Fewer people are watching the NBA than in previous years, including some of the sport’s top names.
Ratings for NBA games on ABC, ESPN, TNT and NBA TV are down 25% through Saturday, according to Sports Media Watch, and there are many ideas floating about why.
Three-pointer propensity and lack of defense are the two main bugaboos observers point to.
And it’s become clear that players rest more often than they used to and that the regular season has been watered down in recent years.
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Boston Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla reacts during the first half against the Milwaukee Bucks at TD Garden in Boston Oct. 28, 2024. (Paul Rutherford/Imagn Images)
Boston Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla was asked about the declining ratings, and one would think the coach of the reigning champions would defend his game. But that was not the case.
“I add to that I don’t watch NBA games. I’m just as much of a problem as everyone else,” Mazzulla admitted, adding he’d “rather watch something else.
“I don’t like watching the games.”
Boston Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla during the second half at TD Garden Jan. 19, 2023, in Boston. (Maddie Meyer/Getty Images)
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NBA Commissioner Adam Silver recently pointed to “the decline of cable” TV as a factor in the lower ratings.
“Our young audience isn’t subscribing to cable, and those fans aren’t finding our games,” he said.
The NBA has attempted to rejuvenate the regular season by adding the NBA Cup, which ended this week with the Milwaukee Bucks victorious in Las Vegas. However, most fans don’t take the NBA Cup seriously despite the money at stake.
Boston Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla and forward Jayson Tatum (0) on the sideline as they take on the Denver Nuggets at TD Garden in Boston Jan. 19, 2024. (David Butler II/USA Today Sports)
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It should be noted that TV ratings for men’s college basketball and the NHL are also down 21% and 28%, respectively, from last season. Women’s college basketball is also down 38%, but Caitlin Clark also drew historic numbers that were bound to come down.
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