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The NBA has a ratings issue on its hands.
Before the start of the season, the NBA found itself at the center of controversy when Joel Embiid openly admitted to sitting out during the Sixers opening game to preserve his health.
Embiid’s comments received immediate backlash from fans who planned to tune in and watch him play against the Bucks.
Embiid opted not to play, and ESPN’s ratings were down nearly 800k viewers for their opening night game from 2023.
Via Awful Announcing
The Milwaukee Bucks and Philadelphia 76ers opened ESPN’s 2024 season with 1.71 million viewers, down from 2.55 million viewers for the Boston Celtics and New York Knicks in 2023. The Phoenix Suns and Los Angeles Clippers drew 1.52 million viewers, down 49% from last year’s comparable game.
According to Awful Announcing, the NBA’s ratings have been down big this year.
H/T TheDunkCentral
• ESPN’s Opening Doubleheader:
•Averaged 1.6 million viewers, down 42% from 2023’s debut with Victor Wembanyama.• Bucks vs. 76ers: 1.71 million viewers (down from 2.55 million for Celtics vs. Knicks in 2023).
• Suns vs. Clippers: 1.52 million viewers, down 49% from last year’s comparable game.
• TNT’s Thursday Game (Spurs vs. Mavericks): 1.45 million viewers, a 29% decrease from the previous year’s comparable game.
• ESPN’s Friday Game (Pacers vs. Knicks): 830,000 viewers, fewer than a college football game on ESPN2
Fans reacted to Awful Announcing’s report.
“You have national games where the best players aren’t playing this early in the season And you don’t do a good enough job of highlighting your young stars so that there’s interest outside of 6/7 players” said one fan.
“This is partially what happens when you need 17 subscriptions to watch every game. Include StreaEast views & viewership is probably way closer Get every game for ~$10/mo. Problem solved” commented another fan.
It seems like the NBA needs to do something drastic to attract viewers during the regular season.