fees frame the competition

ESPN reported that the NBA’s 11-year, $77 billion media rights agreement, signed in 2024, runs through the 2035-36 season. The deal sends games to Disney’s ABC and ESPN, NBCUniversal’s NBC and Peacock, and Amazon Prime Video, with ABC retaining the NBA Finals, according to ESPN.

Fortune reported that the NBA package is worth about $7 billion a year. Brooklyn Sports & Entertainment Law described it as the most expensive domestic rights agreement in basketball history.

For the World Cup, HITC reported that FIFA is expected to bring in more than $3.8 billion from 2026 tournament media rights, more than 60% of projected total revenue of about $6 billion. HITC said Fox paid about $485 million for English-language U.S. rights, while Telemundo paid roughly $465 million for Spanish-language rights.

The New York Times reported that Fox’s World Cup deal could be worth as much as three times its stated price because the tournament is being played in North America. The Observer called the 2026 World Cup “the last great sports TV bargain” and said North America’s four largest sports leagues now draw more than $15 billion a year in combined domestic rights fees.

Streamers remain in the mix

The New York Times reported in April 2024 that FIFA was nearing a global streaming agreement with Apple for a major tournament, though Fortune reported those talks later fell apart. Front Office Sports reported that FIFA instead reached a DAZN streaming deal for the 2025 Club World Cup valued at about $1 billion.

Numerator said 32% of U.S. consumers planned to watch the 2026 World Cup, up from 26% months earlier. Numerator also said Hispanic consumers were the most likely to watch at 54%, followed by Asian consumers at 51%, and projected World Cup-related consumer spending impact at $7.5 billion.

Fortune reported that those audience, search and spending figures are likely to be used in coming negotiations for the 2030 World Cup and future sports rights packages. The June ratings gave bidders and rights holders new numbers for valuing basketball, soccer and the streaming platforms trying to buy into both.

This story draws on original reporting from Fortune.