The Decline in Viewership of the NBA
There has never been a time with more talent in the NBA. However, the NBA faces one major problem that is holding it back: viewership is in significant decline. Over the past year, many changes have occurred in the sports world, with various sports moving from cable television to live streaming on platforms such as Netflix and others, but basketball seems to be lagging behind. Here are several reasons why the NBA is struggling and a few ways it can address and resolve this issue.
Shorter Season and Earlier Times
The NBA has a very long season, starting with the preseason in October and running through April. Fans are excited to watch their favorite teams during the first few months, but by January and February, interest wanes, and many stop watching until March Madness begins during the postseason. It’s time for the NBA to evaluate its season structure and figure out why viewers keep disappearing. Over the last two seasons, viewership has drastically declined. Ratings have fluctuated between 1.6 and 1.8 million, but they continue to drop year after year. Viewership has been decreasing by one million each year. If the NBA season were structured more like the NFL’s, viewership would likely increase, and more people would stay engaged.
The primary age group that watches the NBA is between their 20s and 30s. Many in this group struggle to watch games because they work during the day and are tired by the time they get home. Some NBA games don’t start until 10 p.m., which is a problem because fans often don’t want to stay up late, especially if they have work the next day. This is one of the key reasons why viewership has declined significantly. If the NBA hosted earlier games during the week, more people could tune in, whether watching on their phones during their commute or on their TVs if they work from home.
Sports Clashing
There are many sports happening in today’s world. In October, several major sports overlap: the NBA returns, the NFL season is underway, the World Series takes place, and hockey starts up again. Fans have plenty of options to choose from, but many gravitate toward top events like the World Series and the NFL. While NBA games are also happening during this time, fans often prioritize these bigger events, and the NBA doesn’t come out on top in most cases.
The NBA typically has one major holiday, and that is Christmas. On Christmas Day, the NBA plays several games, and since other sports usually don’t compete on that day, it allows the NBA to attract a larger viewership. However, in recent years, the NFL has also started playing on Christmas Day. Since then, NBA viewership has dropped to 2.86 million, the second-lowest in history, behind the previous low of 4.08 million when the league first began airing games.
The NBA Has to Step up the Promotions
Many fans don’t pay attention to the NBA until March. The NBA seems to have an issue with promoting its games effectively. Their promotions are mostly shown during the evenings, often alongside other sports, and unless the league finds a better strategy, its visibility will remain low. The public relations departments for each team, and the league as a whole, need to make the sport more engaging and exciting. They should come up with fresh ideas to attract more viewers.
