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Afternoon Edition

December 18, 2024

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Adam Silver acknowledged Tuesday night that this season’s NBA ratings are “down a bit.” He resisted the hypothesis that the meteoric rise in three-point shooting is to blame, saying the league’s audience remains large and identifying cord-cutting as a problem.

Will the league’s shift from cable to streaming next year provide a solution? Or are broader interventions—perhaps rule changes—required?

— Eric Fisher [[link removed]] and David Rumsey [[link removed]]

Is NBA Ratings Dip a True Sign of Diminished Interest? It’s Complicated [[link removed]]

Candice Ward-Imagn Images

NBA commissioner Adam Silver is well aware the league has potentially serious issues—on the court and on television—but he still sees a fruitful path forward on both fronts.

Speaking before the Emirates NBA Cup final on Tuesday [[link removed]] in Las Vegas won by the Bucks, Silver acknowledged “ratings are down a bit” [[link removed]] for the league, part of a double-digit percentage decline that has become one of the key storylines [[link removed]] for the league’s still-young season. The audience retreat also applies to the Emirates NBA Cup itself [[link removed]], which concluded without a marquee, large-market team such as the Lakers or Knicks.

The commissioner, however, said the league’s issues on linear television are not unlike many other forms of programming, both in sports and not, and are in the midst of a redefinition as streaming continues to be more dominant [[link removed]].

“We’re almost at the inflection point where people are watching more programming on streaming than they are on traditional television,” Silver said. “And it’s a reason why for our new television deals [[link removed]], which we will enter into next year, every game is going to be available on a streaming service. … It’s going to allow us from a production standpoint to do all kinds of things that you can’t do through traditional television.”

Silver also touted the NBA’s global social media following of more than two billion people, which isn’t measured by traditional television metrics.

“We’re at a point where our social media audience is at the highest of any league and continuing to grow exponentially,” he said. “So [the ratings decline] is not a lack of interest in the game.”

The NBA, of course, is not alone in grappling with these issues as other major winter sports such as the NHL and men’s and women’s college basketball also have seen their early audiences decline by more than 20% [[link removed]].

Styles of Play

Silver, meanwhile, also reflected on the continual rise of three-point shooting across the league that has reached record-setting levels, but he resisted any suggestion that a reduction in midrange and low-post play is leading to less viewership.

“[The NBA is having] many discussions about the style of basketball,” he said. “[We’re looking] holistically at the skill level on the floor, the diversity of offense, the fan reception to the game—all of the above. I think the game is in a great place. I love watching the games, and I think we have some of the most skilled athletes in the world competing.”

The defending champion Celtics, averaging more than 51 attempted three-pointers per game so far this season, are particularly reflecting the new-look nature of the league. The Warriors and Mavericks recently set a record by collectively making 48 three-pointers in a game [[link removed]].

The wide-angle consideration of the aesthetic appeal of NBA play is somewhat similar to MLB’s self-examination of its on-field product in recent years, which has led to the successful introduction [[link removed]] of a pitch clock, larger bases, and a ban on extreme defensive shifts. But Silver said there are no simple answers.

“If I thought there was a … golden at-bat [[link removed]] sort of quick fix, I’d put it on the table,” the commissioner said, referring to the much-derided trial balloon recently discussed by MLB. “I don’t think there is one here.”

Other Cup Homes?

Silver, meanwhile, also said future semifinals and championship games for the Emirates NBA Cup may shift from Las Vegas, a potential future expansion locale [[link removed]], to home markets as Amazon Prime Video picks up coverage of the knockout rounds starting next year.

“There has been some interest expressed by teams in playing in the home markets,” he said. “I think I’m not against [it, but] I think the question is, ‘If we want to seriously consider that, how would that work from a scheduling standpoint?’”

Historic NFL Doubleheader Draws Nearly 40M Viewers [[link removed]]

Detroit Free Press

The NFL’s unprecedented Week 15 scheduling gambit paid off for the league big-time on the TV ratings front.

With Bills-Lions and Steelers-Eagles going head-to-head on late Sunday afternoon, CBS and Fox combined to draw nearly 40 million viewers in the 4:25 p.m. ET national broadcast window, according to Nielsen ratings.

It was just the second weekend since the 1970 NFL-AFL merger in which two separate games each involved teams with at least 10 wins, by Week 15 of the season or sooner. The NFL had moved one of its double national broadcast windows [[link removed]] (when CBS and Fox each get major distribution for their top game) from Week 1, where it’s been the last three seasons, to Week 15 this year. Another one will take place Jan. 5.

