NBA games on ESPN are averaging 1.6 million viewers to date, down 7% compared to 1.72 million viewers at the same point in the calendar last season and marking the lowest figure for the cable net since the NBA expanded its early-season national TV schedule prior to the ’12-13 season. ESPN is also down from 1.7 million viewers at the same point of the ’14-15 season, and down from 1.76 million viewers in ’13-14. When ESPN began its expanded early-season schedule in ’12-13, the net was averaging 1.85 million viewers. Similar to TNT, ESPN’s NBA games, which have primarily been Wednesday and Friday night doubleheaders, have been hit by an increase in cable news' audience, which has not let up much since the election. Also not helping matters for ESPN or TNT has been disappointing seasons for big teams in the top three media markets, as the Knicks, Lakers and Bulls all have sub-.500 records to date. While TV numbers are down this season, the average streaming audience for all NBA games on WatchESPN is up 35%.
FOOTBALL, BASEBALL TAKE A BITE: ESPN saw a big hit to one game in particular earlier this month. The Jan. 15 Bulls-Grizzlies matchup, ESPN’s lone Sunday night window to date, unexpectedly aired head-to-head against the Steelers-Chiefs AFC Divisional Playoff game on CBS, which moved from an early afternoon window to primetime after a winter storm forecast in the K.C. market. That led to ESPN drawing just 377,000 viewers in what should have been a window without any major sports competition. ESPN also saw primetime competition for its Christmas night game from the NFL. ESPN had T'Wolves-Thunder in primetime on Christmas, drawing 1.39 million viewers up against NFL Network's 14.8 million viewers for Ravens-Steelers. During Christmas in '15, when ESPN had no NFL competition, the net drew 3.88 million viewers for a Spurs-Rockets matchup. One bright spot for ESPN was Celtics-Knicks in the noon ET window on Christmas, which was the net's best matchup in that window since '12. Meanwhile, ESPN's first three nights of NBA coverage this season ran head-to-head against Games 2, 3 and 7 of the Cubs-Indians World Series.
