The star-laden Nets have the bigger payroll than the Knicks, bigger expectations and a bigger amount of stars.
And the Nets also — maybe for the first time in their history — have a bigger television audience through the season’s first three games.
YES Network, which broadcasts the Nets, boldly tweeted out information the Nets are beating the Knicks in viewership.
The Nets’ first two games were on national TV (TNT and ABC) with their third game on YES. Through three games, gauging the New York audience, Kevin Durant’s Nets are averaging 340,667 viewers compared to the Knicks’ 146,667 viewers.
Each of the three Knicks’ games were on MSG Network. (They only have one game all season on a national network.)
That’s a surprising advantage considering it’s always been common knowledge the Knicks have a larger fan base than the Nets, who moved from New Jersey to Brooklyn eight years ago.
Meanwhile, The Post has learned the Knicks’ Nielsen ratings on MSG Network and MSG Plus are down 12 percent from last season’s first three games — even though Knicks fans can’t view the contests in person
The average viewership for the games against Indiana, Philly and Milwaukee averaged 145,000. The first three games last season against San Antonio, the Nets and Boston averaged 165,000.
YES revealed in a head-to-head Sunday night, the Nets-Charlotte game on its network outdrew the Knicks-Bucks contest on MSG Network, 150,000 viewers to 125,000. It’s unclear if these findings mean the Knicks are losing fans to the Brooklyn Dream Team.