The NBA ratings have continued to tank through the first month of the 2024-25 season. Viewership for NBA games on ESPN, its lead broadcast partner, is down 28%, year over year.
The league was already coming off a disappointing season in which its playoff viewership decreased by over 12%.
So, commissioner Adam Silver’s excuse this week that the ratings drop is a byproduct of the “election and World Series” does not suffice. The NBA has been consistently losing viewers for nearly a decade. As a whole, the NBA has lost around 45% of its viewership since 2012.
The declines are not new. They are just getting worse.
Basketball Hall of Famer Shaquille O’Neal blames the fall on too much 3-point shooting. “I have a theory that [the ratings] are down because … everybody’s running the same plays,” O’Neal said this week on his podcast. “I don’t mind Golden State back in the day shooting threes, but every team is not a three-point shooter.” […]
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