We all know broadcasting has become the critical point of success for all sports. So get on it and try to elevate it more. The NFL looks to enter the European market to attract the young crowd to the sport. Regarding the NBA, we all know ESPN and TNT Sports stand alone in the area. So, ESPN chairman Jimmy Pitaro detailed the extension of the broadcasting deal with the league after TNT failed to sign one. However, the ratings have dropped even with TNT not contending with them. Yet, one may say Stephen A. Smith’s boss did the perfect deal for Stephen A. Smith and Shaquille O’Neal, who loves vacations.

Adam Silver and the league ended a 34-year partnership with TNT Sports to the dismay of many. To some, ESPN’s decline could amount to a butterfly effect from this deal. With loyal customers wanting TNT to air NBA, they weren’t pleased with the decision to cut out the legendary sports channel. For ESPN, it became an opportunity, which they seized, to take their checkbook to the party. But they need to get back to reality.

Notably, Pitaro wants it all. For the last two years, TNT did not broadcast the NBA finals to give us special insights from Charles Barkley and Shaquille O’Neal. With the deal expiring, we may never get a chance to see Inside the NBA again.

In an interview with CNBC, the ESPN chairman mentioned, “First off, we went into this, and we made it clear to Adam and Bill Koenig that maintaining exclusivity around the finals was really important to us. And, they really delivered for us. We have complete exclusivity around the NBA finals for the 11-year deal.” 

As much as we can remember, TNT and ESPN hosted games simultaneously during the NBA finals. Last two years, the ball went out of bounds for TNT. Not having to give their expert analysis, Barkley and Shaq are fans of summer vacations and eagerly await them, as they have mentioned before. Sarcasm? Maybe not. Stephen A. Smith’s analysis gained major viewership because he is one of the best with no competition. Bill Keonig, responsible for the NBA’s international media and domestic business, devised a plan to sustain the channel’s future.

He continued, “Also, for 10 of the 11 years, we have one of the conference championships. That was also important to us. We were able to acquire rights for flagship. So we have all the digital rights that we need and I mentioned before, international rights potentially for Disney Plus. So, in its totality, we feel really good.”

Yet the ratings have plummeted!

Stephen A. Smith’s ESPN ratings drop showcased a complete re-surgery for the television giants

With the streaming services out there in bunches, the demand for TV cable goes down. The content out there becomes popular on streaming services. It’s not coincidental that Jake Paul vs Mike Tyson will be live on Netflix. Now that’s insane! But, with the ocean of streaming opportunities out there, ESPN would find it hard to get some viewers.

The ESPN audience has significantly dropped, witnessing a 9% decline in 2023 to 1.7 million viewers. They provided service to 98.5 million in 2013, which was now deceased to 73 million homes. The decline of the cable bundle and the rise of streaming sidelined the age-old TV sets. But, WNBA may come as a saving grace as Jimmy Pitaro explained.

He continued, “WNBA is obviously ascending. But, we also believe that the NBA is ascending. There’s Adam has talked about this. There’s a ton of parity in the league right now. I know the Celtics seem to be dominating. They are three and zero right now, and they’re looking really good. But in general, if you look across the NBA, there’s more parity, I think, than there has been in a long time.”

“And, you also have younger talent that are emerging. That we’re pretty excited about. So yes, we feel like this is a very valuable marquee content. It’s a cornerstone property for us,” said Pitaro.

It’s the last throw of dice for the legendary broadcasting company. They need to act up if they want to sustain themselves in the future or the streaming services will enter the market and attract customers. Well, streaming offers cheap prices with far better content. We would love to hear Stephen A. Smith’s take on this. What do you prefer?