Concerns On Adam Silver’s $76 Billion Plan Sky Rocket As ESPN Faces Steep Fall in NBA Finals 2024

With the NBA’s media rights deal ending next year, the league is reportedly finalizing a new one with Disney, NBC, and Amazon Prime Video worth $76 billion. Despite the league getting a massive economic boost, Adam Silver might have a huge problem at hand. While this year’s NBA Finals had two historic franchises go face to face, the Mavs-Celtics showdown was unable to generate the viewership or user feedback rating that justifies the multi-billion-dollar deal, raising concerns. Was it because of its clean-sweep-esque nature? Or what was it?

As per Sports Media Watch’s reports, the 5-game finals series broadcasted by ABC and ESPN only managed to average a rating of 5.8 along with 11.31 million viewers, making it the lowest viewed finals in the last three years. What’s more concerning is that if we exclude the two seasons that were affected by COVID (2020 and 2021), the 2024 NBA Finals Finals turned out to be the lowest-rated and least-watched editions (9.29 million) since the Cavs vs. Spurs series back in 2007.

Comparing it to the last two finals, this series averaged 0.3 million less than the Nuggets vs. Heat series and over one million less than Steph Curry’s fourth title run. Moreover, there has been a year-on-year gradual decrease in the finals’ viewership post-pandemic, putting ESPN and the NBA’s ability to attract viewers in question. Peaking at 13.28 million viewers, the Celtics’ title win produced this season’s highest ratings. However, the deciding game which averaged 12.22 million viewers and a 6.3 rating was still unable to match last year’s decider when Jokic won his first title, 13.08 million with a 0.7 higher rating.

Maybe the lack of ratings and viewership has something to do with the series being completely lopsided in Boston’s favor. Apart from the second one, every game between Dallas and Boston saw one team taking at least a twenty-point lead at some point and three of the five games ended in a blowout. Not surprisingly at all, Game 2 was the highest-viewed game of the series (12.31 million) which eventually finished with a 7-point margin.

Should Adam Silver go a different route?

As ESPN and ABC struggle to match the numbers that the NBA Finals used to generate before the pandemic, fans have wondered if Adam Silver should transfer the broadcasting rights to either NBC or Amazon Prime Video as part of the new deal. Maybe, the new networks will come up with innovative ways to get the league back on track. Even during the current media rights deal, fans frequently demanded the league switch their broadcasting rights to TNT so they get to enjoy their beloved Inside the NBA till the season end.

In that scenario, even if the Finals did not entertain the viewers, many would have still tuned in to watch Shaq, Chuck, Ernie, and Kenny’s amazing chemistry on the screen. But that idea never came to fruition because of the contractual restrictions. However, Silver has an opportunity to change it this time. With superstars like LeBron James, Steph Curry, and Kevin Durant no longer reaching the Finals every year like they used to in the previous decade, Silver might need some new ideas to get fans hooked on the upcoming superstars and make them tune into games. With $76 billion in the bank, there will be no lack of resources for the league to improve the viewing experience and overcome the decline that has followed since the pandemic.

And while the NBA Finals’ viewership has failed to touch the $14 million mark in the last five years, the league’s reported new soon-to-be partners could do a better job at bringing some freshness to the finals. Do you agree?

Before you go, do not forget to check out what Shaquille O’Neal’s ex-agent, Leonard Armato has to say about Caitlin Clark’s meteoric rise to stardom. Keep checking this space for more such updates.