The NBA has a ratings problem

[oneye]

I remember when we talked about this last year some shook it off, but the NBAs rating problem has continued to start this season off in a big way. It’s why the NBAs looking at the tournaments and remedies to get them back up, and engage more interest from fans.

The NBA is talked about 10X more than any other league by sports media. They cover all the negatives of NFL ratings but not a peep now that the NBAs ratings are plummeting. The NFLs ratings have seen a resurgence and are up.

Several things contribute to it, but I’ll say as a pretty big NBA fan these are the things that annoy me about the league.

The drama got old fast. The media likes to think it’s so fun to have all these rumors, tampering, etc. going on in the league. It’s really not. Not for a large majority of your fanbases. All 25 of your teams fanbases are doing is waiting for the day they lose there star. That creates a feeling of “what’s the point” to everyone outside the luxury markets in your league. It makes 25 of your 30 teams feel like hopeless development spots that are just a pit stop along the way.

The secret to a robust league isn’t difficult. Make all your fanbases/teams have a feeling that they can actually compete for and get to the mountaintop at some point, and aren’t just pit stops that are going to lose their guys over and over with no real chance to get there.

The NBA has done a bad job of only engaging/propping up a very small portion of its league.

Whats funny is the silence on it after the NFL got beat up so badly because these rating drops are pretty significant and an issue.

https://www.thebiglead.com/posts/th...ings-are-off-to-such-a-bad-start-01dszs3mxmzn

 

[infection]

The NBA can learn a lot from McDonald’s. For years McDonald’s has received a bad rap. They’ve spent a couple decades trying to cater to a demographic who criticizes them but will absolutely never consume their food. They try to go healthy. They remove animal product from fries. Etc., etc. McDonald’s needs to own the fact that they serve unhealthy, ****** food, and that’s why people go there. If you cater to the boo birds, you’ll just alienate those who are consuming your product.

tl;dr don’t try to drum up interest with tournaments.

 

[MeloTheJazzKiller]

First off, except for NFL, ALL ratings are down for all sports. Ratings? Forget ratings, you should see attendance at NASCAR races.

This isn't your grandfather's world anymore. TV ratings are not the be all and end all. TV ratings are not the measure of success anymore. All the various platforms and tweets and Instagram hits and PlayStation games (hell, even being married to a Kardashian) are what matters now (and the NBA scores big in all those). If you are around young folks, teens, you'll see that basketball is the sport that is big on all things social media that young people seem to care about.

Football gets a huge following because it extremely fan friendly to gambling. Once a week, fantasy teams...perfect for gambling. Don't kid yourself, gambling is a key element to football's success and it really is that which draws many viewers.

NBA has the household superstar faces and names. It has drama surrounding those names. It has a high profile on all social media platforms. The NBA is not in anyway in trouble. TV ratings ain't what they used to be. Other ways to measure interest and following.

 

[oneye]

First off, except for NFL, ALL ratings are down for all sports. Ratings? Forget ratings, you should see attendance at NASCAR races.

This isn't your grandfather's world anymore. TV ratings are not the be all and end all. TV ratings are not the measure of success anymore. All the various platforms and tweets and Instagram hits and PlayStation games (hell, even being married to a Kardashian) are what matters now (and the NBA scores big in all those). If you are around young folks, teens, you'll see that basketball is the sport that is big on all things social media that young people seem to care about.

Football gets a huge following because it extremely fan friendly to gambling. Once a week, fantasy teams...perfect for gambling. Don't kid yourself, gambling is a key element to football's success and it really is that which draws many viewers.

NBA has the household superstar faces and names. It has drama surrounding those names. It has a high profile on all social media platforms. The NBA is not in anyway in trouble. TV ratings ain't what they used to be. Other ways to measure interest and following.

You are 1000% wrong. Doesn’t surprise me. The NBAs biggest revenue share is determined by TV ratings. The reason there’s so much NBA money is because of the last TV deal when rating looked to be on a big trajectory upwards. If it’s not addressed by the time this TV deal runs out (2023 or 2024 I believe) there will be huge revenue losses because advertisers and media companies won’t pay the same giant bill for plummeting ratings. If you believe TV ratings are not still king well.....you can be completely discounted on all your opinions here lol.

There are new forms of revenue but the current TV deal based off ratings...makes up the lions share of revenue.

If the NBA doesn’t care about the biggest share of its revenue taking a hit then sure they’ve got nothing to worry about(ratings are down significantly)....trust me...it’s an issue and they know it. It’s why they’re grasping at straws right now looking at tournament ideas and shortening seasons,etc. they know it doesn’t look good.

