TV Numbers A Growing Concern for NBA Finals
The audience is growing for Suns/Bucks:
— Marc Stein (@TheSteinLine) July 12, 2021
NBA Finals Game 2 viewership peaked at 11.1 million and, as @AustinKarp notes here, enjoyed a healthy Tuesday-to-Thursday bump. Game 3 ratings will be out tomorrow.
More NBA from me: https://t.co/A6ycVmnrjq https://t.co/TNatorY1tl pic.twitter.com/psHgZxEfts
Ratings have increased over the 2020 NBA Finals, which pitted the Miami Heat against the LA Lakers. However, last year's Finals were the lowest in NBA history, as the pandemic hit viewership numbers hard across all sports.
It's noteworthy that the NBA actually dipped the least amongst hockey and baseball playoffs numbers during the pandemic. Also of note, a recent Marist Poll indicated that the NBA's involvement in politics has hurt its ratings, as 70% of Republicans said they are less likely to watch live sports due to athletes' calls for racial justice.
ICYMI in @Ourand_SBJ's SBJ Media: An early look at local ratings in key markets suggests this year's #NBAFinals audience could be down big from 2019's Warriors-Raptors, with local numbers in three of the four biggest cities dropping more than 50%.https://t.co/1GdIQgF1we pic.twitter.com/VYvjZBwa5W
— Sports Business Journal (@sbjsbd) July 8, 2021
Some positive news to take from the ratings conversation is that both Milwaukee and Phoenix area viewership has gone way up. The two franchises, with a combined one NBA Championship, are driving solid numbers in Wisconsin and Arizona.
The 2021 #NBAFinals feature two teams whose fanbases have been waiting their entire lives for this moment https://t.co/bdjYZroWNi
— GQ Magazine (@GQMagazine) July 6, 2021
Of course, a compelling series would do wonders for ratings, and if the Bucks can cue the comeback and take Game 4 behind another dominant performance from Giannis Antetokounmpo perhaps we will continue to see the numbers rise.
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