2008 Ratings Up 38 Percent over 2007’s Game 1

The 1994 Rockets won their championship on June 22nd.

The 1995 Rockets, in a sweep, won theirs on June 14th.

You, quite clearly, are a ...

 

The previous poster might not totally know the history of the finals, but I think the 1st round could stand to be a bit shorter....I never thought 7 game series in 1st Round was good idea. That is just way too long for a first round, go back to 5. There's no urgency to watch NBA 1st Round, like MLB and NFL.

I think it would even help the ratings for it, not to have all of these games spreaded all over TV. That is part of the reason, why the ratings are suffering. If they just feature one or two games a night on the same network, then it could have a little bit more consistency.

Also, I think they need to change the format anyway, because as we've seen in the East, they are teams that have no business in the playoffs getting after winning less than 40 games.

 

So, basketball is not as popular in America as it used to be because of "flops, celebrities, fake hate, real hate" and not enough "real" fights? Man, there are more holes in that argument than the Warren Commission report. It goes without saying that soccer defines flopping and gossip. The quality of play in the NFL is hardly peaking either. A year after spygate try and tell me there's not plenty of "made up drama and hollywoodization" in the NFL, either.

You are sentimentalizing the basketball of your youth. There will be plenty of games from the 00's and 90's that will be on ESPN classic and people 20 years from now will talk about how basketball was so much better then. Go find a mid season game between two middle of the road teams in 1987 and tell me how much passion and joy there was. There are bigger trends beyond the quality of the game that explain why some sports thrive and some sports diminish in the public eye. Basketball was a more popular sport when there was less competition and you had some of the most talented players ever in their prime in the 80's. It's just like tennis. People used to love Atari, too.

 

Well, I guess if all those things are different, the viewership would probably still be the same.

But even in the playoffs, there isn't that much of a true joy that you see amongst the fans.

I just think if those things were fixed, there would be less complaining amongst the casual fans and they might love it more...but I guess the casual fan can just become bored too.

I really don't know how to make basketball more popular on tv since I'm already a fan.

Edit:
And after thinking about it, there really isn't as much celebritization of the game in the NFL as there is in the NBA. I'm sure there are celebrities every week at NFL games, but they don't show them like they do at NBA games. They show crazy fans with all sorts of paint and outfits that you don't see at NBA games. There's also the helmet factor, and the fact that the game and the team is bigger than the individual, unlike many times the way the NBA is where their constantly focusing on the star and only the stars.

Shows like NFL matchup where they break down film don't exist for the NBA. People love to watch and analyze football more than they do in the NBA. Every play is broken down and watched on replay in the NFL. In the NBA the only plays most people care for are the dunks.

 

As much as everyone believes it is the end of the NBA, look how much more popular basketball is than American Football is worldwide.

Once you leave the great 48, you will see more basketball events on TV, stars being promoted around the globe, and very little about the NFL.

 

We are talking about ONE thing: NBA basketball in the United States. FIBA basketball worldwide is completely different. The core market for the NBA is right here at home and if they lose the core market the NBA is dead. Outside the U.S, basketball will always be ahead of American football for obvious reasons, but the NBA will never approach the NFL's popularity and revenues at home.

Look at what happened to the NHL, where hockey's international popularity did nothing for them.

 

ya when games were actually fun to watch.

all i am saying is the playoffs are way too long.

just look at the finals ratings. they start to pick up towards the end.

2004 (Pistons 4, Lakers 1, ABC)
Game 1: 11.6/18 overnight, 9.8/17 final rating.
Game 2: 12.3/20 overnight, 10.7/19 final rating.
Game 3: 12.6/20 overnight, 10.5/19 final rating.
Game 4: 14.4/23 overnight, 12.7/22 final rating.
Game 5: 15.4/24 overnight, 13.8/23 final rating.

2005 (Spurs 4, Pistons 3, ABC)
Game 1: 8.8/15 overnight, 7.2/13 final rating.
Game 2: 8.5/14 overnight, 6.9/12 final rating.
Game 3: 8.7/14 overnight, 7.2/13 final rating.
Game 4: 8.4/14 overnight, 7.2/13 final rating.
Game 5: 10.1/18 overnight, 8.4/15 final rating.
Game 6: 10.5/17 overnight, 8.8/15 final rating.
Game 7: 13.9/23 overnight, 11.9/22 final rating

2006 (Heat 4, Mavericks 2, ABC)
Game 1: 9.3 overnight, 7.8/14 final rating.
Game 2: 9.1/15 overnight, 8.0/14 final rating.
Game 3: 9.0 overnight, 8.0/14 final rating.
Game 4: 9.1 overnight, 7.8/14 final rating.
Game 5: 10.2/19 overnight, 9.0/17 final rating.
Game 6: 11.1 overnight, 10.1 final rating.

