Pacers attendance and TV ratings -- “two pillars of an NBA team’s financial health -- are trending up,” according to Anthony Schoettle of the INDIANAPOLIS BUSINESS JOURNAL. Through 15 home games, the team’s average attendance is 16,491, “about 500 per game ahead of where the team was at this same point last season.” NBA attendance “usually accelerates as the NFL season ends.” Last year, the Pacers average attendance “climbed by nearly 1,000 per game during the last two-thirds of the season to 16,864 for 41 home games.” This year, with attendance “already ahead of last year’s pace and with a much better team likely to make a strong playoff push, the Pacers’ attendance has a real shot of nearing the 17,501 mark it averaged” for the entire '13-14 season. Through Monday’s game, Pacers games on FS Indiana are averaging a 3.4 local rating in Indianapolis, up 27% compared to the same number of games last season. FS Indiana Dir of Media Relations Geoffrey Goldman said, “We’re on pace for the second-best season in the last 10 years, behind 2013-14” (IBJ.com, 12/30).
