1998 Game 6 NBA finals. More viewers than ave of last 3 yrs COMBINED

DFWJC said:
And, of course, 25 years ago the USA had 40 million less people.
Click to expand...
That is why all networks have less of an audience percentage wise then they did 40 years ago: there are a LOT MORE CHOICES NOW.

Not just on TV but the internet.

Even the SB is getting a significantly less audience when looking at the percentage.
 
terra said:
That is why all networks have less of an audience percentage wise then they did 40 years ago: there are a LOT MORE CHOICES NOW.

Not just on TV but the internet.

Even the SB is getting a significantly less audience when looking at the percentage.
Click to expand...
Total views

Super Bowl 2022__99 million....slightly up
Super Bowl 1998__90 million

NBA Finals Ave Views 2022__about 12.5 mil...WAY down
NBA Finals Ave Views 1998__about 30 mil..

NFL holding ground, NBA sinking
 
DFWJC said:
Total views

Super Bowl 2022__99 million....slightly up
Super Bowl 1998__90 million

NBA Finals Ave Views 2022__about 12.5 mil...WAY down
NBA Finals Ave Views 1998__about 30 mil..

NFL holding ground, NBA sinking
Click to expand...
This is all pretty dishonest.

1. The NBA has a MUCH wider audience than the NFL. It is an international game NOW,
2. 1998 Bulls had the GOAT player and the league's greatest cultural phenomenon. That Bulls crew is why the league is international now.

Of the last six NBA Drafts, four of the number one overall picks were born outside the U.S.

Last year, foreigners claimed five All-Star spots, the Rookie of the Year and Defensive Player of the Year. And it appears that the International Basketball Operations Department will continue to be busy. Of the seven players mentioned above, the average age is only 26.

The NBA’s commitment to international growth has positioned the league for long-term success, and it continues to invest in the right places. It is no coincidence that last year, NBA viewership reached a four-year high despite the rise in cord-cutters. New media platforms, untapped nations for basketball talent — the NBA is playing the long game.

The NBA's global viewership was up 30% last year.
And it's viewership among US viewers under 30 surpasses the NFL.

It's a game built on the youth and on international markets.
 
jterrell said:
This is all pretty dishonest.

1. The NBA has a MUCH wider audience than the NFL. It is an international game NOW,
2. 1998 Bulls had the GOAT player and the league's greatest cultural phenomenon. That Bulls crew is why the league is international now.

Of the last six NBA Drafts, four of the number one overall picks were born outside the U.S.

Last year, foreigners claimed five All-Star spots, the Rookie of the Year and Defensive Player of the Year. And it appears that the International Basketball Operations Department will continue to be busy. Of the seven players mentioned above, the average age is only 26.

The NBA’s commitment to international growth has positioned the league for long-term success, and it continues to invest in the right places. It is no coincidence that last year, NBA viewership reached a four-year high despite the rise in cord-cutters. New media platforms, untapped nations for basketball talent — the NBA is playing the long game.

The NBA's global viewership was up 30% last year.
And it's viewership among US viewers under 30 surpasses the NFL.

It's a game built on the youth and on international markets.
Click to expand...
Are you calling ME dishonest? Or the data?
Even if it is just raw data displayed on-page. Not opinion. Raw data.

Dishonest?

How do you know the discussion was not only about US viewership?
It didn't say one way or the other.
 
DFWJC said:
Are you calling ME dishonest? Or the data?
Even if it is just raw data displayed on-page. Not opinion. Raw data.

Dishonest?

How do you know the discussion was not only about US viewership?
It didn't say one way or the other.
Click to expand...
I'm calling the headline/title dishonest.

It does not distinguish between US or Non-US and just labels it viewers. That's absolutely untrue. Worldwide viewership is up massively year over year and most certainly since 1998.

I am also saying it is a dishonest talking point amongst general talking heads.
NFL actually has far more worries as they have the aging demographic, CTE concerns and worldwide expansion has gone far less smoothly than the NBA.

But NFL is STILL King in the US and it is not going anywhere anytime soon,
The NBA is however the most popular league in the 2nd most popular sport in the world after Soccer.

The NBA salary cap (essentially based off profitability) has essentially doubled since 2015.
The NFL salary cap (essentially based off profitability) has grown about 50% in that same period.
 
jterrell said:
I'm calling the headline/title dishonest.

It does not distinguish between US or Non-US and just labels it viewers. That's absolutely untrue. Worldwide viewership is up massively year over year and most certainly since 1998.

I am also saying it is a dishonest talking point amongst general talking heads.
NFL actually has far more worries as they have the aging demographic, CTE concerns and worldwide expansion has gone far less smoothly than the NBA.

