The NBA's global reach "isn’t new, but it is stronger than ever," according to Kevin Kleps of CLEVELAND BUSINESS. The NBA has 18 new TV partners this year, which "means viewers from such countries as Belarus, Colombia, China, Cyprus, Denmark, Ethiopia, Japan, Mexico, Moldova, Norway, Senegal, Tanzania, Uganda and Venezuela are watching the Cavs and Warriors." The 2015 Finals are a "ratings monster in Cleveland, and they’re setting viewership records for ABC." The series is a "pretty big draw overseas," too, with 215 countries and territories seeing the games in 47 languages. Yan Xing, a reporter for LeTV, which is one of China’s largest online video platforms, said that basketball is "probably the No. 1 sport" in China. NBA Senior VP of Global Media Distribution Matthew Brabants "attributes the NBA's international rise to technology and our social media-crazed way of life." Brabants: "One of the things that's allowed us to create this groundswell of interest is technology being what it is, and the fact that 15 years ago, the only way you could really reach an international audience is through television." Asked why these finals have resulted in such a rise in interest, Brabants said, "First of all, I think it's a lot of the things that make it so interesting in the U.S. LeBron [James], the MVP, Steph Curry, then add in the fact that there are nine international players on these rosters, that's a key part, too" (CLEVELAND BUSINESS, 6/11).
