All eyes on Conference Semi-Finals with NBA TV Ratings down by a whopping 27%

Adam Silver has seen TV Ratings go down during his tenure

The first round of the NBA Playoffs was concluded in riveting fashion as plenty nail-biting encounters were on display for the fans to soak in. Ironically, though, the NBA TV Ratings still went down in comparison to previous seasons. Many people across the United States of America and the rest of the globe felt that the NBA was too involved in political matters in the country, and less focused on playing basketball.

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President Donald Trump too, shared the same views, and ridiculed the NBA for having low TV Ratings. Many viewers took to Twitter to announce that they were no longer interested in watching the NBA. While a majority supported the causes for which the league had taken a stand over the past few weeks, that didn't help recover the NBA TV Ratings.

People are tired of watching the highly political @NBA. Basketball ratings are WAY down, and they won’t be coming back. I hope football and baseball are watching and learning because the same thing will be happening to them. Stand tall for our Country and our Flag!!!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) September 1, 2020

The figures behind the fall in NBA TV Ratings is a matter of concern for the league and its commissioner - Adam Silver.

NBA TV Ratings down to -27%

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In the regular season alone, the NBA TV Ratings had dropped by 12% from last year. Despite the popularity of streaming platforms and the NBA League Pass that allows viewers to watch on-the-go, the NBA TV Ratings could not be saved from dropping.

After the NBA hiatus due to the pandemic, NBA TV Ratings were expected to go up, since fans could no longer make it to the arenas. Shockingly, it dropped even further to 27% in the first round of the NBA Playoffs when compared to last season. Although the game 7 between the Houston Rockets and the Oklahoma City Thunder drew more than 4 million viewers, the performances in other games continued to be a disappointment.

Rockets vs. Thunder Game 7 ratings summary:

— #1 first-round playoff game on cable since 2018
— #1 first-round playoff game on ESPN since 2017
— Largest audience of any NBA game since January (Kobe ceremony)
— Up 18% from Spurs/Nuggets Game 7 last yearhttps://t.co/7d0OTQkGtB
— Ben DuBose (@BenDuBose) September 3, 2020

The NBA TV Ratings have been on a downward slope for a while now, and when compared to the 2017-18 season, the 2019-20 season has seen a 40% drop in viewership.

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These are testing times for everyone associate with the functioning of the league, and Adam Silver and co. will need to come up with a solution to counter this issue at the earliest.

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