MLB's working towards doing away with the RSN setup and having a la carte streaming options where you can buy one/multiple/all teams' games with no local blackouts. It's pretty much inevitable that the NBA goes that way eventually as well. No idea how national broadcasts would be handled in either case.
For me, being in Vegas, I would need like 5 or 6 different streaming services to view all the Rox games... thats League Pass plus 4 or 5 more (Amazon, ESPN, Paramount, Spectrum, NBC Bay area...) The greed has just gotten out of control... It's no longer enough to make a mint from 1 or 2 providers - they want their hands in everybody's pocket - and in turn screws the fans by driving up their overall cost... I no longer feel bad about illegal streaming... it's like if they're going to be price gouging - then they brought it upon themselves...
I think too much is made of the new deal being spread out. I re-cut the cord and actually found the new setup led to me watching MORE non-rockets games because there were more OTA games with NBC being added w/ABC. I think they also assume that most of the demographic they're after already has an Amazon membership as well. There was some Fox News article that was claiming that the NBA was LYING about having good ratings and basically their explanation was that it's only because of the new NBC tv deal lol. So, basically the ratings are actually up and the league made a smart decision to sign a deal that showed their games to more fans. Also, there's this chatter that ratings were only up because of the Knicks. That's true for the finals but ratings were up for the whole playoffs and to a smaller degree the rest of the season. Even a die hard NBA fan like myself was watching the playoffs more this year because it was more accessible AND the product was just better. The WCF was can't miss tv. The NBC and Amazon presentations were very professional and didn't fall into the ESPN hot take mess. Even merging the ABC play by play with the TNT studio commentary made for a better overall product. I'm not expecting this to "blow up". I actually think this will give the NBA ammo to push for more broadcast tv games and lead to more big deals in the future. Networks/Streamers don't care that the pie isn't the size it was in the 90s. They want a bigger slice of the pie that exists today.
There's a lot of things to complain about with the NBA - gambling - owners all billionaire scum - officiating - Ballmer cheating Etc But holy hell it was incredible playoffs, I have been riveted for the last 2 months (once the sad ass Rockets left,). Incredibly high level of basketball, lots of drama, tension, storybook finishes, narratives - it was an incredible time for the league. Just an amazing season I remember during the Rockets 94 finals run Sports Illustrated - which actually mattered then - ran a cover on "Why the NHL is Hot and the NBA is not" ..... Lol, I don't even know what city Carolina Hurricanes play in, and unlike most normies I know they won the Cup the other day
The New York Knicks' 94-90 victory over the San Antonio Spurs on Saturday night to capture their first NBA title in 53 years averaged 24.5 million viewers on ABC and ESPN, making it the most-watched Game 5 since 1998. The audience peaked at 33 million, as Finals MVP Jalen Brunson was putting the wraps on a 45-point performance as the Knicks rallied from a 10-point deficit in the fourth quarter. Overall, the Finals averaged 20.6 million, according to Nielsen, the highest since the 1998 series between Chicago and Utah when Michael Jordan won his sixth and final NBA title (averaged 29.04 million in six games). This year's ratings were also the highest since ABC and ESPN started carrying the NBA Finals in 2003. It is only the third time since 1999 that the Finals have averaged at least 20 million. Golden State's victory over Cleveland in five games in 2017 averaged 20.47 million, while the 2016 Finals, where the Cavaliers defeated the Warriors in seven games, averaged 20.2 million. Last year's Finals between Oklahoma City and Indiana averaged 10.31 million across seven games. sheesh Rockets bullsh*t aside, this was a great season and the playoffs were absolutely electric The main issue I have is with all the physicality and tough defense they allow in the postseason, why not allow it during the regular season as well? Why is something a foul in January, but not in April and May? Why can you hold and grab in the playoffs, but a slight touch is sending somebody to the line for 2 free throws in the regular season? It’s like 2 different sports for no reason.
This is it! I come to sports for entertainment, fantasy, and fun. I don't want political messages. I don't want to see disrespect of the national anthem, the flag or historic American institutions, values, or customs. I don't want to be lectured about racial issues or any sort of social grievance. I am not Right Wing! I am not Left Wing! I don't want a mixture of sports and politics in any form. I AM NOT ALONE! And we vote with our pocketbooks!
