Every NBA All-Star Weekend telecast saw a year-over year viewership gain, including All-Star Saturday Night (+1% on TNT), Rising Stars on Friday (+1% on TNT) and the Celebrity Game on Friday (+9% on ESPN). TNT and TBS averaged 7.3 million viewers for the All-Star Game on Sunday, up 8% from 6.8 million last year in Charlotte, but down slightly from 7.7 million two years ago in L.A. This year’s game won the night among all cable TV networks. The peak for Sunday's game was 8.0 million viewers during the final 15 minutes (11:15-11:30pm ET) in the first-ever commercial-free fourth quarter, which also was played under a new format. Pregame coverage from 8:00-8:30pm, which included a tribute to the late Kobe Bryant, averaged 6.3 million viewers, up 19% (Austin Karp, THE DAILY). In Chicago, Phil Rosenthal notes Sunday's game "produced a local TV ratings windfall," as the telecast averaged a 7.9 household rating in the Chicago market. That "translates to more than 258,000 area homes and marks a 56% increase over the rating" for the '19 game in Charlotte (CHICAGO TRIBUNE, 2/18).
GETTING BETTER: USA TODAY's Mark Medina notes although average viewership across ABC, ESPN and TNT has suffered a 13% decrease this season, the NBA "experienced other relative improvements in recent months." Average viewership on ESPN and TNT "increased by a combined" 6% in December. Those viewers "then increased by an average" of 27% on ESPN, TNT and NBA TV in January. And after experiencing a 23% dip with its telecasts through late November, TNT has "made enough net gains to lower that deficit" to a 13% decrease compared with last season. Those numbers have "not entirely offset the NBA’s declining television rating stemming from either cord-cutting, downgraded cable packages and extensive injuries to the league’s star players," but they have left the NBA "feeling validated on downplaying the league’s early-season bumps." Medina notes the NBA has "mostly attributed its season-long decrease in television ratings more on external circumstances." The league has "become encouraged with the growth in League Pass," with subscriptions (11% increase) and unique viewership (25% increase) growing. Fans also have "shown increased interest in streaming services" on TNT (32% increase) and ESPN (41% increase) (USA TODAY, 2/18).
