--- title: "NBA vs NHL: Which is searched more?" description: "Is NBA or NHL more popular in search? Compare estimated monthly branded-search demand and Share of Search inside the Sports leagues set worldwide. Branded searches tell you how often people look for a brand by name or related terms. Comparing these searches across competitors helps you see how popular each brand is over time." canonical: "https://gobrandwave.com/demand/global-en/compare/nba-vs-nhl" publisher: "Brandwave" --- # NBA vs NHL: Which is searched more? Is NBA or NHL more popular in search? Compare estimated monthly branded-search demand and Share of Search inside the Sports leagues set worldwide. Branded searches tell you how often people look for a brand by name or related terms. Comparing these searches across competitors helps you see how popular each brand is over time. ## Key facts - **Compared**: NBA and NHL - **Competitive set**: Sports leagues - **Market**: Global - **Month measured**: Sep 2026 - **NBA Share of Search**: 3% - **NHL Share of Search**: 2% ## Is NBA or NHL more popular in search? - In September 2026, NBA had more branded searches than NHL among sports leagues worldwide. NBA had about 7.5 million branded searches, while NHL had 5 million. NBA made up 3% of all sports league searches we track, and NHL accounted for 2%. - NBA was ahead of NHL in every measured month of the 12 months ending September 2026. - Across the 12 months ending September 2026, NBA’s share of searches among sports leagues worldwide moved from 19.1% to 3%, and its estimated monthly branded searches moved from 68M to 7.5M. - Across the 12 months ending September 2026, NHL’s share of searches among sports leagues worldwide moved from 4.7% to 2%, and its estimated monthly branded searches moved from 16.6M to 5M. ## Top sports leagues in ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews In three ChatGPT questions and one Google AI Overview, both NBA and NHL showed up in all four answers. NBA was listed before NHL in every answer. Brands get a higher AI rank if they are mentioned earlier in the answers that list options. | Brand | AI rank | ChatGPT answers that named it | Google AI Overviews that named it | All answers that named it | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | NBA | 1st | 3 of 3 | 1 of 1 | 4 of 4 | | NFL | 2nd | 3 of 3 | 1 of 1 | 4 of 4 | | MLB | 3rd | 3 of 3 | 1 of 1 | 4 of 4 | | NHL | 4th | 3 of 3 | 1 of 1 | 4 of 4 | | Premier League | 5th | 2 of 3 | 0 of 1 | 2 of 4 | | MLS | 6th | 1 of 3 | 1 of 1 | 2 of 4 | | AFL | Not ranked | 0 of 3 | 0 of 1 | 0 of 4 | ## Every AI answer about sports leagues - Asked ChatGPT "Which sports league should I go to?": 1. NBA, 2. NFL, 3. NHL, 4. MLB, 5. MLS - Asked ChatGPT "What are the best sports leagues?": 1. Premier League, 2. NBA, 3. NFL, 4. NHL, 5. MLB - Asked ChatGPT "What's the best sports league for a team to follow?": 1. NFL, 2. NBA, 3. MLB, 4. NHL, 5. Premier League - Searched Google, AI Overview "sports leagues": 1. NFL, 2. NBA, 3. MLB, 4. NHL, 5. MLS Not named in any answer: AFL. Brands are listed in the order each answer named them. The answers were collected in the United States on October 19, 2026. ## How did search popularity change for sports leagues worldwide in September 2026? - In September 2026, NHL gained share of searches among sports leagues worldwide, from 0.85% to 2%. - In September 2026, NBA lost share of searches among sports leagues worldwide, from 5.2% to 3%. ## Month by month | Month | NBA estimated searches | NBA Share of Search | NBA rank | NHL estimated searches | NHL Share of Search | NHL rank | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Oct 2025 | 68M | 19.1% | 3 | 16.6M | 4.7% | 5 | | Nov 2025 | 101M | 29.5% | 2 | 16.6M | 4.8% | 5 | | Dec 2025 | 101M | 27.3% | 3 | 16.6M | 4.5% | 4 | | Jan 2026 | 101M | 26.8% | 2 | 20.4M | 5.4% | 4 | | Feb 2026 | 83.1M | 38.9% | 2 | 7.5M | 3.5% | 4 | | Mar 2026 | 101M | 43.7% | 1 | 16.6M | 7.2% | 4 | | Apr 2026 | 151M | 44.3% | 1 | 30.4M | 8.9% | 4 | | May 2026 | 226M | 50.7% | 1 | 37.2M | 8.3% | 4 | | Jun 2026 | 101M | 60.5% | 1 | 13.6M | 8.1% | 3 | | Jul 2026 | 13.6M | 19.5% | 2 | 1.8M | 2.6% | 6 | | Aug 2026 | 7.5M | 5.2% | 5 | 1.2M | 0.85% | 6 | | Sep 2026 | 7.5M | 3% | 5 | 5M | 2% | 6 | ## How each brand is measured Brandwave collects information about searches that people make online using NBA’s and NHL’s names. When viewed over time, estimated search volumes for these branded terms can be used to understand whether interest in the brands is growing, holding steady, or fading. - **NBA**: Measured on the search term “nba”. - **NHL**: Measured on the search term “nhl”. - [NBA profile](/demand/global-en/brands/nba) - [NHL profile](/demand/global-en/brands/nhl) - [All sports leagues worldwide](/demand/global-en/categories/sports-leagues): The set both shares are measured inside, 7 brands. ## Methodology - [How is the Brand Demand Index measured?](/demand/methodology): Where the figures come from, what they compare, and how they may be reused. ## Frequently asked questions ### Is NBA or NHL more popular in search? In September 2026, NBA had more branded searches than NHL among sports leagues worldwide. NBA had about 7.5 million branded searches, while NHL had 5 million. NBA made up 3% of all sports league searches we track, and NHL accounted for 2%. ## Cite this page Brandwave. "NBA vs NHL: Which is searched more?". https://gobrandwave.com/demand/global-en/compare/nba-vs-nhl This page is also available as HTML at https://gobrandwave.com/demand/global-en/compare/nba-vs-nhl. Brandwave publishes an index of its Markdown pages at https://gobrandwave.com/llms.txt.