NBA’s Adam Silver acknowledges sagging TV ratings, but says fan interest not lacking

LAS VEGAS — NBA commissioner Adam Silver acknowledged that television ratings for his sport are down this season, but said the dip did not equate to a lack of interest in pro basketball.

“If you look at other data points, in terms of our business, for example, we’ve just come off the last two years of the highest attendance in the history of this league,” Silver said Tuesday in an interview with The Athletic and other national outlets before the NBA Cup championship. “We’re at a point where our social media audience is at the highest of any league and continuing to grow exponentially. So, it’s not a lack of interest in this game.”

Through the NBA Cup semifinals, which were played Saturday, viewership of NBA games for the league’s national partners — ESPN, ABC, and TNT — was down 19 percent over the same period last year, according to Sports Media Watch.

Silver’s acknowledgment was a little softer — he said “ratings are down a bit” — but pointed to a broader trend of “cable television viewership is down double digits.” Viewership is also down for men’s college basketball (21 percent), women’s college basketball (38 percent), and the NHL (28 percent), Sports Media Watch reported.

“We’re almost at the inflection point where people are watching more programming on streaming than they are in traditional television,” Silver said. “And it’s a reason why for our new television deals, which will enter into next year, every game is going to be available on a streaming service. And as we move to streaming service, putting aside how the actual game is played on the floor, it’s going to allow us from a production standpoint to do all kinds of things that you can’t do through traditional television. All kinds of new functionality, all kinds of new options and screens that are available.

“The vast majority of people consume us through media, not in person,” Silver said. “So we have to pay a lot of attention.”

The league’s new TV deals, worth $76 billion over 11 years, begin next year. They include ESPN and ABC, NBC and its digital platforms, and Amazon Prime, which is a streaming-only service.

NBA not moving arc back amid uptick in attempted 3’s

Silver’s bigger concern — above TV ratings — is making sure the games are worth watching, no matter how. He addressed the widespread complaints about the continued increase in 3-point shooting in the NBA, indicating there was an uptick of “two or three” additional 3-pointers being taken per game, per team. Yet while some have suggested the league move the line back as a solution, Silver said that was not in play.

“(The NBA is having) many discussions about the style of basketball,” he said. “(They’re looking) holistically at skill level on the floor, the diversity of offense, the fan reception to the game — all the above. I think the game is in a great place. I love watching the games, and I think we have some of the most skilled athletes in the world competing.

“If I thought there was a…Golden At-Bat sort of quick fix (as has been proposed in Major League Baseball), I’d put it on the table. I don’t think there is one here.”

Silver acknowledged that the analytics movement has potentially had an adverse impact on the game.

“It’s not unique to the NBA, where analytics start to be too controlling and create situations where players are doing seemingly unnatural things because they’re being directed to do something that is a more efficient shot,” he said. “And part of what we’re focusing on, too, is that what makes these players so incredible is the joy they bring to playing the game and the freestyle notion of the game too.”

Silver on NBA expansion, overseas interest

Silver also addressed potential NBA expansion, the league’s interest in starting a league in Europe, and where the NBA Cup’s final four might be held next year:

While Las Vegas and Seattle are widely believed to be at the top of the league’s list of likely destinations for expansion teams, the formal process of accepting bids from cities has yet to begin.

“We’ve been spending time sort of modeling different approaches to expansion, taking a general look at available cities, but we haven’t invited applications yet,” Silver said. “We’re not having a discussion between these specific groups right now, including here in Las Vegas.”

Silver said the NBA has been working with FIBA — the international governing body for basketball — and European clubs on a possible new league in Europe for nearly one year. Last week, Andreas Zagklis, secretary general for FIBA, said he remained in “serious conversation” with the NBA about the American pro league sponsoring a new circuit overseas.

“We’re not ready to make any public announcements. We haven’t made any internal decisions yet, but I do think there continues to be an enormous opportunity to take basketball to another level in Europe,” Silver said. “I think the quality of the basketball in Europe has been fantastic. Many of our top players, of course, are from Europe, but we think there is more of a commercial and fan opportunity to create something special in Europe.”

Future of NBA Cup in Las Vegas

Silver seemed to defend the idea of the NBA Cup final four remaining in Las Vegas past this year, but acknowledged that at least some of the league’s 30 teams preferred the in-season tournament championship games to be held in home markets instead. There is no plan yet in place for where the Cup final four will be held next season, and Amazon Prime, which will stream the knockout stages, has a say.

“It’s complicated enough scheduling on a neutral site,” Silver said. “I’m not against playing in home markets. I think I think the question … is if we want to seriously consider that, how would that work from a scheduling standpoint?

“I think here (in Las Vegas), when you sort of build in tradition, you have a lot of fans who can circle these dates on their calendar and plan to come to Las Vegas, plan a holiday around it. I think the teams are on both sides. I think they like the idea of winning that opportunity to play at home. But then you’ve got to move tickets very short term.”

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