NBA TV Viewership Down: Warriors Dominance to Blame

[LivingLegend]

Or you live in a place like where I live where the only internet you can get is 6 mbps and with a data cap. So by the end of the month if you stream the quality is extremely poor and you end up with a 200+ dollar internet bill. I tried the cutting cable thing, Im back with DirectTv now.

Right, rolling with a cord cutting streaming service only makes sense to me if your able to get good internet for around $40/$50 per month--which I have yet to see anyone able to. I also cant get past the stream delay thing. Unless boxes become obsolete I dont think I will ever be able to make the switch.

Interesting.

I'm in a mountain town and have highspeed internet for $65 (can stream essentially as many HD streams as need be. Regularly have 4-5 going if I'm home and have bets going), Netflix ($12), ESPN+/Disney/Hulu bundle for $12, along with Amazon Prime (would have it anyway) and I'm all set for under $100. Plus I have a FireTV 4k (not pricey) that has apps like Pluto TV which is just free cable TV.
There's no delay anymore on any HD streams that I would theoretically use for sports, and they've become 100% reliable.

Does Pluto have local sports networks or is it just national coverage? I live in Ohio so there are 2 local channels FSO/STO that carry all of the Cavs/Indians games.

[ThunderBolt]

then stream and mirrorcast? and doesn't nba.com have an app?

I’m talking about using the nba app for Apple TV and Roku so I don’t have to watch it on my tablet. The apps are poorly designed and freeze over WiFi. I can plug one device into the modem but whichever one is on WiFi constantly freezes. It’s not my internet because this is the only streaming tv app that does it. I don’t mind paying the subscription but it’s unwatchable in my bedroom.

so it goes wifi to tv and then the app?. and the stream also freezes on other devices? or is it tv app specific?

if i understand correctly you have problems only with one specific app and only on your tv?

mainly wondering because i'm planning out a sports cave in my detached garage and want to do it wirelessly.

It appears to be the nba tv app for both roku and Apple TV. I never actually streamed it on my tablet so I can’t speak for that. I have Apple TV streaming WiFi and Roku plugged into the modem. Roku is better since it’s not on WiFi but both apps frequently tell me I’m not authorized to watch nba tv. So I have to reboot both devices and then it finally recognizes it.

[Tiny ball]

Product is fine. The NBA and local sports need to find a better way to stream. Pretty sure they have no way to account for the viewers that are using steams from online. It isnt the easiest for me to watch the Kings on TV because they suck but I can always find a way online. Blaming the Warriors is a joke and sounds easier to just point fingers then look at the bigger picture.

I have to disagree. The product is lame on lots of levels. So many badly run franchises.

[Warriorfan]

Warriors were scheduled so much just like in the past since they were the 2nd most watched team next to the home team across the league.

Lakers and Lebron with a title can fit this slot of saturation

[Pennebaker]

https://awfulannouncing.com/nba/nba-ratings-are-down-13-locally-and-the-warriors-have-taken-a-shocking-66-local-hit.html

Local ratings for 27 of the NBA’s 30 teams (with the Utah Jazz, Memphis Grizzlies, and Toronto Raptors not included) are in at the league’s All-Star Break, and the news is not very good for the Association.

According to the ratings data compiled by the Sports Business Journal, those 27 teams are down 13% on their local RSNs, with 14 of the 27 experiencing declines in viewership. This news follows a similar trend to the national landscape, where ratings have dropped by 12%, from 10% on ESPN to to 13% on TNT and 16% on ABC.

I think this was caused by a combination of things but the end of the Golden State dynasty is absolutely a factor. The collapse of the Warriors is like when Lehman Brothers collapsed in 2008 and started the Great Recession.

The league experienced similar ratings declines after the 1998 Bulls split and after the Shaq/Kobe Lakers broke up.

The NBA is once again in transition - it hit the reset button - and the ratings are reflecting that.

Also I think this reinforces the idea that parity in the NBA is not attractive to the public. The public seems to like the NBA with an obvious dominant team - ideally a dynasty - the hero - and a villain, or an underdog (David and Goliath), and this year none of that is apparent.

[Rendei]

So except for the Jazz, Raptors and Grizzlies, even local ratings are down??? That’s really interesting and not good.

