NBA viewership up 86 over last year.

[OG Goat Holder]

I think the biggest difference is having it back on NBC because they make it a priority. They have games on weeknights on broadcast television. That’s a lot of eyeballs right there. ESPN/ABC did not do a good job by themselves to carry the brand and the NBA was almost an afterthought because they wanted to talk about the NFL and college sports more.

I will watch again if they'll break out the old NBA on NBC theme

Maybe they have already

What sucks most about the NCAAT leaving CBS is the music

 

[DesotoCountyDawg]

I will watch again if they'll break out the old NBA on NBC theme

Maybe they have already

What sucks most about the NCAAT leaving CBS is the music

Well you’re in luck because they kept the theme. They’ve even done a couple of throwback nights as well.

 

[POTUS]

Steph did Steph things last night against the Clippers. Another fun game. The previous play in games have not been nearly as entertaining so this is a nice bump for the league.

 

[The Peeper]

But Clay Travis has been telling us for 15 years that ESPN and the NBA are on their verge of collapse.

He isn't totally wrong about ESPN. I don't see them folding up but they are bleeding. They laid off over 700 between 2015 and 2020, 25 on air reporters in 2023 and just announced another 30 technician layoffs later this month

 

[johnson86-1]

People who watch Mississippi state sports saying that the NBA is a bad product is freaking hilarious.

Yea, the NBA is a different product than , and different in a lot of ways I don't prefer, but I think that's strictly based on preferring what I grew up with. I think most people that came to it fresh would prefer today's game.

 

[DesotoCountyDawg]

He isn't totally wrong about ESPN. I don't see them folding up but they are bleeding. They laid off over 700 between 2015 and 2020, 25 on air reporters in 2023 and just announced another 30 technician layoffs later this month

View attachment 1259375

Something must be going right though since they basically bought MLB and NFL network.

 

[greenbean.sixpack]

He isn't totally wrong about ESPN. I don't see them folding up but they are bleeding. They laid off over 700 between 2015 and 2020, 25 on air reporters in 2023 and just announced another 30 technician layoffs later this month

View attachment 1259375

Concur that ESPN had, and still has, way too much on air talent, but even with paying a bunch of crazy salaries (where they are mostly bidding against themselves), they are still no danger of collapse. Daddy Disney and all.

 

[Darryl Steight]

I was already losing interest in general, but State sucking really killed off any chance I'd stay a minor fan. I went so long checked out on college that i don't recognize the vast majority of the players.

I don't 'not watch' on purpose or anything, but just have lost interest due to priorities in life. State sucking or disappointing in basketball definitely doesn't help my interest in hoops in general. But to your final point - I was shocked when this topic came up and realized I have been out of NBA watching so long that I literally can't identify one player in those two ads. That's wild to me as someone who at one time could probably name 4 or 5 of the starters on every team in the 80's/90's.

 

[aTotal360]

Something must be going right though since they basically bought MLB and NFL network.

It's not with ESPN money, but with Disney money. Disney is reshuffling its content strategy. They just laid off another 1000 people on Tuesday.

 

[85Bears]

Recent reports for the 2025-26 NBA season, which include the start of a new 11-year, $76 billion-plus media rights deal, have claimed record-setting viewership, though these figures are considered by some critics to be misleading or "inflated" due to changes in methodology, such as new "Big Data" metrics, that make comparisons to previous years difficult.
FOX Sports +3
Key Points Regarding Viewership Data:

• Reported Growth: The NBA reported that 170 million people in the U.S. watched regular-season games across all partners (ABC/ESPN, Amazon Prime Video, NBC/Peacock, and NBA TV), with viewership for nationally televised games reported as being up significantly—ranging from 35% to over 85% compared to the 2024-25 season.
• Methodology Changes: A major reason for the massive spike in reported numbers is a change in how Nielsen, the industry standard for ratings, measures viewership. They now use a "Big Data + Panel" method, incorporating data from smart TVs and streaming apps, which has raised viewership estimates across all sports.
• "People" vs. "Average Viewers": Critics, such as those at OutKick, argue the league is highlighting the total number of unique viewers (people who watched anypart of a game) rather than the standard average minute audience, which is what advertisers traditionally use.

 

[DesotoCountyDawg]

NBA regular season audience sees marked increase in year one of rights deal

The first year of the new NBA media rights deal delivered a sizable increase in viewership across the league's various broadcasters.

www.sportsmediawatch.com

 

[Seinfeld]

Well you’re in luck because they kept the theme. They’ve even done a couple of throwback nights as well.

Some of my best memories of the NBA are 90s NBA on NBC showdowns on Sunday afternoon. Jordan's Bulls vs Barkley's Suns, Ewing's Knicks vs Shaq's Magic, and all the rest.

 

[Seinfeld]

Steph did Steph things last night against the Clippers. Another fun game. The previous play in games have not been nearly as entertaining so this is a nice bump for the league.

It's amazing how entertaining the NBA can be when their players actually........... play. Funny how all the calf strains, hang nails, and sore thumbs suddenly heal come playoff time.

 

[The Peeper]

The new TV deal was a huge winner. Also attendance was up.

Only 18,108 average attendance per game? Damn, we almost do that w/ a club sport on campus that nobody but us cares about......**

 

[POTUS]

Only 18,108 average attendance per game? Damn, we almost do that w/ a club sport on campus that nobody but us cares about......**

And of course, by almost doing it you mean at its very best ever the club sport averaged 61% of that.

 

[HailStout]

 

[The Cooterpoot]

Heard the WNBA viewership went up 69 %

 

[BTCMoonBoy]

I can’t find 3 people who watch NBA. This increase has to mean more bars are filling dead space with NBA instead of Austrian rules fb

 

[DesotoCountyDawg]

I can’t find 3 people who watch NBA. This increase has to mean more bars are filling dead space with NBA instead of Austrian rules fb

Austrian rules football sounds neat. Maybe you can find 3 people who know what that is.

 

[L4Dawg]

Ok

 

[TheDawg-Pound]

I can't say that I watched 1 game.

I didn't know the season started/ ended

 

[DesotoCountyDawg]

I can't say that I watched 1 game.

I didn't know the season started/ ended

 

[HailStout]

Seriously, it’s like the NBA banged some of you guy’s wives. I don’t get it. I don’t like MLB, but I’m not jumping on every thread someone posts about Mangum to make sure the world knows about it.

 

[POTUS]

Couple of notes for the haters:
1. This is what elite basketball looks like. Please notice how well it was defended.
2. Imagine seeing that and saying, "I better jump on the pack and remind people enjoying it that I don't like it."

 

[MSF87]

Seriously, it’s like the NBA banged some of you guy’s wives. I don’t get it. I don’t like MLB, but I’m not jumping on every thread someone posts about Mangum to make sure the world knows about it.

 

[BTCMoonBoy]

I like to shittt on it because I know it triggers the fanboys. I also shitt on mlb nfl and SB halftime in Spanish….that trigger you too?

 

[DesotoCountyDawg]

I like to shittt on it because I know it triggers the fanboys. I also shitt on mlb nfl and SB halftime in Spanish….that trigger you too?

So you just admitted you’re a troll. Nicely done bruh.

 

[HailStout]

I like to shittt on it because I know it triggers the fanboys. I also shitt on mlb nfl and SB halftime in Spanish….that trigger you too?