There’s been some tremendous individual performances thus far during the NBA season. However, the intrigue just really isn’t there when it comes to a national audience.
The Los Angeles Lakers are dominating out west. A bunch of teams find themselves in the midst of the Eastern Conference race. James Harden is putting up historical numbers. Luka Doncic looks to be a legit MVP candidate.
Despite this, it seems that the average fan has tuned the NBA out through the first several weeks of the 2019-20 campaign.
Television ratings for national broadcasts on TNT are down 23% from a season ago. Meanwhile, similar broadcasts on ESPN are down 20%.
That is a dramatic decrease from just a season ago. Though, there are a few factors that have played a role in what the NBA is seeing from a viewership perspective.
This isn’t good news for NBA Commissioner Adam Silver and Co. The league had grown in popularity over the past half-decade. That’s apparently no longer the case.