Damn! Not even LeBron could help the ratings...

[dbreiden83080]

I think a reason the American public at large isn't tuning in, besides the lack of a team from a major media market, is that the American public is largely ignorant of the game. It takes a transcendent star(s) from a major media market to pull in the public (which, let's not forget, is the same public that tunes in droves to American Idol and other crap). It's no surprise that the Finals in the last 10 to 15 years that garnered the largest shares featured a Magic, Jordan, Bird, or a combo of Shaq and Kobe.

Also, the league in general has lost some of what it used to be in the 80s. Just look at the following:



The league has to compete with a lot more in the way of entertainment nowadays. 500 or so channels on cable plus the internets. Gone are the days of just 3 major networks with 3 major professional sports leagues. Anyways, take a look at the ratings for last year's Finals:



Two new teams to the Finals, one with arguably the most dominant bigman of the era and the other with a flashy high scoring team from a large market. Another way to look at it is you move Shaq out of LA and team him with a relative unknown guard like Wade instead of Bryant and you have a 30% or so drop in the ratings.

In any event, I'll leave it to the goobers of middle America to disparage the game based on popularity while I watch my favorite team march to yet another championship.

All good points but i do think Stern needs to take a look at how they are promoting these games. The TV deal is up and they are doing the new contract he should take a step back. This is a finals that has a team on it's to maybe a dynasty and it's brightest young star in his first finals and the ratings are the worst ever. That is an alarming formula right there for the NBA to be in this spot. The league is in deep if the ratings for the finals are only good when the Lakers get there. You said it last years finals with Shaq and Wade not much better in terms of ratings. I really think they need to start doing these games like NBC did which is make sure almost all the major playoff games are on ABC in primetime. No more TNT and ESPN doing conference finals. They need to restructure the way they promote the games to the fans.

[Marcus Bryant]

Not sure if this has been touched upon in the thread, but the double whammy of Jordan not making it back to a Finals after '98 plus the lockout took their toll on the league's popularity in the US

1996 BULLS VS SONICS 16.7
1997 BULLS VS JAZZ 16.8
1998 BULLS VS JAZZ 18.7
1999 SPURS VS KNICKS 11.3
2000 LAKERS VS PACERS 11.6
2001 LAKERS VS SIXERS 12.1
2002 LAKERS VS NETS 10.2
2003 SPURS VS NETS 6.5
2004 PISTONS VS LAKERS 11.5
2005 SPURS VS PISTONS 8.2
2006 HEAT VS MAVERICKS 8.5

The last 3 Bulls championship teams pulled larger ratings than the Kobe/Shaq Lakers were ever able to, despite both teams running off 3 les in a row. And that was with the Bulls playing a small market Jazz team twice while the Lakers of 2000-02 faced large market opponents from Philadelphia and northern New Jersey.

[dbreiden83080]

Plus America is losing interest in basketball.


NFL is where people's passion is nowadays.

That's true Marcus made good points about other forms of entertainment taking away fan interest but that has not hurt the NFL. 93 million people watched the Superbowl last year, 93 MILLION, WOW!!

[Marcus Bryant]

Yeah, this is still a football country. Also, look at where America's population is growing...in the southwest. A lot of that growth is among hispanics, which aren't exactly as interested in general with basketball as they are with baseball and the other form of football. Basketball has a lot more in common with soccer nowadays, as you have a relative smaller segment of the population who are diehard devotees.

Basketball is a sport dominated by African-Americans and an ever growing number of international players. As a segment of the population African-Americans are stagnant in terms of % of the total population. I'm sure if we take a look at the NBA's ratings outside the US they are exploding. But inside the US, Middle White America is turning away from the league. I think some of this has to do with their perception of the league. Hence why the league has opted to ins ute a dress code, among other initiatives to clean up the league's image.

[Marcus Bryant]

Plus, I would say the average American is inundated with a large amount of entertainment choices and a lot less time to check it all out. How many people out there who would turn into a NBA Finals game in the 1980s now are not because they are surfing the internets?

[Solid D]

http://findarticles.com/p/articles/m...0/ai_n13808560

More Than 105 Million Viewers Worldwide for Spurs-Pistons Game 1; Game 1 Of The Finals In the U.S. Drives ABC To No. 1 On Thursday In Adults 18-49, Adults 18-34 And Across All Key Men Demos
Business Wire, June 10, 2005
SAN ANTONIO, Tex. -- With 205 countries televising the Finals, more than 105 million viewers worldwide are estimated to have tuned in to Game 1 on Thursday, June 9. An estimated 25 million viewers in China watched Game 1 while in Argentina, home country of Spurs guard and Game 1 star Manu Ginobili, drew an estimated 2 million viewers - the most ever for an NBA telecast in the country.

