Los Angeles, CA (August 1, 2023) – The BIG3 basketball league continues its viewership growth in its sixth season, seeing both year-over-year as well as week-over-week increases through the first six weeks of play. The innovative 3-on-3 “Fireball” league founded by Ice Cube and Jeff Kwatinetz completed its sixth week of games this weekend.
Viewership is up almost 10% compared to the same period in 2022. After starting the season with 483,000 viewers on CBS in Week 1, numbers have climbed each week, hitting 560,000 viewers and a .4 rating this past weekend in the 1-3 pm ET time slot on CBS. Through 6 weeks, the BIG3 is currently averaging 530,000 viewers per broadcast on CBS with a .33 avg rating.
For comparison, the BIG3 beat out Premier League Soccer, who saw 546,000 fans tune in to NBC during the 2:30 pm EST time slot. The WNBA on ESPN in the 4 pm EST time slot had 272,000 viewers (.2), and the Premier Lacrosse League on ABC had 247,000 (.2) at 3 pm EST.
“We’re thrilled with the continued growth and excitement for BIG3 action this summer,” said BIG3 co-founder Ice Cube. “The fast-paced games and star players really resonate with fans looking for top-level sports entertainment.”
Last weekend’s games were played at TD Garden in Boston, with 11,255 fans in attendance. Fan turnout continues to climb with each week, and Boston is the biggest crowd so far in 2023. The crowd erupted when Boston Celtics star Jaylen Brown entered the arena to take his seat courtside.
On the court, Trilogy’s Ryan “Hezi God” Carter broke the league’s single-game scoring record pouring in 35 points to lead his squad over 3’s Company. The record was previously held by Triplet’s star Joe Johnson (34). Coming in the bottom two places in the standings, Aliens and 3 Headed Monsters were eliminated. After this coming Saturday’s games conclude in Charlotte, an additional two teams will be dropped based on standings.
The BIG3 continues Saturday, August 5, at Spectrum Center in Charlotte, NC. Catch all the action live on CBS at 1pm EST as the playoff races heat up.
BIG3 games can be found on CBS, Paramount+, and TV.BIG3.COM
