NBA ratings drop by 13%, Warriors take drastic 66% local hit after flop season

At the NBA’s All-Star Break, NBA ratings were released involving 27 teams of the tournament. Utah Jazz, Memphis Grizzlies and Toronto Raptors were not included. The Sports Business Journal compiled the NBA ratings data for the 2019-20 season.

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NBA ratings 2019-20: NBA ratings face 13% fall, Warriors take drastic 66% local hit

According to the compiled data, all the 27 teams are down 13% on their local regional sports networks (RSNs). Fourteen of these teams are experiencing declining viewership. This NBA ratings data is in line with other national data, where ESPN’s ratings have dropped by 10%, TNT’s by 13% and ABC’s by 16%. Overall ratings have seen a 12% drop.

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The Golden State Warriors, who have been dominating the ratings over the past few years, have experienced a dramatic second-largest 66% decline in the ratings on NBC Sports Bay Area. The largest decline in the league was by Denver Nuggets, whose ratings went down by 72% due to carriage issues.

At the local market, no NBA team is even reaching a 4.00 rating. The San Antonio Spurs, Milwaukee Bucks, Philadelphia 76ers, Oklahoma City Thunder, LA Lakers, Portland Trail Blazers and Boston Celtics have a 3.00 rating. Both New York Knicks (0.85) and Brooklyn Nets (0.45) have a rating below 1.00. the LA Clippers’ 86% rise to 0.97 on Fox Sports Prime Ticket is the NBA’s highest growth in the local market.

NBA ratings: Warriors NBA ratings take a dip due to Klay Thompson and Steph Curry's absence

According to NBA reports, Klay Thompson and Steph Curry being sidelined from the NBA 2019-20 season have resulted in a massive drop in the NBA ratings. Apart from the NBA ratings, Warriors merchandise and tickets sales have also gone down. Steph Curry, who broke his hand four games into the season, is likely to make his Warriors return in March.

Thompson is out for the entire season due to an ACL injury. The Warriors, who had made back-to-back finals appearances and won three championships with Thompson, Steph Curry and head coach Steve Kerr, are currently at the bottom of the NBA table. 

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According to reports, NBA ratings have been declining for some years. Last season, local ratings dropped by 4%, which erased the local market’s 3% gain from the NBA 2017-18 season. In NBA 2016-17, the ratings declined 14%. Before that season, the Warriors, Cleveland Cavaliers and Spurs had a minimum average of 8.00. currently, only the Spurs are over 3.00.

Reports also pointed at then seven teams were down by 40%, while only three teams were over 40%. If these teams improve their ratings, the NBA’s ratings will stabilize or increase. Recently, the NBA All-Star 2020 games saw an 8% increase, especially in the fourth quarter.

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