No, that's not it. I guess they didn't have data on those 3. 14 of the remaining 27 have had their local ratings go down. The Bucks, for example, have their highest local ratings in 20 years.

There's an overall decrease in local ratings, but that should be weighted by the larger markets like New York and Chicago. Since the number of teams experiencing a decrease is very close to 50%.

[dc]

Also I think this reinforces the idea that parity in the NBA is not attractive to the public. The public seems to like the NBA with an obvious dominant team - ideally a dynasty - the hero - and a villain, or an underdog (David and Goliath), and this year none of that is apparent.

This was never even a debate.

Everyone refers to the "Golden Age" of the NBA as the 1980s, when it was the Lakers and Celtics combining for 13 out of 20 possible Finals appearances between them. That was easily the most lopsided era of NBA basketball yet people loved it and still romanticize it. The people who talk about parity and such now are probably the same casual fans back then who didn't care about Magic and the Lakers stomping all over their local teams year after year because they just wanted to see Magic vs. Larry in the Finals.

Fans like seeing dominant teams. They either want to see a dominant team vs. another dominant team or they want to see if some other team can take down that dominant team. That's how it's always been.

Case in point: When the Warriors opened 2015 with 24 straight wins, all you would see on fan boards of various team was posts that would say "I hope the Warriors win tonight to continue that streak so our team can be the ones who finally end it."

[Greyhound]

Good.

It means that people are wising up, and not falling for the racket these TV companies are pulling with local sports (NBA in particular).

I can’t speak for all sports, and I cannot speak for everyone (but in my situation), I have NBA league pass (which comes with NBA TV) and I am still unable to watch my local basketball games.

The NBA blacks out all out of market feeds involving my local team and my TV provider wants me to upgrade to a base package that is about 20 dollars a month more expensive then the one I currently have (and barely watch). Just to watch my local basketball team play.

I told them to eat it, and I have not watched my local team (in non nationally televised games) for the past three seasons. I refuse to be shaken down for an additional 20 dollars a month, when I have already paid full price for NBA league pass. Sports are all I watch on cable, my wife barely watches it and my kids never watch cable. We have Netflix, Hulu, Disney plus, and Amazon Prime, so my kids either play video games or watch one of those streamers.

I can barely justify why I still pay for cable (as things currently stand), I for damn sure will not be upgrading to some fancy package (I will get no use out of) just to see my local team play.

———-


If I did not have league pass, NBA TV would fall down the same rabbit hole. I would have to upgrade my base package to some ridiculous (expensive) base package, just to get it.

This type of crap does not happen to football fans (in my market). All they need to view their local games (in most instances) is a TV and an over air antenna.

———-

I am not sure how wide spread this sort of thing Is, but I can see young folks throwing their hands up and going the illegal stream route.

Really, who wants to pay for five different discovery channels and the Oprah network just to see their local team play?

Not me.

[VDT]

Part of the problem is how the game evolved and part of the problem is the power player's have.

The Nba has always been marketing the stars more than the teams, and it makes sense in a sport with only 5 players the individual can have much more influence on the game. So in a way Nba was always a bit of a hero and hero ball sport. That was certainly true post Jordan. Now the Nba has largely (d)evolved into 3 point chucking which apart from being ubiquitous around the league is also a way of playing that doesnt emphasize the individual. You just have random players chucking 3s (including a lot of today's stars). It was a novelty but at some point it gets old when every team is doing the same thing. Ref baiting, both offensive and defensive, is also a major turn off as it cheapens the whole experience. This becomes exacerbated when it happens in games with no defense and constant 3 point barrages. Constant stoppages are also a nuisance.

The second thing is the that the whole collusion issue kills a lot of potential rivalries, alienates small market fan bases and again tends to cheapens the whole experience.

Basketball, like all sports, is first and foremost entertainment and trying to game the system, even if it is the most efficient way to win, hurts the game itself. Teams and players are there to provide entertainment not to win, it just so happens that watching teams and players competing for the win/title is usually entertaining, not always though. Ref baiting, abusing the 3point shot or colluding with other stars may help players get the win or the title but for most of the fans is not necessarily entertaining.