In the United States, Game 1 of the 2005 NBA Finals - with close to 11 million viewers - led ABC to win Thursday night in primetime among Adults 18-49 (4.4/14), Adults 18-34 (4.2/15) and across all the key male demographics, with high double-digit wins over its nearest compe ion: Men 18-34 +45% (4.3/15), Men 18-49 +59% (4.2/16) and Men 25-54 +70% (4.6/14).
Compared to the last NBA Finals match-up not to feature the LA Lakers (2003 Game 1: New Jersey-San Antonio on 6/4/03), Game 1 of the 2005 NBA Finals was up by 13% in households, (7.2/13 vs. 6.4/11) 10% in Total Viewers (10.57 million vs. 9.6 million) by 10% among Adults 18-49 (4.4 vs. 4.0), 2% among Adults 18-34 (4.2 vs. 4.1), 16% among Men 18-49 (5.9 vs. 5.1) and 10% among Men 18-34 (5.7 vs. 5.2).

COPYRIGHT 2005 Business Wire
COPYRIGHT 2005 Gale Group

[ChumpDumper]

So what we need is Eduardo Najera, except he should be good at basketball.

[Marcus Bryant]

http://findarticles.com/p/articles/m...0/ai_n13808560

More Than 105 Million Viewers Worldwide for Spurs-Pistons Game 1; Game 1 Of The Finals In the U.S. Drives ABC To No. 1 On Thursday In Adults 18-49, Adults 18-34 And Across All Key Men Demos
Business Wire, June 10, 2005
SAN ANTONIO, Tex. -- With 205 countries televising the Finals, more than 105 million viewers worldwide are estimated to have tuned in to Game 1 on Thursday, June 9. An estimated 25 million viewers in China watched Game 1 while in Argentina, home country of Spurs guard and Game 1 star Manu Ginobili, drew an estimated 2 million viewers - the most ever for an NBA telecast in the country.

There you go.

[SA210]

http://findarticles.com/p/articles/m...0/ai_n13808560

More Than 105 Million Viewers Worldwide for Spurs-Pistons Game 1; Game 1 Of The Finals In the U.S. Drives ABC To No. 1 On Thursday In Adults 18-49, Adults 18-34 And Across All Key Men Demos
Business Wire, June 10, 2005
SAN ANTONIO, Tex. -- With 205 countries televising the Finals, more than 105 million viewers worldwide are estimated to have tuned in to Game 1 on Thursday, June 9. An estimated 25 million viewers in China watched Game 1 while in Argentina, home country of Spurs guard and Game 1 star Manu Ginobili, drew an estimated 2 million viewers - the most ever for an NBA telecast in the country.

In the United States, Game 1 of the 2005 NBA Finals - with close to 11 million viewers - led ABC to win Thursday night in primetime among Adults 18-49 (4.4/14), Adults 18-34 (4.2/15) and across all the key male demographics, with high double-digit wins over its nearest compe ion: Men 18-34 +45% (4.3/15), Men 18-49 +59% (4.2/16) and Men 25-54 +70% (4.6/14).
Compared to the last NBA Finals match-up not to feature the LA Lakers (2003 Game 1: New Jersey-San Antonio on 6/4/03), Game 1 of the 2005 NBA Finals was up by 13% in households, (7.2/13 vs. 6.4/11) 10% in Total Viewers (10.57 million vs. 9.6 million) by 10% among Adults 18-49 (4.4 vs. 4.0), 2% among Adults 18-34 (4.2 vs. 4.1), 16% among Men 18-49 (5.9 vs. 5.1) and 10% among Men 18-34 (5.7 vs. 5.2).

COPYRIGHT 2005 Business Wire
COPYRIGHT 2005 Gale Group

[SPURS REP]

Without reading every post. I will say WHO CARES about t.v. ratings. Seems to me that people just want to use it as another lame excuse to whine.
As a rep who sells licensed everything. I can tell you without any reservation that Spurs gear and all the things that go with it out sell all the other NBA teams, don't even get me started on jerseys at the NBA store..blah,blah.... Believe me, I can't tell you how many companies are happy to see the Spurs in the finals...
For that matter Cleveland, first time combined with Lebron and the sports history generates sales...There are more to these finals than TV...Merchandise and lots of it!!!
Getting grief from a Hawk fan and a King fan is pretty funny considering nobody buys their stuff OR watches them on T.V.!!!

[Aggie Hoopsfan]

True they watch the "other" teams, that's why they're high...

Actually it says more about your team (the Cavs, or is it the Suns, you keep changing...?).

