2024-25 NBA running thread

[YMCA B-Baller]

As expected, the ratings stunk:

https://www.sportsmediawatch.com/2025/02/nba-all-star-viewership-decline-tnt/

Not that it makes much difference. The NBA is increasingly a niche product designed for corporate America to reach a certain younger demographic that likes to spend money, watch viral videos and tool around on social media.

I'm not here to defend the NBA All-Star Game. It was dumb and what I watched of it sucked.

I am here to cry out that we need to stop using ratings as an end-all, be-all. The media landscape is too fragmented to use it as a historical barometer.

In addition, the NBA All-Star Game was up against the SNL reunion show, and unexpectedly, against the Daytona 500. Is that level of competition analogous to previous years? The game was also on TNT, which is going to knock the rating down by itself.

I will never understand why "share" doesn't get more traction than "ratings". At least share gives you an idea of where a program ranked against its competition.

Share numbers are probably way down historically from the three-network days, but you can see where something ranks in its timeslot more accurately.

Interpreting Nielsen data is interesting. For example, on their web site, Nielsen lists where viewers come from. In January, it was 42.6% streaming, 24.4% cable, 22.5% broadcast and 10.5% other.

Read that a certain way, and it seems like networks are headed for extinction, but Nielsen provides the breakdown of where those streaming numbers are coming from and no entity, not even OG Youtube, has half the audience cable or broadcast have.

My point is that it's a weird landscape and TV ratings can provide a window, but hardly any kind of definitive window into tastes of the public like they once could.

 

[PCLoadLetter]

The All-Star weekend broadcasts were (a) borderline unwatchable and (b) on opposite much, much better programming. I'm an NBA diehard and I switched to USA-Canada hockey Saturday night.

 

[Alma]

You've just described every Baby Boomer I meet. Other than my internet-less parents.

Everybody is that demographic. They may not like basketball, but that's everybody in 2025.

Football has won. It has long enough breaks between plays to allow for scrolling and enough violence to keep them interested. Trying to critique any sport other than it is useless. The iPhone made it the only sport that matters from here on out, for all generations.

It isn't politics. Golf and tennis are dying, too. It isn't skill. Baseball is played at a higher level than ever. People only have space in their brain for a five-second play before needing to look down again. All people at this point. I've stopped trying to win them over or fight it. Watch it, don't watch it. Basketball will eventually come to grips with it the way baseball has.

If Jokic and Giannis and Ant and Luka just don't entertain people enough, no marketing or change will satiate them. They just don't like basketball. I think players resting too much is a problem, but in the end people just don't like basketball very much.

I think the NBA as a league has consciously decided to be TikTok/Instagram/YouTube shorts-focused operation, in part because of the phone.

The in-arena product is hurt by players resting - I've experienced this myself - but a lot of players don't care and egoists like Pop absolutely don't care.

Caitlin Clark played 85% of the minutes available to her in her Iowa career, though. Not 85% of her games. I believe she played 100% of her games. She played 4,832 minutes - 35 minutes a game, even in the blowouts. Then signed autographs sometimes for an hour after the game. That's how what's she's done for the WNBA got built. JuJu Watkins is doing the same thing.

 

[franticscribe]

The All-Star weekend broadcasts were (a) borderline unwatchable and (b) on opposite much, much better programming. I'm an NBA diehard and I switched to USA-Canada hockey Saturday night.

I'm an NBA die-hard and was watching the Daytona 500 and Nascar is my least favorite form of auto racing. I'll watch a random weeknight game between just about any two teams on League Pass but I haven't been remotely interested in the All-Star Game in over a decade.

 

[YMCA B-Baller]

I'm an NBA die-hard and was watching the Daytona 500 and Nascar is my least favorite form of auto racing. I'll watch a random weeknight game between just about any two teams on League Pass but I haven't been remotely interested in the All-Star Game in over a decade.

Pretty much true for all All-Star Games.

 

[YMCA B-Baller]

I think the NBA as a league has consciously decided to be TikTok/Instagram/YouTube shorts-focused operation, in part because of the phone.

The in-arena product is hurt by players resting - I've experienced this myself - but a lot of players don't care and egoists like Pop absolutely don't care.

Caitlin Clark played 85% of the minutes available to her in her Iowa career, though. Not 85% of her games. I believe she played 100% of her games. She played 4,832 minutes - 35 minutes a game, even in the blowouts. Then signed autographs sometimes for an hour after the game. That's how what's she's done for the WNBA got built. JuJu Watkins is doing the same thing.

Load management is definitely an issue. I think it's terrible for the product. I think baseball has a similar issue with pitchers being treated with kid gloves. I have also been to NBA games that the star skipped and it sucks to the point where I hesitate to buy a ticket.

Problem is, from a game theory standpoint, it makes total sense. There's no shortage of diehards who will argue until they're blue in the face that they don't want their star player going all 82 games.

Of course, casual fans greatly out-number diehards so it's a bad look. It's a tough nut to crack as no players association in a million years is going to acquiesce to anything that pays players by time on the court.

 

[Twirling Time]

Tennis is lagging in the U.S. only because it's been almost 22 years since an American has won a men's Grand Slam event. All golf needs is someone to embark on a Tiger-like run of dominance and the eyeballs will return.

 

[Webster]

College players play twice a week and 30ish games a year (and I don't know why it is honorable for Clark to play in games long decided). I'm no fan of load management, but if you have a team securely in the playoffs, why would you risk overplaying someone coming off of an injury or who would benefit from increased rest?

 

[PCLoadLetter]

College players play twice a week and 30ish games a year (and I don't know why it is honorable for Clark to play in games long decided). I'm no fan of load management, but if you have a team securely in the playoffs, why would you risk overplaying someone coming off of an injury or who would benefit from increased rest?

I think the two best things the NBA could do to boost the quality of play is reduce the schedule to about 74 games and move out the three point line. Playing fewer games over the same period of time will greatly reduce load management and likely lead to fewer injuries. And yes, I'm well aware of why it's extremely unlikely to happen. I think the three point line may get moved before long, though.

 

[Webster]

Teams and players are never going to agree to the reduction in revenue which would come from a decrease in games.

 

[DanielSimpsonDay]

good with less games played not less games paid

 

[Cosmo]

Tennis is lagging in the U.S. only because it's been almost 22 years since an American has won a men's Grand Slam event. All golf needs is someone to embark on a Tiger-like run of dominance and the eyeballs will return.

Until some dumbass Louisville cop forked things up last year, we were on the verge of that with Scottie. Without the arrest, I firmly believe he wins the PGA and heads to Pinehurst with the Slam still in his sights and the viewership for the U.S. Open would have been off the charts.

Professional golf and the TV product have its issues, but it's not dying at the recreational level. It's the complete opposite, actually. Participation continues to surge nationally. My association has had significant YOY increases in membership in each of the last six years. I think the PGA/LIV thing gets figured out here somewhat soon, and that should help boost the TV product again.

To Alma's point, Simmons had some of his fellow Ringer guys on his pod some time ago, and he made the exact same point. He's an avid consumer of NBA content but hardly ever watches the actual games. The regular-season game is pretty unwatchable (and also very difficult to bet on, with all of the load management and injuries). The playoffs should be super interesting this year, especially in the West where it's completely wide open. OKC is great but still hasn't proven itself in the postseason, and there are 10 other teams capable of making a deep run if they get hot at the right time.