But NFL is STILL King in the US and it is not going anywhere anytime soon,
The NBA is however the most popular league in the 2nd most popular sport in the world after Soccer.

The NBA salary cap (essentially based off profitability) has essentially doubled since 2015.
The NFL salary cap (essentially based off profitability) has grown about 50% in that same period.
Click to expand...
Fair enough
 
All we had in 1998 was NBC, HBO, ESPN, and CNN. And we liked it! None of this darn fangled regional sports, or news channels across the spectrum, or 15 versions of HBO! We watched our NBA Finals, our HBO weekend movie, we saw our Sportscenter every night, we got our news without commentary, and we liked it!

giphy.gif
 
VaqueroTD said:
All we had in 1998 was NBC, HBO, ESPN, and CNN. And we liked it! None of this darn fangled regional sports, or news channels across the spectrum, or 15 versions of HBO! We watched our NBA Finals, our HBO weekend movie, we saw our Sportscenter every night, we got our news without commentary, and we liked it!

giphy.gif
Click to expand...
:dance::oldcouple::dance:
 
DFWJC said:
And, of course, 25 years ago the USA had 40 million less people.
Click to expand...

I've been saying the NBA is a dying , niche sport for a long time. The style of play and collection of impossible to root for people playing the game has done in the brand. Look no further than the original Dream Team in 1992 to get a feel for how far the league has fallen. If the 2022 version of the "Dream Team" ever took the court, I'd be rooting for the opposition.
 
atlantacowboy said:
I've been saying the NBA is a dying , niche sport for a long time. The style of play and collection of impossible to root for people playing the game has done in the brand. Look no further than the original Dream Team in 1992 to get a feel for how far the league has fallen. If the 2022 version of the "Dream Team" ever took the court, I'd be rooting for the opposition.
Click to expand...
I felt as if we got a break w/ the Bucks last season, as they were closer to real basketball. First time I watched some games in a while.

Watching the Warriors is just numbing.
 
kskboys said:
I felt as if we got a break w/ the Bucks last season, as they were closer to real basketball. First time I watched some games in a while.

Watching the Warriors is just numbing.
Click to expand...

I think free agency has also hurt the game. This business of the best players moving around every few years and recruiting each other to form super teams is nauseating. 80's Lakers/Celtics ..... that was basketball.

There are no real rivalries anymore.
 
I'm curious where this data is pulled from? Is it just looking at people who watched the game on a TV through.a cable provider in the US?

Does it include international views?

Does it including streaming services?

I mean in 1998 there was only one way to watch the nba finals game. Either on your TV at home, at a friend's house, or a bar/restaurant/etc... kinda disingenuous to produce a comparison without specifying what data was being included in "views"
 
atlantacowboy said:
I've been saying the NBA is a dying , niche sport for a long time.
Click to expand...

Revenue for the NBA was $2.5 billion in 2001 and this year it was over $10 billion.

https://runrepeat.com/nba-revenue-statistics
https://chicago.suntimes.com/2022/7/13/23206931/nba-nets-more-than-10-billion-in-revenue

The prices teams are sold for has skyrocketed. Brooklyn sold for $3.2 billion in 2019, The Utah Jazz went for $1.7 billion in 2020.
https://www.statista.com/statistics/304679/nba-franchises-latest-purchase-prices/

I won't deny that a lot of older fans don't like the "everyone chuck threes" style but if the sport was dying the revenue and team values wouldn't be growing so much.
 
Insomniac said:
Revenue for the NBA was $2.5 billion in 2001 and this year it was over $10 billion.

https://runrepeat.com/nba-revenue-statistics
https://chicago.suntimes.com/2022/7/13/23206931/nba-nets-more-than-10-billion-in-revenue

The prices teams are sold for has skyrocketed. Brooklyn sold for $3.2 billion in 2019, The Utah Jazz went for $1.7 billion in 2020.
https://www.statista.com/statistics/304679/nba-franchises-latest-purchase-prices/

I won't deny that a lot of older fans don't like the "everyone chuck threes" style but if the sport was dying the revenue and team values wouldn't be growing so much.
Click to expand...
These are good points.
Worth noting though that Network and data/content contracts for everything have gone through the roof.
Especially sports leagues--college and pro--have come to realize that the networks could pay more than they were 1-2 decades ago.

I'm not one that thinks the NBA is dying, btw. I just think actual per capita viewers (across all media) has not grown like revenues have.
 
Last edited:
I think there are some sports that are declining but I don't think the NBA is one of them.
Even in decline it doesn't mean the sport is dying. Horse Racing and Boxing used to be a big deal and got more attention than the NFL before 1960. They are now very minor but they are still around.
The sports I see attention and revenue dropping off from now are NASCAR and Golf. MLB has an old fan base but still generates plenty of cashbut in 10 years it probably will too.
 
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