OT: The NBA suffered a huge ratings loss opening week, is it "The Nothing means Anything" era?

[CROBulls]

Exact opposite, i probably watch 70-75 bulls games, maybe 15 other games throughout the season, then tend to cherry pick playoff teams.

I don't watch any Nascar, like ever.. should i be active in the Nascar forums? Maybe I'm doing it wrong

Watched more Bears and Blackhawks despite both being "bad". So it's not that. I like Bulls when there is a plan to build a team and organization. There is no plan. And just because I dont watch games doesnt mean I should be silent. You should be heard and your voice be heard to get things you want. To lead to better things. Reason why Bulls are still bad is because of everyone who go to games and buy tickets and jerseys so Jerry thinks nothing is wrong. Vote with your wallet.

We all know what needs to be done. Nobody wants to do hard thing. Everyone keeps silent, everyone keeps "not my problem", everyone is "this is ok".

OK, whatever blows your hair back, I have more important things than holding a pointless grudge against a "plan" I like to have fun.

I'm not being silent, I'll be taking some family to at least two games this season, so my wallet says "see red"

I'll elaborate more on my Nascar thoughts later when time permits, I'm sure you'll find them very informative.

Bulls are not fun. Shooting 3's at 15% one game and next 80% is not fun. Watching streaky players is not fun. Playing no defense and allowing 130 regular points is no fun. Dont care what rest of NBA is doing. Or arguing with someone opinion "but that's how NBA is today". Yes, main reason why ratings are likely down. Everyone is bored of jackless shooting watching bunch of Lou Williams playing street ball on NBA level.

With everything in life as with sports there is a structure in building a team. Paying Patrick Williams 20M per year to score 6 points at NBA level is not in any definition good thing. God I f wish I was born 15 cm taller. What a f easy life. Jerry is gifting generational wealth.

I am stopping talking about this from this moment. But ratings reflect something. NBA is not in good place. Bulls are in worse. If you enjoying this. Good. I am happy for you. Ill wait till I watch Bulls. If 20 more years need to pass, Ill wait. Not missing on anything.

[Gant]

I think the overall societal metrics are moving against live sports in general, but the NBA definitely has some specific problems of its own.

Yeah, separate from the game itself, the league can't increase viewership with so many millions of eyeballs gone from the cable model they're wedded to. Only now that the ratings debacle is obvious have they started to move to OTA and direct to consumer options.

They've waited a bit long to make this change, as younger folks have a lot of alternative choices for entertainment available. A lot of those people will never become interested.

The NBA's new broadcast partnerships starting next year might fracture the audience further, but that can be adjusted if ratings keep dropping enough that it costs the corporations money.

[AshyLarrysDiaper]

I think the overall societal metrics are moving against live sports in general, but the NBA definitely has some specific problems of its own.

Really? I thought live sports was doing better than every content stream outside of YouTube/Tik Tok etc.

It’s possible my info’s out of date though.

[dougthonus]

I think the overall societal metrics are moving against live sports in general, but the NBA definitely has some specific problems of its own.

Really? I thought live sports was doing better than every content stream outside of YouTube/Tik Tok etc.

It’s possible my info’s out of date though.

Just to be clear, I wasn't thinking about it real deeply. Just my observation is that it feels to me like live sports (especially on TV) are not gaining as much traction with young people as they did in the past. Seems like a lot of short form content is bigger and just competition from other forms of entertainment seem to be drawing away attention.

As noted, I don't think that's the NBA's short term problem right now, just a random thought I suppose.

[CROBulls]

I think the overall societal metrics are moving against live sports in general, but the NBA definitely has some specific problems of its own.

Really? I thought live sports was doing better than every content stream outside of YouTube/Tik Tok etc.

It’s possible my info’s out of date though.

Just to be clear, I wasn't thinking about it real deeply. Just my observation is that it feels to me like live sports (especially on TV) are not gaining as much traction with young people as they did in the past. Seems like a lot of short form content is bigger and just competition from other forms of entertainment seem to be drawing away attention.

As noted, I don't think that's the NBA's short term problem right now, just a random thought I suppose.

You need to take into consideration that cable vs streaming is two different things. Young people dont watch television, young people dont watch cable network. When NBA starts be on streaming service like Amazon you can start judging proper ratings numbers from younger generations. Also when you start to count how much commercials and ads there is during games, you gonna see less and less people be stucked watching live broadcasts.

I dont think anyone is interested in spending watching what is basically one hour game with quarters and time outs to be 3h event. I myself rather watch 12 minutes highlights from games or in past i watched full game replays (without commercial) than be stuck watching bad product for 3 hours.

