‘NBA Finals ratings at an all time low’: Why have TV ratings dropped for Lakers vs Heat NBA Finals?

Amulya Shekhar | 07/10/2020
NBA Finals Ratings

Despite the high quality of basketball we have seen at this year’s NBA bubble, it has not led to more people being drawn to it. The Finals are seeing an all-time low in TV viewers.

There are many factors at play here. First of all, many NBA fans today are streaming the game rather than watching it on the telly.

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Secondly, the lack of fans in the arena has made for an inferior viewing experience overall. Thirdly, the Miami Heat are the most ‘unfancied’ team to make it to this stage in well over a decade.

Why have TV ratings seen such a dramatic decline?

Game 1 of the NBA Finals saw only 7.1 million viewers, which is the lowest figure for any Finals Game 1 this century. Games 2 & 3, which came on traditionally bad days for ratings, saw an abyssal fall in ratings as well.

Only 6.4 million and 5.9 million viewers respectively tuned into these games.

Also Read: “A Herro is more than a sandwich”: Mark Jackson makes ‘Tyler Herro sandwich’ reference in NBA Finals Game 4 vs Lakers

It’s not just the NBA which has seen a decline in viewership either.

While the NBA’s social justice stance, and its promotion of BLM may have had some effect, there are clear signs that people are just disinterested in sports these days.

It is something to be concerned about for the league, but one can expect that this is a temporary change of status.

Post Edited By: Utkarsh Bhatla
heat Lakers LeBron James NBA

About the author

Amulya Shekhar

Amulya Shekhar is a sports junkie who thrives on the thrills and frills of live sports action across basketball, football (the American variant works too), parkour, adventure sports. He believes sports connect us to our best selves, and he hopes to help people experience sports more holistically.

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