 

Aside from North America, Hockey has zero international popularity outside of scandanavia and parts of eastern europe for obvious reasons - it needs ice rinks.

It's nice that Sweden likes hockey but there's only 9 million Swedes in all of Sweden, so that's not a ton of marketing potential.

 

Do you expect them to go down for series clinching games?

 

First of all, this is a great thread - 5 stars.

Personally, I barely watch the NBA, MLB, NFL once my team is knocked out (Rockets, 'Stros, & Bears - since the Oliers left). Am I concerned about the league lasting? NO! The league will last. IMHO, ther will always be a demand for Pro Basketball, Baseball, & Football, but maybe never like it was in the past.

I think the number one reason ratings are down is because people have so many choisces now-a-days (not sure how to spell that). I've got 200+ channels on DirecTV and if I don't particularly like the Celts or LA - I have 199 other options (starting with the Astros and ending with another rerun of Sponge Bob Squarepants with which to occupy my time. This doesn't even take into consideration the internet or video games (like Wii or Xbox) that were not even on the horizon in the 80's when basketball had high ratings.

Secondly, another major factor that probably doesn't even show up on Nielson's rating are the people (like myself) that TIVO EVERYTHING and skip the commercials by watching it later. Just a hint for those of you that complain about watching a 2 1/2 hour game - you can watch the same game without commercials in about an hour to an hour and a half. Simply start your recorder on time and press play about an hour after the game actually starts and save yourself an hour or two. It will probably finish about the same time, but be careful none of your "friends" call, text or emal you in the interim - as occasionally someone has "ruined" a game for me.

Third, many of the players are really not really likeable. In the 80's or early 90's most people (including myself could identify with Bird or Magic, Isiah, Jordan or - personally - Hakeem). Recently, it seems the players have digressed back to the era before Bird & Magic aka "the drug era".

Lastly, I've personally never felt any connection to "Me, myself & Iverson", K-Mart, Dirk, Kobe, Pierce, Duncan, Carmello, KG, Starbury, etc. Of course, they are all great players, but I've never connected with the "gangsta" image they personify (other than Dirk who's just a flopper) and Duncan (who's just great, but just plain boring to watch). I'm sick and tired of the chest-thumping, scowls, and high-fives on average plays and huge egos that many of today's average players exemplify.

Personally, I tuned into the Celts/Lakers game # 1 but really didn't feel ccompelled to do so - only cause the 'Stros decided not to show up in their game against the Pirates, but more so for curiousity reasons than anything else.

I love the Rockets, but when they're out I am too. I've got too many things to do (like post things here than watch games I really couldn't care less about).

If the NBA really wanted to increase it's rating; Yao would be in the finals every year (due to his influence on the Chineese market). I really believe - for the first time in a while - that the best two teams are in the finals regardless of the marketability of the players - even though it coincidentally happens to be the dream matchup the league was hoping for this year.

Here are a few of my personal suggestions...(not that they're worth the bandwith that they occupy, but nevertheless)...

1) I think the lottery should be live - not outsourced - as it suggests the possibility of impropriety. 2) I think calls in the last couple of minutes should be reviewed via instant replay (a la the Fischer call) and the - I'm not going to cuss " the infamous Finley out of bounds play", but overall I think the league is trying to do a decent job of officiating - otherwise SA never would have even been in the finals due to their small market and overwhelmingly boring style of play. 3) I think coaches should have at least one challenge a game - similar to the NFL - where obviously missed calls could be overturned by a higher power - to deter the Tim Donaghy factor or just "ref caught sleeping" plays.

 

Nielson ratings don't know what everyone is watching. It is a sample size. They hand out these special boxes to various people across the country and they participate.

So I don't know how tivo works with that. But you specifically, well the tv ratings have no idea what you're watching...it's just an estimate based on their random sample survey boxes.

 

Very good post, I completly agree. I think the rating will never be as high as it was. But the same goes for any program.

 

I'm glad the Celtics took initiative and blew the Lakers out instead of making it close where the refs can force a game 7, which is what the NBA wants.