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NBC, Peacock Drive Biggest NBA All-Star Game TV Viewership in 15 Years
February 16, 2026
The 2026 NBA All-Star Game on Feb. 15 was the most-watched annual event since 2011, averaging 8.8 million viewers across NBC, Peacock and Telemundo, according to new Nielsen data — up 87% from the 2025 game telecast on Warner Bros. Discovery’s TNT with 4.7 million viewers.
Peak viewership reached 9.8 million, with online searches up 44% from last year.
The event is the first in the NBA’s new 11-year, $76 billion media distribution deal with Disney, NBCUniversal and Amazon.
The viewership increase was driven by NBC Sports’ “Legendary February” programming and Peacock, which featured new streaming features, including the interactive “courtside live” that allowed streamers to act as their own camera operator. It provided ultra-wide 4K feeds from cameras on the scorer’s table, effectively giving fans a “courtside seat” on their mobile devices or TVs.
The streamer offered “alternative viewing angles,” which enabled viewers to move between multiple curated feeds, including “star spotlight,” and “bench cam,” which showcased real-time reactions from both the home and away team benches.
Peacock was also the distributor of Feb. 13 opening events, including the “Rising Stars Challenge” and the “HBCU Classic.”
The streamer’s “performance view” feature utilized overlays to show real-time stats, heat maps and scoring probabilities during the live stream.
The All-Star Game mixed it up, showcasing three teams — USA Stars, USA Stripes, and Team World (comprised of the NBA’s foreign players) —competing in four 12-minute games.
USA Stars defeated USA Stripes 47–21 in the championship game, with the Minnesota Timberwolves’ Anthony Edwards (USA Stars) given MVP honors with 32 points and nine rebounds.
The Los Angeles Clippers’ Kawhi Leonard (USA Stripes) scored a record 31 points in a single 12-minute round-robin game to send his team to the finals.
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