Suns Owner Robert Sarver acknowledged it is “going to take a little bit of time” before a large number of fans can attend NBA games in person despite the “very encouraging news” associated with the potential virus vaccines being developed. Appearing on CNBC, Sarver said, “This year is definitely going to be challenging for our sport. We rely on fans in the building for concerts and for basketball, so we'll have to work around kind of where our medical experts say in terms of how many fans we can get in the building.” However, he feels the NBA will be “more creative on how we deal with our broadcast and our digital and our social media” with continued attendance issues. Sarver did not appear overly concerned about the lower-than-normal viewership numbers for the NBA Finals and said, “We’re shooting for the ‘21-22 season to be a regular full season, and I think by that time everything will be stabilized and our trends are good.” Sarver: “The demand for our product is still very high, especially in our key demographics in the 18-40 range, so we’re feeling optimistic that the TV ratings are going to bounce back” (“Squawk on the Street,” CNBC, 11/18).
