Love it or hate it, the NBA continues to be wildly successful in the modern sports world. According to the latest numbers, viewership is up across the board in the first three games of this season, and things are expected to keep trending upward over the next few years.
“Despite Opening Night viewership being down 16% from last year, the next two nights were up,” wrote Real GM’s Jon Lewis. “ESPN on Wednesday saw an 80% bump, while TNT on Thursday saw an 18% bump over a year ago. All six nationally televised games have seen at least two million viewers. That’s the longest streak to start a season in nearly a decade.”
The NBA schedule has been pretty good so far this season, with multiple marquee matchups being featured in the first week of action. Up to this point, it’s been business as usual for the NBA as chaos continues to break out around the world but the numbers are still up overall and it’s a good sign about where the NBA stands in regard to their fans and the future of their brand.
NBA Expansion Teams Are On The Way
The NBA should be very encouraged by that they’re seeing this campaign. The vibes have been immaculate to start the season and the countless storylines for teams and players are sure to keep the fans engaged all year long. That’s not to mention the implementation of the in-season tournament, which will no doubt bring even more eyes and attention to the NBA product. So, with business booming, it’s no surprise that the NBA is moving towards adding additional teams to the 30 existing basketball clubs.
According to Adam Silver, the NBA’s financial prosperity could lead to expansion teams within the next five years and teams like Seattle, Las Vegas, and even Mexico City are at the top of the list. Only time will tell what the NBA season looks like in 10 years, but it’s not hard to tell which way things are trending. As the NBA audience expands and develops, we will see more and more opportunities for players and teams to prosper, but the NBA will also have to address some of the gripes of fans if they want to keep their forward momentum.
Fans Want Change
While the NBA seems to be doing pretty well right now, not everything has been given the support of fans. In fact, there are several issues that threaten to impede the growth of the NBA. First, fans want to see the end of load management which has become a growing trend among players in recent years. After years of watching players sit out games for no good reason at all, people have had enough of giving athletes a pass to not show up to work.
Additionally, the rise of super teams is also a threat to the NBA’s popularity. With stars going out of their way to team up with each other, it has destroyed parity across the league and fans prefer for the NBA to be less predictable than it’s been recently. Wherever you stand on these issues, the league may have to address them in some way if they want to truly maximize their growth and give their fans the best experience possible. Until then, it’ll be interesting to see how the numbers rise and fall over time.
We sincerely appreciate and respect you as a reader of our site. It would help us a lot if you follow us on Google News because of the latest update.
Thanks for following us. We really appreciate your support.
