Is NBA Rivals Week, In-Season Tournament Here To Stay?
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The National Basketball Association (NBA) has made its agenda in recent years clear: create a better product during its eighty-two-game regular season. It is no secret that the league has seen a decrease in viewership since the pandemic, and has taken an aggressive approach to buck this trend.
There have been a few ways in which the NBA has created incentives, for players and fans alike, to create a more enticing viewing experience. Passing this year, the most recent development for players is the 65-game rule, which states that they must reach that quota to be eligible for awards. More than halfway through the season, this rule is looking like it may have an impact on who is awarded, with superstars such as Joel Embiid on the cusp of being ineligible.
From rule changes to deter players from missing games to the financial incentives tied to the In-Season tournament, the NBA has created incentives for players in hopes of meeting their agenda of creating a more consistent competitive play over the last few years. This remains true for the fans as well, with the inaugural In-Season tournament and the return of NBA Rivals Week being the most prominent examples.
Photo Credit: NBA
Taking inspiration from competitions such as the World Cup, the NBA’s In-Season Tournament ran from Friday, Nov. 3 to Saturday, Dec. 9. Starting with the group stages, the first month of competition featured five games amongst those who were grouped, with eight qualifying for the knockout tournament.
Although it was met with mixed opinions from players and coaches, there is no denying that this season’s tournament created a unique atmosphere that elevated the play. One of those in favor was LeBron James, who became the first In-Season Tournament MVP following the Los Angeles Lakers’ victory over the Indiana Pacers in the championship game.
Despite the high-level competition that it brought, the viewership numbers, outside of the championship itself, left something to be desired. Across ABC, ESPN, and TNT, the tournament averaged 1.67 million viewers, less than the 1.77 non-tournament season average, although the spike in viewership during the opening week plays a role in inflating that number. There was a slight bump in the overall viewership during November, with the 1.72 million being 7% higher than the season prior.
With the overall viewership being satisfactory at best, the numbers that Commissioner Adam Silver and the NBA were hoping for came in the overall attendance and championship game viewership. During the group play games, the average attendance was 18,206, a league record for November. As for the Laker’s championship, the contest was viewed by 4.59 million across ABC and ESPN 2, making it the most-watched non-Christmas day game in five years.
Taking everything into account, the first In-Season Tournament had mixed success, which can also be said about this past week’s promotion, NBA Rivals Week.
Photo Credit: NBA
Kicking off with Knicks vs. Nets on Tuesday, Jan. 23, NBA Rivals Week came to a close on Saturday, Jan. 27, marking the second consecutive season in which the promotion ran. Marketed as a slate of exciting matchups that included old and current team/player rivalries, it featured eleven total games over five days.
Similar to the tournament, viewership was inconsistent. For the Lakers and Clippers primetime matchup on the opening night, TNT saw its lowest numbers for a Lakers game all season, only averaging 1.30 million. This continued into the next night, with the Thunder vs. Spurs being ESPN’s least-watched game all season with 604,000.
While the first four games lacked any true showing in the ratings, the NBA brought out its most reliable rivalry of the last decade, and it delivered. A thrilling double-overtime game, the Lakers and Warriors Saturday night matchup averaged 3.97 million viewers on ABC, welcoming the biggest audience outside of Christmas and the aforementioned tournament.
Numbers aside, there is no denying the publicity that the In-Season Tournament and Rivalry Week brought to the NBA through social media and coverage on sports networks. Because of that, the NBA will more than likely continue these newfound traditions. However, whether it will continue to bring in the commercial audience and fanfare in the years to come is the real question that only time will tell.