[Dominator83]

I dont watch NBA in general. I dont remember when I watched full game last time. Maybe 3 years ago? Ok, I am special kind of guy. Very stubborn, very resentful and grude bearer. So if I dont like product, I aint watching sh**. My definiton is, whatever I spend time on needs to be worthy of my time.

Bulls are not worthy of my time. Not now. Team is terrible. Yes, terrible. You know, we all know it. I dont like product, current players, GM, coach and specifically owner. There is no franchise talent on roster or anyone worth giving my precious time to watch it. When we do have Ill come back and watch game.

So until changes happen I will continue not watching Bulls. Now on bigger picture, whole NBA. I dont like it. Too many players really talk like regular season dont matter, players skipping games, no continuous effort every night. Just going through motions.Fans feel that. I cannot imagine people who buy tickets how they feel.

As all talent is in league, everyone is playing literally same. There is no much distinctions between teams. At the end, if you want to win it comes to who shoot more 3's. All this leads slowly to boring product.

Exact opposite, i probably watch 70-75 bulls games, maybe 15 other games throughout the season, then tend to cherry pick playoff teams.

I don't watch any Nascar, like ever.. should i be active in the Nascar forums? Maybe I'm doing it wrong

I won't be watching many games this season either.... Because of my work hours most of the time I'm watching the games away from home.... Which i can now no longer do thanks to Jerry and Comcast

[MGB8]

The NBA regular season just means nothing. Stars are sitting, the games don't matter because everyone makes the playoffs, seeding doesn't even matter like it used to.

Underrated point. With the play-in, each win and loss up front matters even less than before. Combine that with the “chuck the 3s” and…

[samwana]

Really? I thought live sports was doing better than every content stream outside of YouTube/Tik Tok etc.

It’s possible my info’s out of date though.

Just to be clear, I wasn't thinking about it real deeply. Just my observation is that it feels to me like live sports (especially on TV) are not gaining as much traction with young people as they did in the past. Seems like a lot of short form content is bigger and just competition from other forms of entertainment seem to be drawing away attention.

As noted, I don't think that's the NBA's short term problem right now, just a random thought I suppose.

You need to take into consideration that cable vs streaming is two different things. Young people dont watch television, young people dont watch cable network. When NBA starts be on streaming service like Amazon you can start judging proper ratings numbers from younger generations. Also when you start to count how much commercials and ads there is during games, you gonna see less and less people be stucked watching live broadcasts.

I dont think anyone is interested in spending watching what is basically one hour game with quarters and time outs to be 3h event. I myself rather watch 12 minutes highlights from games or in past i watched full game replays (without commercial) than be stuck watching bad product for 3 hours.

I won't watch much outside o some highlights. I don't think it is worth my time to watch a three point contest with lots of waiting for players to take forever to take and make free throws. Our team has no one to really root for, our rookie doesn't play and our FO spends 90m on the most boring and not even average player. That's just to name a few reasons why I don't get ILP anymore. The blandness of our team is shown by our boring new jersey.
Where is the excitement? Maybe if I had the possibility to turn on the TV and watch some live games at a normal daytime I'd watch some here and there.
Now I'm content with some Insta highlights.

The best of Bulls basketball is our board here and I am perfectly happy with reading and some writing here. Still feels like Bulls family here, still great to be here and grateful for all great insights from you all!

[Ballerkingn23]

There's no Star power. LBJ is old and after him who else is there. Zion is often hurt and wrapped up in off the court drama. Same with Ja, and KD is in AZ and a non factor and also old. Paul G is often hurt as is Kawai and Embid. All of this load management and hence all we're left with is Luka (who's not attractive to western fans) and maybe Tatum or Greek freak( again another foreigner? So the nba has nobody the younger generation can really galvanize around. And for the older fan the game is pure tissue paper soft, and a 3pt shoot out each night. Which in comparison to the NFL which thrives off physicality its just not as appealing to most men, and even most women.

This tends to happen to the nba as their once primer star(s) start to age, so once they find the new it guy ratings will increase again. I think that person is FLagg although like anyone he needs a rival to make things compelling and with all this buddy buddy business the nba has adapted (Thank you LBJ), it might be hard to create the settings for that. So I think if I was the NBA I would work on finding ways to generate rivalries somehow. With this in season tournament and I think things will improve.

[Axolotl]

I dont think anyone is interested in spending watching what is basically one hour game with quarters and time outs to be 3h event. I myself rather watch 12 minutes highlights from games or in past i watched full game replays (without commercial) than be stuck watching bad product for 3 hours.

As a Euro, most of the games are in the small hours local time, so I very seldom watch games live. When I do, it feels weird, for the exact reason you stated: so much time, so little basketball. It is a bad product. I prefer the replays.

[sco]

I think the fact that the big NBA legacy cities with broad fan bases like LA, SF and CHI all being non-contenders this season has fan unenthusiastic. Having your new stars in SA, OKC and Memphis has to hurt viewership.

