NBA Breaks Audience and Sales Records at Season Start
The NBA regular season has begun with spectacular figures, solidifying its position as one of the most attractive sporting spectacles worldwide. The data reveals notable growth in various areas, from television viewership to merchandise sales.
The games broadcast through NBC/Peacock, Amazon Prime Video, and ESPN have captured the attention of over 60 million viewers during the first month of competition. This number represents the best start in 15 years for the league, excluding the 2011-12 season, which began on Christmas, a traditionally strong day in terms of viewership.
This initial success is a positive indicator, especially considering the NBA’s recent agreement with its broadcast partners, valued at $76 billion and lasting 11 years.
The NBA content has accumulated over 30 billion views on the league’s and third-party social media platforms, setting a new record for this point in the season.
Sales of products on NBAStore.com have experienced an increase of over 20%. This increase is attributed, in part, to the impact of the “next generation stars”, such as Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Anthony Edwards, Victor Wembanyama, Tyrese Maxey, Cooper Flagg, Jalen Brunson and Luka Doncic.
The NBA League Pass has also shown positive performance, with a 10% increase in subscriptions and an 8% increase in time spent watching games on the platform.
Attendance at stadiums remains in line with the previous season, which was the second-best in league history in terms of attendance, with an occupancy of approximately 97% across the league so far.
Ten teams have sold out all tickets for their home games so far this season: Boston Celtics, Cleveland Cavaliers, Golden State Warriors, Houston Rockets, Miami Heat, New York Knicks, Oklahoma City Thunder, Phoenix Suns, San Antonio Spurs, and Utah Jazz. Other teams, such as Atlanta and Charlotte, have recorded an increase of almost 10% in attendance compared to last year.
