The NBA has seen a spike in viewership in the Philippines, as well as Brazil and Australia, demonstrating that the league's efforts to grow the game outside of North America is bearing fruit.

The league has enjoyed growth in viewership and on social media in the Philippines. The NBA's Facebook page has more than 8.5 million followers from the Philippines, the No. 1 country outside the United States.

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In Brazil, games this season are drawing a 16% larger average audience compared to last season, rising to 4th among countries outside the United States in largest total audience, the league said.

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The South American nation has also seen a jump in NBA League Pass subscriptions, jersey sales and social media engagement.

Australia has seen a 35% larger average audience compared to last season, including a 27% jump in viewership for the NBA's Christmas day suite of games.

The league's opening night roster featured eight Australian players including veteran guard Patty Mills and rising star Josh Giddey, who are driving interest in their home country.

"We're very pleased with the growth in viewership and consumption we're experiencing this season in a number of international markets, including Australia, Brazil and the Philippines, all of which have extremely passionate NBA fan bases," Matt Brabants, head of international content partnerships at the NBA, told Reuters.

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"The NBA's popularity continues to grow around the world, and as we head into NBA All-Star 2022 and the playoff race heats up, we anticipate this trend will continue in markets around the world."

The NBA All-Star game in February 20 in Cleveland and the playoffs tip off on April 16.

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