 

[MeloTheJazzKiller]

You are 1000% wrong. Doesn’t surprise me. The NBAs biggest revenue share is determined by TV ratings. The reason there’s so much NBA money is because of the last TV deal when rating looked to be on a big trajectory upwards.......

Wow, I have never read such a post that was wrong every step of the way. I swear, you couldn't go two words without being wrong. Everything you wrote was wrong.

Uhh, I guess you were on Mars this past October so I'll clue you in on some news. See there was this big to do over something going on in China about the NBA. Not going to discuss what it was about, rather I am going to school you that, see, the NBA is big in this teeny tiny land called China. Some say they have a hundred people that live there. (You are probably one of those that say that.) Others say they have over ONE BILLION that live there.

Point is (once again) TV ratings are not the measure of success anymore. Advertisers? You really think NBA is sweating over losing a few commercials from that My-Pillow guy when they have a market that has a billion people at their fingertips?

Kid, NBA ratings and thinking are not your strong suit. Just take my word for it that TV ratings ain't the only thing that the head honchos will be bringing to the table when they discuss new contracts with TV execs. Just curious, are you aware that a sponsor on a jersey or a title sponsor is far more lucrative when one realizes that it reaches a billion people in China? You really think the NBA wants those My-Pillow commercials or a McDonalds sponsorship/ads that can reach into a market of a BILLION PEOPLE?

Think, man. Quit thinking like its 1992 or something.

 

[NAOS]

The NBA can learn a lot from McDonald’s. For years McDonald’s has received a bad rap. They’ve spent a couple decades trying to cater to a demographic who criticizes them but will absolutely never consume their food. They try to go healthy. They remove animal product from fries. Etc., etc. McDonald’s needs to own the fact that they serve unhealthy, ****** food, and that’s why people go there. If you cater to the boo birds, you’ll just alienate those who are consuming your product.

tl;dr don’t try to drum up interest with tournaments.

Follow me on this thought experiment: let’s say IF the winner of the early season tournament advances to the postseason, THEN they are guaranteed one ADDITIONAL round of home court advantage. So, if they would have been seeded 5-8, then they jump to 4 (and thus have HC in round 1). Or, if they are seeded 3-4, then they maintain HC in round one, but flip HC against their round-2 opponent (if necessary). If not, or if seeded 2, then they flip HC against their opponent in the final 4. One final chance to flip HC presents itself in the finals. The team doesn’t get a chance to decide when to activate this reversal of HC, instead it is activated on the first instance.

Am I making sense? If the kinks in this kind of idea were ironed out, it would legitimately increase my interest in the league.

 

[BigRigs33]

The biggest problem the NBA for me is that it tailors everything to the players and not the fans. “Load management”, less back to backs, now they’re talking about less games, guys sitting out 2 months with a bruised thumb, star treatment, etc. I’m a huge Jazz fan, always will be, but the nba as a whole is my least favorite major sport because of the star treatment. But it is what it is, I don’t think that will ever change. As long as Adam Silver lets the players have whatever they want, things will stay the same.


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[NAOS]

The tournament would also provide the pretext for handing out some individual awards (Tournament MVP, etc.), which you know helps drive ratings and traffic on media platforms that drive interest.

There’s something to this idea. But I think they need to make the tournament actually matter to the postseason.

 

[BigRigs33]

The tournament would also provide the pretext for handing out some individual awards (Tournament MVP, etc.), which you know helps drive ratings and traffic on media platforms that drive interest.

There’s something to this idea. But I think they need to make the tournament actually matter to the postseason.

You have a good point. I am not a big fan of the tournament, but if it was tied to the post season I could get behind it.


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[NAOS]

And what if the Tournament MVP and the Defensive Player of the Tournament were guaranteed All-Star spots?

There you have a through line from Tournament, to All Star break, to post season.


...
But they’ll probably **** this up and have no through line anywhere.

 

[framer]

And what if the Tournament MVP and the Defensive Player of the Tournament were guaranteed All-Star spots?

There you have a through line from Tournament, to All Star break, to post season.


...
But they’ll probably **** this up and have no through line anywhere.

I would hope they did this INSTEAD of all the All Star Garbage. NBA All Star Weekend BLOWS.

 

[Miggs]

The Warriors blow. That hurts a lot. Yes they’re one of just 30 markets but I’d guess their ratings are down so much that it hurts the league as a whole.

Imagine if Jordan and Pippen were hurt and not playing. That would’ve killed the league.

This is one of the reasons I’ve not yet seen mentioned.