Menu
Media

Mark Cuban, Megyn Kelly Spar Over NBA Viewership Drop

Cuban rejected the notion that politics or social activism contributed to lower ratingsNBAE/GETTY IMAGES

Mavericks Owner Mark Cuban appeared on Megyn Kelly’s new podcast and talked how viewership for the NBA playoffs, and especially the NBA Finals, has been notably down from previous years. Kelly suggested viewers are leaving because they “object to the politicization of their game.” The lower viewership comes despite a “marquee matchup” of Lakers-Heat, while the NBA last year had “some team from Canada, and that matchup was crushing what we’re seeing this year.” Kelly: “The sports analysts say this is a disaster, an unprecedented viewership collapse for you guys.” Cuban: “What you just said was wrong.” Kelly: “But the numbers are what the numbers are.” Cuban noted Kelly is “not looking outside the NBA ratings to see what else is happening in media,” noting horse racing’s Triple Crown races also saw a large audience drop. He also noted the increased interest in cable news amid the presidential election. Kelly: “I know you want to compare yourself to horse racing right now, but the big indicators they look at are football and baseball. And (football has not) taken anywhere near the hit that basketball has.” Cuban said football “has always done really well, but what about hockey?” Kelly: “Do you think hockey is analogous to basketball?” Cuban: “Hockey had their Finals. What about regular TV, broadcast television?” Kelly: “You’re trying to dodge.” Cuban disputed that and conceded the NBA Finals ratings “disappointed,” but stressed it “doesn’t have anything to do with politics” and Black Lives Matter.

NUMBERS GOOD DESPITE ISSUES: Cuban said the NBA did not have the best matchup and storylines going into the Finals, and admitted the league “didn’t do a good job of promoting of it.” Cuban: “Be that as it may, prior to the Finals, our numbers were good. All things considered, our numbers were fine in the demographic that we shoot for. Remember, the only point of ratings is to help advertisers buy advertising, that’s why ratings exist. So within that realm we were winning our night every single night, and that’s despite having four games a day some days and even more on others, starting our games at 1:00 in the afternoon when nobody’s watching. Despite all that, we were winning in not only viewers but also in terms of the 18-49 demographic. That’s our demographic.”

DEALING WITH CORD-CUTTERS: Cuban acknowledged one challenge for the NBA is that up until the Finals, the “only way to get an NBA game was on cable or satellite.” That comes as the league’s “fastest-growing audience” are young viewers more likely to be cord-cutters. Cuban: “We’re right there in popularity. ... The problem is our largest growing viewership base and the one we want to be our viewership base ... doesn’t have regular TV to have our games. That’s a fundamental problem.” But Cuban reiterated the “whole thing about politics” affecting ratings “is nonsense.” Kelly responded, “Time will tell” (“The Megyn Kelly Show,” 10/12).

SBJ Morning Buzzcast: March 25, 2024

NFL meeting preview; MLB's opening week ad effort and remembering Peter Angelos.

Big Get Jay Wright, March Madness is upon us and ESPN locks up CFP

On this week’s pod, our Big Get is CBS Sports college basketball analyst Jay Wright. The NCAA Championship-winning coach shares his insight with SBJ’s Austin Karp on key hoops issues and why being well dressed is an important part of his success. Also on the show, Poynter Institute senior writer Tom Jones shares who he has up and who is down in sports media. Later, SBJ’s Ben Portnoy talks the latest on ESPN’s CFP extension and who CBS, TNT Sports and ESPN need to make deep runs in the men’s and women's NCAA basketball tournaments.

SBJ I Factor: Nana-Yaw Asamoah

SBJ I Factor features an interview with AMB Sports and Entertainment Chief Commercial Office Nana-Yaw Asamoah. Asamoah, who moved over to AMBSE last year after 14 years at the NFL, talks with SBJ’s Ben Fischer about how his role model parents and older sisters pushed him to shrive, how the power of lifelong learning fuels successful people, and why AMBSE was an opportunity he could not pass up. Asamoah is 2021 SBJ Forty Under 40 honoree. SBJ I Factor is a monthly podcast offering interviews with sports executives who have been recipients of one of the magazine’s awards.

Shareable URL copied to clipboard!

https://www.sportsbusinessjournal.com/Daily/Issues/2020/10/13/Media/Cuban-Kelly.aspx

Sorry, something went wrong with the copy but here is the link for you.

https://www.sportsbusinessjournal.com/Daily/Issues/2020/10/13/Media/Cuban-Kelly.aspx

CLOSE