NBA’s Local Ratings Slump: A Symptom Of The Shift From Cable To Streaming
The 2024-25 NBA season has been one for the ages.
The Eastern Conference saw the rise of the Cleveland Cavaliers to the No. 1 seed and the Detroit Pistons winning 30 games more than last season. Out West, we saw a bombshell trade (Luka to the Lakers … really?) and an exciting playoff race that came down to the final weekend. And the playoffs have already been epic, with the continuation of the Knicks/Pacers rivalry leading to a shocking upset in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals.
Even with the amazing storylines, this season brought a steep decline in local TV viewership across several markets, with viewership for multiple teams declining by 50% or more. But the numbers don’t tell the whole story.
While it’s tempting to frame this as waning fan interest, the truth is more nuanced. These drops are symptoms of a media ecosystem in transition. As traditional regional sports networks (RSNs) lose distribution power and audiences migrate online, linear streaming is beginning to take hold. The shift is real and messy, but it’s also laying the groundwork for a more flexible, data-rich future for both media companies and advertisers.
Recently, NBA commissioner Adam Silver put it best: “[Local game broadcasts] are caught in legacy media, which is rapidly declining. And our young fans, in particular, we used to talk about cord-cutters; they’re really cord-nevers. It’s not part of their lives to buy cable … And so the local situation by definition will then get even worse.”
Linear streaming, explained
Linear streaming delivers scheduled, channel-style programming via the internet instead of through cable or satellite. The key characteristic is that the programming and advertising are scheduled and shown at specific times, just like traditional linear TV, but now delivered through digital infrastructure.
While it mimics the traditional TV experience, linear streaming also adds layers of interactivity, device flexibility and ad-targeting potential. Linear streaming makes it possible for sports leagues to maintain control over distribution and collect more granular viewer data, which RSNs do not offer.
For instance, Victory+, a free ad-supported streaming platform, launched in partnership with the Dallas Stars NHL hockey team. This gives the Stars a direct relationship with fans while having greater control over their media rights and data collection.