NBA ratings have taken a significant hit this season, with a nearly 20% decline across TNT, ESPN, and ABC. This article explores the reasons behind the dip, citing cord-cutting, injuries to star players, and tough competition from other sporting events.
A version of this article first appeared in the CNBC Sport newsletter with Alex Sherman, which brings you the biggest news and exclusive interviews from the worlds of sports business and media. Sign up to receive future editions, straight to your inbox. Perhaps the biggest story in sports media right now is why NBA ratings are way down this season – nearly 20% across TNT, ESPN and ABC.
Many fans and pundits have speculated theories on social media : too many three pointers! Too woke! Season too long! 'Inside The NBA' is ruining the game! The league has noticed, too (of course). Here's what my league sources are telling me: 1. The biggest reason is cord cutting. This is also why the NBA gave Warner Bros. Discovery the proverbial boot after this season as a live game distributor. Relying on cable networks ESPN and TNT is no longer a winning strategy. In November, streaming content made up 41.6% of total TV consumption , according to Nielsen – an all-time high. That's why the NBA chose Amazon and NBCUniversal as its two new partners – one with a global streaming service and another with a broadcast network and a streaming service (Peacock). (It's also why Warner Bros. Discovery may not have been too keen to pay huge dollars to keep the NBA!) 2. Star players have been injured. Joel Embiid, Zion Williamson, Kevin Durant, Steph Curry, Chet Holmgren, Paolo Banchero, Luka Doncic, Victor Wembanyama and many others have already missed multiple games with injury, and the season is barely one quarter old. 3. Bad luck competing with other sporting events. Friday of Week 4 was the Tyson-Paul fight, which sucked up the sports viewing oxygen. NBA games on Black Friday went up against a Georgia-Georgia Tech college football game that went into eight overtimes. Marquee games from the Knicks and Lakers were directly up against the World Series, featuring teams from New York and LA. League sources point out that the NBA's slumping ratings this season aren't in a vacuum
NBA Ratings Cord Cutting Streaming Injuries
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