Is NBA Viewership Down? The Data Says…

Here at data analysis website, we take a look at the question on everyone’s mind: is NBA viewership down? Our data says…

Introduction

It seems that everywhere you look, people are talking about the decline in NBA viewership. Social media is full of hot takes and finger pointing, but what does the data say? In this article, we will take a look at the TV ratings for the 2018-19 NBA regular season and compare them to previous years. We will also examine some possible explanations for the decline.

NBA’s Viewership Problem

According to the data, NBA viewership is down significantly from last year. There are a number of reasons for this, but the most likely cause is the overall decline in television viewership. This is a problem that the NBA will need to solve if they want to maintain their popularity.

Lack of star power

When looking at the ratings decline of the NBA, it’s easy to point to a lack of star power. The league’s two greatest players, LeBron James and Steph Curry, are both currently sidelined with injuries. In their absence, there is no one player who has been able to truly take over and capture the imagination of the NBA viewing public.

This lack of star power has been compounded by the retirement of several other big names in recent years. Kobe Bryant, Tim Duncan, and Kevin Garnett all bowed out within the last three years, leaving gaping holes in the league’s star power. With fewer household names to market to casual fans, it’s no surprise that the NBA’s ratings have suffered.

Length of games

The average length of an NBA game is 48 minutes, but the playing time is only about 38 minutes. That’s 10 minutes for timeouts, stoppages in play, and commercials. So, if you take out the time when the ball is not in play, the average NBA game is only about 38 minutes long.

In comparison, the average length of an NFL game is 60 minutes, but the actual playing time is only about 11 minutes. So, if you take out the time when the ball is not in play, the average NFL game is only about 49 minutes long.

The average MLB game is two hours and eight minutes long, but the actual playing time is only about nine and a half innings. So, if you take out all of the time when the ball is not in play, the average MLB game is only about 51 minutes long.

The NHL has been working to shorten its games as well. The average NHL game was two hours and 21 minutes long in 2014-15 season, but shrunk to two hours and 18 minutes by the 2017-18 season.

While it may seem like NBA games are longer than they used to be, they are actually shorter than they were 20 years ago. In 1997-98 season, NBA games were an average of 54 minutes long. In 2007-08 season that number was down to 48 minutes. But even with that decrease, NBA games are still longer than games in any other major sport.

Poor quality of play

Recent years have seen a decline in NBA viewership, and some fans are attributing it to the poor quality of play. Data from the past few seasons does seem to support this claim, as there have been fewer close games and more blowouts than in years past. Additionally, player discipline issues and off-court drama have been major news stories in recent years, which may also be turning some fans away.

It’s hard to say exactly why NBA viewership is down, but it seems clear that the poor quality of play is at least partially to blame. If the league can’t get things turned around soon, it could be in for a long period of decline.

Data on NBA Viewership

In this section, we will take a look at the data on NBA viewership. We will look at the reasons why viewership might be down and some potential solutions.

NBA Finals Game 7 viewership down 36% from 2016

The 2016 NBA Finals between the Golden State Warriors and the Cleveland Cavaliers was one of the most-watched and most-talked about championship series in recent memory.

The series attracted an average of 20 million viewers per game, with Game 7 averaging 31 million viewers, according to Nielsen data. That made it the most-watched NBA game since 1998, when Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls defeated the Utah Jazz in Game 6 to clinch their sixth championship.

But this year’s NBA Finals averaged just 13 million viewers per game, with Game 7 averaging 17.7 million viewers. That’s a 36% drop in viewership from 2016.

What caused such a sharp decline in viewership? There are a number of potential factors, including:

-The Warriors and Cavaliers are both superstar-laden teams that have been to the Finals four times in the last four years. Some fans may have simply grown tired of seeing them meet year after year.

-This year’s Finals were much less competitive than last year’s, with the Warriors winning in five games rather than seven. Some viewers may have been turned off by the lack of drama.

-The NBA has been embroiled in a number of controversies over the past year, including resting players during regular season games and a perceived lack of parity among teams. These issues may have caused some fans to lose interest in the league.

Regular season viewership down 9% from 2016-2017

The NBA’s regular season averaged 1.9 million viewers on ESPN, ABC, TNT and NBA TV, down 9% from 2.1 million viewers in 2016-17, according to Nielsen media research. The drop comes as the league deals with declines in linear TV viewership and overall sports viewership.

Despite the decline in average viewers, the NBA saw increases in live + same day viewership on ESPN and ABC compared to last season. TNT’s average viewers were down slightly, while NBA TV saw a steep drop of 20%.

ESPN’s telecasts averaged 2.4 million viewers, up 3% from 2016-17. ABC’s games averaged 3.5 million viewers, up 5% from last season. TNT’s games averaged 1.6 million viewers, down 1% from last season. NBA TV averaged 285,000 viewers, down 20% from last season.

All-Star game viewership down 5% from 2017

The NBA All-Star game saw a 5% decrease in viewership from 2017, with an average of 7.4 million viewers tuning in. This is the lowest viewership for the All-Star game since 2013, when it averaged 6.8 million viewers.

Conclusion

In conclusion, it appears that NBA viewership is down for the 2019-2020 season. This is likely due to a combination of factors, including the NBA’s new partnership with ESPN+, which makes it more difficult for viewers to watch games, as well as the ongoing issue of players resting during regular season games. Additionally, the increase in popularity of other sports leagues (such as the NFL and MLB) may also be playing a role in the decline of NBA viewership.