[GusFring]

but now that the Warriors are gone and the league is more competitive more people are gonna watch?

right? right? amirite?

Turns out a team that plays nothing but beautiful team first basketball is actually good for the league. Who knew realgm could ever be wrong.

[floppymoose]

the NBA basically begged me to cancel league pass after being a customer for 10 years. every year they gutted features and redid the whole UX. when I first bought it, you could open 4 games at a time, pause, rewind, etc. at any point. the last year I had it, a couple seasons ago, it was one game at a time with no ability to rewind. meaning if you started watching late you couldn't watch from the start and catch up by skipping commercials.

they also added forced ads that played over the video so you couldn't skip them, like this is fckin free youtube and not a premium subscription service that costs $200. it was insulting. they robbed me for several years.

Yes, they have a terrible product. It's right up there with Steam and iTunes for worst product of all time, in that it has a real demand, but a monopoly has led to a product that represents short term interests of the provider rather than long term interests of customers.

I'm a longtime nba fan, would love to be able to watch any game at any time commercial free with a quality stream and dvr-like features, and would pay like $250 a year for that. That's easy money. It's all solved technology off-the-shelf stuff. But the nba has no idea how to run that business so instead they missed out on a decade of revenue from me and many others.

[floppymoose]

Oh and I love how people are taking my thread title seriously and acting like that is the reason.

[Brofessor24]

Also I think this reinforces the idea that parity in the NBA is not attractive to the public. The public seems to like the NBA with an obvious dominant team - ideally a dynasty - the hero - and a villain, or an underdog (David and Goliath), and this year none of that is apparent.

This was never even a debate.

Everyone refers to the "Golden Age" of the NBA as the 1980s, when it was the Lakers and Celtics combining for 13 out of 20 possible Finals appearances between them. That was easily the most lopsided era of NBA basketball yet people loved it and still romanticize it. The people who talk about parity and such now are probably the same casual fans back then who didn't care about Magic and the Lakers stomping all over their local teams year after year because they just wanted to see Magic vs. Larry in the Finals.

Fans like seeing dominant teams. They either want to see a dominant team vs. another dominant team or they want to see if some other team can take down that dominant team. That's how it's always been.

Case in point: When the Warriors opened 2015 with 24 straight wins, all you would see on fan boards of various team was posts that would say "I hope the Warriors win tonight to continue that streak so our team can be the ones who finally end it."

I agree with your take.

Inb4 "b-but what about muh parity? I want the playing field to be even to help my small market team."

[DaPessimist]

You guys should do some research into how they get these cable viewership numbers. Long story short, it's an incredibly inaccurate estimate that's in constant decline.

Now, streaming services can actually monitor their users and provide accurate viewership numbers.

[Pharmcat]

No one likes this Chuck and duck analytics product teams are putting out there , the ratings reflect that

[Johnny Bball]

Nah ... Parity and teams having a chance to win on any given night isn't important. Just market stars and ignore team play and ref it the same way. I have no idea when the NBA is ever going to get it.

[jokeboy86]

Wonder if local MLB ratings are higher than their NBA counterparts. That would kind of counter the national media narrative that the pro basketball is substantially more popular in this country than major league baseball.

[LakerLegend]

Wonder if local MLB ratings are higher than their NBA counterparts. That would kind of counter the national media narrative that the pro basketball is substantially more popular in this country than major league baseball.

No it wouldn't. The NBA has a much younger fanbase who are more likely to be streaming, out and about with busier lives etc.

Baseball is an antiquated sport. No one wants to sit there for 4 hours watching guys pitch every 15 seconds.

Edit: Good lord I was being generous, it's actually over 20 seconds between pitches.

[DaFan334]

I am surprised that the Denver Nuggets are included in this number seeing as their regional sports ratings are down near at least 66% due to their network (Altitude Sports) being in contract disputes with the 3 major TV providers in the area, only thus far coming to an agreement with DirecTV.

Adam Silver brought this up at the All Star break and mentioned that it is making teams league-wide look into alternative methods of broadcasting. I wouldn't be shocked if it leads to league-wide streaming of some sort.

[TravisScott55]

The on court product is trash that's why.