CBS averaged 23.3 million viewers [[link removed]], as Buffalo held off Detroit 48–42, according to Sports Media Watch. Fox’s audience was 16.4 million for Philadelphia’s 27–13 victory over in-state rival Pittsburgh—a game that finished about half an hour earlier than Bills-Lions.

Is Two Better Than One?

To conclude Week 15, Monday Night Football had its final doubleheader of the season [[link removed]]. Bears-Vikings kicked off on ABC at 8 p.m. ET. Falcons-Raiders began 30 minutes later on ESPN.

While specific game audiences weren’t announced, ESPN said that a nearly three-hour overlap period of the two games drew a combined average of 17.8 million viewers.

There were a record four MNF doubleheaders [[link removed]] this season, one of which included an exclusive stream on ESPN+ that reportedly drew just 1.8 million viewers [[link removed]] for a Cardinals-Chargers game.

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ONE BIG FIG The Great Divide

Kylie Graham-Imagn Images

499,900

The difference in average match viewership on linear TV between this year’s NWSL championship game and the MLS Cup final. On Nov. 23, CBS drew an audience of 967,900 as the Orlando Pride defeated the Washington Spirit for the franchise’s first NWSL title. On Dec. 7, Fox drew 468,000 viewers for the Galaxy’s victory over the New York Red Bulls to claim Los Angeles’s fifth MLS crown. Streaming viewership for the MLS match on Apple TV has not been released.

STATUS REPORT Two Up, Two Down

Joe Camporeale-Imagn Images

Braves ⬆ Even after returning to Diamond Sports Group as part of that company’s recent reorganization [[link removed]], the MLB club has struck a supplemental, over-the-air rights deal with Gray Media to show a small package of games on local broadcast stations, covering 24 markets in six states. The multiyear deal will start with 15 regular-season games and 10 spring training simulcasts during the 2025 season shown on various Gray affiliate stations alongside coverage on DSG’s FanDuel Sports Network. “This partnership makes Braves baseball even more accessible, allowing fans throughout Braves country the ability to watch in a way that best suits them, whether that is on cable, local TV, or streaming,” said Braves president and CEO Derek Schiller.

Kirk Cousins ⬇ The Falcons benched their starting quarterback, who signed a four-year, $180 million contract with Atlanta this offseason, in favor of rookie Michael Penix Jr., the eighth pick in the 2024 NFL Draft. Releasing or trading Cousins would be a costly move for the Falcons [[link removed]].

Denver ⬆ The Colorado market is now in a lead position to win the NWSL’s latest expansion derby, according to multiple reports, by entering into exclusive talks with the league. The deal is poised to be for between $105 million and $120 million, a sum that would roughly double the $53 million expansion fees each paid for franchises in the Bay Area and Boston. Denver’s likely win would see the market prevail over competing bids from Cleveland and Cincinnati, the latter of which includes WNBA superstar Caitlin Clark. Before last month’s NWSL title game, league commissioner Jessica Berman praised the presence of Clark [[link removed]], but the Denver bid—led by IMA Financial Group CEO Robert Cohen—would also add to a Rocky Mountain–area presence for the league that also includes this year’s return of the Utah Royals.

Marco Penge ⬇ The English golfer was handed a three-month suspension from the DP World Tour for placing bets on multiple golf events. Even though Penge, who is ranked No. 414 in the world, did not bet on himself or tournaments during the days when he was participating, it was still a breach of the tour’s rules. He was also fined roughly $2,090.

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Conversation Starters The Suns introduced a $2 concessions menu for all home games, with owner Mat Ishbia emphasizing the need for affordable options for families. Check it out [[link removed]]. Rory McIlroy and Scottie Scheffler each earned $5 million in cryptocurrency [[link removed]] for their victory in the “Crypto.com Showdown,” with Scheffler noting it’s a good incentive to learn more about crypto. EA Sports College Football 25 has officially become the best-selling sports video game [[link removed]] in U.S. history, according to Insider Gaming. Editors’ Picks Charles Barkley Defends LIV Golf During TNT’s PGA Tour ‘Showdown’ [[link removed]]by David Rumsey [[link removed]]Barkley was a commentator for the “Crypto.com Showdown” on TNT. D.C. Emerges As Top Contender for New Commanders Stadium [[link removed]]by A.J. Perez [[link removed]]A Commanders return to RFK Stadium took a major step forward this week. Trump Taps Herschel Walker for Ambassadorship That Has Sat Empty for 13 Years [[link removed]]by Margaret Fleming [[link removed]]The Heisman winner and former NFL player had a failed Senate run. DISCLAIMER

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