I'll add that the fact that the NBA offers single-team season offers has me watching on my computer more than my TV.

[kodo]

I think the overall societal metrics are moving against live sports in general, but the NBA definitely has some specific problems of its own.

Really? I thought live sports was doing better than every content stream outside of YouTube/Tik Tok etc.

It’s possible my info’s out of date though.

Just to be clear, I wasn't thinking about it real deeply. Just my observation is that it feels to me like live sports (especially on TV) are not gaining as much traction with young people as they did in the past. Seems like a lot of short form content is bigger and just competition from other forms of entertainment seem to be drawing away attention.

As noted, I don't think that's the NBA's short term problem right now, just a random thought I suppose.

Agreed it's just a general trend the younger the fans are, and there's really nothing specifically the NBA is doing poorly on a macro level.

https://www.ft.com/content/c9aef9e4-11f7-4c27-be1d-a70e4811875f
Watch Sports on Live TV:
- 55+: 75%
- 45-54: 55%
- 35-44: 45%
- 25-34: 35%
- 18-24: 30%

The trend is flipped for non-live content online, social media, etc..
Younger generations just want everything faster, quicker, on-demand, short form, etc..

A lot of the things we all complain about are because we're hardcore, invested fans already. It's not like I'm going to stop watching the NBA if they don't slow down 3s. I'll just complain as I watch.

[Mk0]

Want an idea that will drastically change the dynamic of the NBA? Eliminate the 3pt shot! Or at minimum, move the line farther back so it can't be relied on so much.

This would turn the game back a few decades where games are won or lost in the paint with the skills necessary to thrive there, and less by an increasing number of players who can get hot from the 3pt line. The 3pt shooters basically represent one skill set, while the game played in the paint requires different and varied skill sets. Outside shooting still has it's place, but I think it's current dominance at the 3pt line is part of the reason that folks are turning the channel during the regular season.

Just my 2 cents worth.

-Cager

Eliminating the corner 3 would change the game pretty dramatically. Just have it taper off the sides instead of getting shorter.

[Ccwatercraft]

Personally, beginning of the season and end of the season (if team is play-in / playoff caliber) is when I watch the most games. It’s the middle part where I tend to tune out

I'm very similar, I run Into a bit of burnout somewhere in the middle, end up with 4 unwatched games on the dvr, but already know the score. Then I pick back up again after a spell. Before and after all star break I add a few days off.

[Sonny_D1]

I stopped watching the Bulls years ago b/c I hate Reinsdorf who doesn’t GAF about the fans. Shortly after I stopped watching the NBA entirely b/c I was no longer interested in watching games of horse. In fact, I’m only here b/c I came across a trade rumor blurb of LaVine for MPJ on a random Google search and figured the fine boys at PSD would know more. Bottom line for me, the game of basketball is nothing but a long drawn out game of horse. When the league began calling hand checking fouls is when the product went to crap IMO.

[MalagaBulls]

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[erdamon]

The nba has been hemorrhaging viewers since Jordan retired. It’s down around 2/3 from its peak in 98.

The league made multiple rule changes to increase viewership over the last 25 years that I think it’s killing rh product. With all the changes to traveling, carrying, palming, the gather step, etc the game is just knock off and1. When combined with the defensive changes it’s made the 3 point shot too easy which has homogenized the league.

Then you add load management, a lack of superstars, unlikable attempts at stars.

I think the league is in a bubble. It’s been artificially valued based on live sports for a while. And was massively helped by an influx of streaming money with the last deal. I would expect the next deal to contract.

[The Force.]

The irony is there's probably more parity in the league now than there has been in decades. There aren't really any superteams so picking the finals matchup is sort of a toss-up. Basketball purists should be elated.

With that said, I think the viewership decline has less to dow with style of play and more to do with the amount of games and lack of transcendent superstars. Fewer games would result in less injuries and more anticipation for certain matchups. Aside from that stars personify the modern NBA.

Side note, traditional TV viewership is generally declining across most sports.

[jnrjr79]

Want an idea that will drastically change the dynamic of the NBA? Eliminate the 3pt shot! Or at minimum, move the line farther back so it can't be relied on so much.

This would turn the game back a few decades where games are won or lost in the paint with the skills necessary to thrive there, and less by an increasing number of players who can get hot from the 3pt line. The 3pt shooters basically represent one skill set, while the game played in the paint requires different and varied skill sets. Outside shooting still has it's place, but I think it's current dominance at the 3pt line is part of the reason that folks are turning the channel during the regular season.

Just my 2 cents worth.

-Cager

Eliminating the corner 3 would change the game pretty dramatically. Just have it taper off the sides instead of getting shorter.

Gotta widen the court to do this, but that might also be interesting/good for the game as well.