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The NBA is doing "intense" research on its depressed television ratings early this season. Adam Silver, however, doesn't believe the NBA has an interest issue overall. Silver also believes the league is well positioned to take advantage of the streaming landscape with games being aired on Prime and Peacock beginning next season as part of their new media deals.

"I would just say, to say it directly, ratings are down a bit at the beginning of the season, but cable television viewership is down double digits so far this year versus last year," Silver said. "We're almost at the inflection point where people are watching more programming on streaming than they are in traditional television. And it's a reason why for our new television deals, which we're entering into next year, every game is going to be available on a streaming service.

"And as we move to streaming services, putting aside how the actual game is played on the floor, it's going to allow us from a production standpoint to do all kinds of things that you can't do through traditional television. All kinds of new functionality, all kinds of new options and screens that are available.

"So at the end of the day, we are an entertainment product and the vast majority of people consume us through media, not in person. So we have to pay a lot of attention to that. But if you look at other data points in terms of our business for example, we've just come off the last two years of the highest attendance in the history of this league. We're at a point where our social media audience is at the highest of any league and continuing to grow exponentially. So there's not a lack of interest in this game."

Via Tim Bontemps/ESPN

I’ll save them the money and time cause it’s an easy answer. The players don’t play anymore. They’re always hurt. Plus the star power is beginning to dwindle

Ratings are down for 3 reasons - watered down product, gimmicks ( all-star game weekend, NBA cup ) & social media

Watered down product :


* THREEs -- Today's game is all about the three point shot & scoring volume ( limited strategy per possession as opposed to recent years ).
* FINESSE LEAGUE -- league transitioned into more of a finesse league ( to prolong player careers, limit injuries, give better opportunity to international players ) - but but doing so its hurt the overall basketball brand.
* LIMITED IN GAME STRATEGY -- Gone is the concept of post-up, lock-down defense, mid-range game. It's all about the three and layups which even to a casual fan would be boring.

GImmicks :


* ALL STAR WEEKEND -- is turning into a gimmick ( team chuck / team shaq, instead of fan & coaching based teams ), ELAM scoring ( confusing for even casual fan ), incorporating celebrities ( focus should be all about the players )
* NBA CUP -- no incentive for players to compete ( make the purse bigger, keep it a standalone tournament, add professional teams from FIBA / Euroleague & have an international venue i.e. Doha, Singapore, etc. )

Social Media :


* Casual fans opt to watch highlights, clips instead of the game itself
* Too many outlets now to view & discuss the game
* Players focused on their social brand rather than their game


WHATS THE SOLUTION?

1) Extend the three point line -- make it more of a difficult shot to attain ( which adds value ), this will force teams to incorporate a better well rounded / strategic game (i.e. midrange, post up) which makes it much more entertaining to watch

2) All-star weekend / NBA Cup -- make it an international venue every year

3) Eliminate GIMMICKS -- get rid of the dunk contest ( the league has transitioned into a shooting league ), TV analyst should not be picking teams, i.e. team chuck / team kenny ( the fans & coaches should )

4) Make playoffs top 16 teams overall ( instead of conference seeding ), makes the playoffs much more competitive

5) Social media -- emphasize overall highlights not just flashy plays ( passing, defensive stops, post play, offensive / defensive sets )

everybody hurt all the time

start with replays and timeouts and how miserable a late 4th quarter is in a tight game, when it should be the opposite.

SkynMan wrote:I’ll save them the money and time cause it’s an easy answer. The players don’t play anymore. They’re always hurt. Plus the star power is beginning to dwindle

The league is more talented than it has ever been.. Its not really close the playing pool is so much bigger so there is more talent.. The role players are also much much better..

njknicks wrote:Ratings are down for 3 reasons - watered down product, gimmicks ( all-star game weekend, NBA cup ) & social media

Watered down product :


* THREEs -- Today's game is all about the three point shot & scoring volume ( limited strategy per possession as opposed to recent years ).
* FINESSE LEAGUE -- league transitioned into more of a finesse league ( to prolong player careers, limit injuries, give better opportunity to international players ) - but but doing so its hurt the overall basketball brand.
* LIMITED IN GAME STRATEGY -- Gone is the concept of post-up, lock-down defense, mid-range game. It's all about the three and layups which even to a casual fan would be boring.

GImmicks :


* ALL STAR WEEKEND -- is turning into a gimmick ( team chuck / team shaq, instead of fan & coaching based teams ), ELAM scoring ( confusing for even casual fan ), incorporating celebrities ( focus should be all about the players )
* NBA CUP -- no incentive for players to compete ( make the purse bigger, keep it a standalone tournament, add professional teams from FIBA / Euroleague & have an international venue i.e. Doha, Singapore, etc. )

Social Media :


* Casual fans opt to watch highlights, clips instead of the game itself
* Too many outlets now to view & discuss the game
* Players focused on their social brand rather than their game


WHATS THE SOLUTION?

1) Extend the three point line -- make it more of a difficult shot to attain ( which adds value ), this will force teams to incorporate a better well rounded / strategic game (i.e. midrange, post up) which makes it much more entertaining to watch

2) All-star weekend / NBA Cup -- make it an international venue every year

3) Eliminate GIMMICKS -- get rid of the dunk contest ( the league has transitioned into a shooting league ), TV analyst should not be picking teams, i.e. team chuck / team kenny ( the fans & coaches should )

4) Make playoffs top 16 teams overall ( instead of conference seeding ), makes the playoffs much more competitive

5) Social media -- emphasize overall highlights not just flashy plays ( passing, defensive stops, post play, offensive / defensive sets )

They crush social media more than any other sport. The NBA cup teams definatley try harder and has been a relative success.. The allstar weekend is a waste of time they should can it or change it to maybe usa vs international team or something.. I would change the finals format so making top 4 seed is more meaningful to do this I would make it 1v4 2v3 5v8 6v7 in best of 5 series winner of top 4 gets a rest loser players the winner of the bottom 4 in best of 5. After that revert back to best of 7.. This makes the regular season more important.