How Long Is an NBA Game On TV?
Contents
How long is an NBA game on TV? Find out how long an NBA game is supposed to last and how long it actually lasts.
The Length of an NBA Game
The average NBA game lasts around 2 hours and 15 minutes, but the time it takes to watch an NBA game on TV can be much different.TV timeouts, halftime, and commercials all add up to the time you’ll spend in front of the television. So, how long is an NBA game on TV?
The Length of an NBA Game On TV
Depending on theTV network, an NBA game is either 2 hours and 20 minutes long, or 2 hours and 45 minutes long. The time includes a 15-minute halftime break. There are also 2-3 minute commercial breaks between quarters. If the game goes into overtime, each overtime period is 5 minutes long with 2-3 minute commercial breaks in between.
How Long Is an NBA Game On TV?
An NBA game on TV is 48 minutes long, but there are actually 60 minutes of playing time. The other 12 minutes are made up of timeouts, breaks between quarters, and other stoppages in play. So why is an NBA game only 48 minutes long on TV?
The answer has to do with commercials. According to Nielsen, the average American watches four hours and four minutes of TV every day. That’s a lot of commercials! And those commercials need to be placed somewhere.
The solution that networks came up with is to put the commercials in the 12 minutes that are already there—the timeouts, breaks between quarters, and other stoppages in play. That way, they can show more ads without making the game any longer.
Of course, this means that you don’t get to see as much of the actual game on TV. But it also means that you get to see more commercials!
The Length of an NBA Game On TV
On television, an NBA game lasts about 2.5 hours, but the game itself is only 48 minutes long. So, why is the game on TV so long? There are a few reasons. First, there are commercials. A typical NBA game has about 20 minutes of commercials, which is about 42% of the game time. That’s a lot of commercials! Second, there are time-outs. Each team is allowed 7 time-outs per game, and each time-out lasts about a minute. That means that there are about 14 minutes of time-outs in an NBA game, or 29% of the game time. Finally, there is the time between quarters. There are 4 quarters in an NBA game, and each quarter is 12 minutes long. However, there is a 2-minute break between each quarter, so the total time between quarters is 8 minutes, or 17% of the game time.
The Length of an NBA Game On TV
An NBA game on TV is 48 minutes long, but it typically takes about 2.5 hours to watch from start to finish. This includes timeouts, commercials, half-time, and post-game analysis.
The average NBA game has 12 minutes of actual playing time. The other 36 minutes are made up of timeouts, free throws, and other stoppages in play.
How Long Is an NBA Game On TV?
The average NBA game on TV is two hours and 15 minutes, but games can range anywhere from two hours to three hours in length. The majority of games fall somewhere in the middle, with the average game time being closer to two hours and 30 minutes.
TV broadcasts of NBA games include a number of stoppages of play, including timeouts (called by either team), injuries, video review of plays, and commercial breaks. These stoppages can add up to as much as an additional 20-30 minutes to the length of a game, which is why the actual time played is often significantly shorter than the broadcast time.
The length of an NBA game has gradually increased over time, as commercial breaks have gotten longer and there are more stoppages of play for video review and other reasons. In recent years, the league has been working to shorten games back down to around two hours in order to improve the fan experience.