Report: NBA Lost 25% of TV Audience Since 2019, More than 45% Since 2011
coolstanley
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The NBA continues to suffer ratings disasters, with ABC falling 45 percent since the 2011-12 season, TNT down 40 percent, and ESPN off 20 percent.
It was reported that in May the NBA lost 13 percent over the “bubble” coronavirus season, and when headed into the final week of the 2020/2021 season, the ratings for ESPN, ABC, and TNT’s broadcasts were all down roughly 13 percent over the 2019/2020 season — the latter of which included the games in the NBA “bubble.”
But a loss of only 13 percent year-over-year does not really tell the whole tale. To see how badly the NBA is really doing in its TV ratings, one must go back a decade.
Since 2011, the league has lost nearly half its audience.
Compared to 2019, TNT’s 2021 slate dropped 19%, from 1.5 million to 1.2 million. ESPN fell even further, down 26%, from 1.6 million down to under 1.2 million.
NBA commissioner Adam Silver once blamed cable packages for collapsing ratings. Has he seen what his sport is doing on ABC, the NBA’s sole broadcast partner? ABC tanked 25% between 2019 and 2021, going from 3.6 million to 2.7 million. That’s a new all-time low. Since 2011-12, ABC’s NBA broadcasts are down more than 45%. Nearly half of the audience has left.
The league’s TV ratings have done nothing but decline for years.
Like nearly all TV, the NBA is suffering a decline because customers cutting the cable. But the NBA has suffered a far worse decline than most other TV shows and even worse than many other sports. While others have lost fans, the NBA has fallen precipitously
Terry Bradshaw was AMAZING!!
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Comments
Zero sympathy from me.
What is the NBA?
I seldom watch, but all i hear is how popular the game is now. I guess its only really popular in Asia.
Maybe all the NBA teams should relocate?
George Brett, Roger Clemens and Tommy Brady.
But the players will still want more money.
The flip side of this is online streaming of NBA games has been pretty much been setting viewership records with each passing year and that doesn’t even take into account the numerous websites that you can go to without having to pay for any additional service.
I stopped paying for cable about 10 years ago and I haven’t missed a single Celtics game during that entire stretch.
Eric
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A lot of people no longer have cable/satellite. Plus people stream. That being said, I am sure a lot of fans left. But I am sure they are doing fine.
What is this NBA? Reruns of Gilligans Island fair better than the nba. They may garner an audience if they aired it on CNN.
"I spent 50% of my money on alcohol, women, and gambling. The other half I wasted.
No more cable for me. Frankly, regular season is just too long and boring. Playoffs, yes !
NBA is just a bad product. I stopped watching it in the 90's. It was a better sport in the 70's and 80's.
Terry Bradshaw was AMAZING!!
Ignore list -Basebal21