The Spurs ratings have all been consistent until the drop this year playing the ty ass Cavs.

[ducks]

http://findarticles.com/p/articles/m...0/ai_n13808560

More Than 105 Million Viewers Worldwide for Spurs-Pistons Game 1; Game 1 Of The Finals In the U.S. Drives ABC To No. 1 On Thursday In Adults 18-49, Adults 18-34 And Across All Key Men Demos
Business Wire, June 10, 2005
SAN ANTONIO, Tex. -- With 205 countries televising the Finals, more than 105 million viewers worldwide are estimated to have tuned in to Game 1 on Thursday, June 9. An estimated 25 million viewers in China watched Game 1 while in Argentina, home country of Spurs guard and Game 1 star Manu Ginobili, drew an estimated 2 million viewers - the most ever for an NBA telecast in the country.

In the United States, Game 1 of the 2005 NBA Finals - with close to 11 million viewers - led ABC to win Thursday night in primetime among Adults 18-49 (4.4/14), Adults 18-34 (4.2/15) and across all the key male demographics, with high double-digit wins over its nearest compe ion: Men 18-34 +45% (4.3/15), Men 18-49 +59% (4.2/16) and Men 25-54 +70% (4.6/14).
Compared to the last NBA Finals match-up not to feature the LA Lakers (2003 Game 1: New Jersey-San Antonio on 6/4/03), Game 1 of the 2005 NBA Finals was up by 13% in households, (7.2/13 vs. 6.4/11) 10% in Total Viewers (10.57 million vs. 9.6 million) by 10% among Adults 18-49 (4.4 vs. 4.0), 2% among Adults 18-34 (4.2 vs. 4.1), 16% among Men 18-49 (5.9 vs. 5.1) and 10% among Men 18-34 (5.7 vs. 5.2).

COPYRIGHT 2005 Business Wire
COPYRIGHT 2005 Gale Group

friday night would have helped more in rating then thursday

[Fast Dunk]

I hope the ratings for Game 2 are better for the good of the NBA

[Cry Havoc]

Um... is it shocking that the ratings aren't that great this year?

San Antonio. Cleveland.

Not exactly the mega-cities of the United States.

If Chicago played the Lakers in the finals, they would be garnering HUGE ratings. It's simple, people: Population.

[Its already over]

[johnsmith]

I hope the ratings for Game 2 are better for the good of the NBA

Matched up against the series finale of the Soprano's...........don't think it's going to happen.

[Shred]

Apparenly, if you watched Game 1, you should have been So You Think You Can Dance?-ing! (At least there's dignity in getting crushed by the Sopranos head-to-head.)

[ChumpDumper]

at Cleveland's surprise at finding out nobody gives a about them.

Welcome ot the club.

[BWJACKETS]

Yeah, because the rest of the country was just completely on pins and needles anticipating the ratings grabber that could've been Cavs/Jazz, huh?

Cavs vs. Jazz would have done much bigger numbers, everybody hates San Antonio.

[ChumpDumper]

Everybody hates Cleveland too.

@ saying the JAZZ would bail you out though. That was a good one.

[Cry Havoc]

Cavs vs. Jazz would have done much bigger numbers, everybody hates San Antonio.

Uh, no.

Teams that are hated draw huge rating numbers.

Utah - Cleveland MIGHT have put up slightly better numbers, but only because people would have thought they could have been "witness" to the first le for LeBron. With the Spurs, they know there's no chance of that happening.

[VinnyTestesVerde]

Cavs vs. Jazz would have done much bigger numbers, everybody hates San Antonio.

W
G
A
F

[BlackFlagg]

Cavs vs. Jazz would have done much bigger numbers, everybody hates San Antonio.

Good old-fashioned, unadulterated jealousy is such an amusing thing.

[VinnyTestesVerde]

True I see the ratings getting better...

The Spurs and Duncan are aging, they won't be back to the Finals...

They can't even repeat.

Any legit champion would not only win the le, but do it AGAIN the next year to really-ultra-super with the le right? The first le doesn't really count, but if they win it again back to back, then the team really legitimizes their previous wins.



Let me think...the Cavs can't win ONE LE. Unbelievable...excuses are for losers dude.

[da_suns_fan__]

Um... is it shocking that the ratings aren't that great this year?

San Antonio. Cleveland.

Not exactly the mega-cities of the United States.

If Chicago played the Lakers in the finals, they would be garnering HUGE ratings. It's simple, people: Population.

Nice Try. Why did the Rockets and Magic have twice the viewership? Because the population of ORLANDO is so huge?

The Spurs aren't a draw because they are BORING. It has NOTHING to do with market sizes and every Spurs fan knows it.