Sixers vs. Wizards Broadcast Generated Significant Viewership Wednesday

The Philadelphia 76ers and the Washington Wizards tipped off their Game 5 matchup on Wednesday night. Considering the Wizards defeated the Sixers for the first time this season on Monday, they bought themselves an extra game to stay alive.

As for the Sixers, they just needed one more win to put the Wizards away for good and advance to the second round of the NBA Playoffs. Considering the series was possibly on its finale, Sixers fans from all over were either in attendance watching or tuned in from their homes on Wednesday.

With the Sixers allowed to pack in every available seat in the house at the Wells Fargo Center, they had a sold-out crowd of 15,523 screaming fans cheering for their team. 

But Sixers didn't just fill every seat in the house on Wednesday; they also helped generate significant viewership numbers on the team's local broadcast.

According to the Sixers, Wednesday's Game 5 matchup between the Sixers and the Wizards was the highest-rated 76ers game on NBC Sports Philadelphia since 2002. In addition, it was the No. 1 program in primetime on Wednesday night.

The broadcast posted an average audience of nearly 380,000 total viewers in the Philadelphia market on TV and streaming platforms. On TV, the game averaged an 8.6 household rating in Philadelphia, which equates to approximately 230,000 homes. The household rating peaked at 11.8, equating to approximately 313,000 homes, from 9:30 to 9:45 p.m. NBC Sports Philadelphia’s live stream of the game attracted nearly 45,000 unique users, also setting an all-time high.

It was quite the season finale for the local broadcast team as they closed the year out on a high note. Now, the Sixers will look to compete with other markets as the rest of their playoff journey joins the primetime spotlight.

Justin Grasso covers the Philadelphia 76ers for Sports Illustrated. You can follow him for live updates on Twitter: @JGrasso_ & Instagram: @JGrassoNBA.