ESPN, Turner Hope for NBA Ratings Resurgence Amid Wide-Open Chase for Title
The NBA’s TV partners are planning for a bounce-back season in TV ratings, pointing to a key scheduling change and a wide-open race for the championship as a reason for optimism. An offseason filled with multiple star players changing teams – some of which give the league its first chance at a true Los Angeles rivalry between the Lakers and Clippers — reset the balance of power in the NBA, which has been dominated by the juggernaut Golden State Warriors. That gives the league’s TV partners, which tip off the 2019-2020 season this week, a chance at something that’s become a rarity for the NBA the past few years: A wide-open race for the NBA championship. That prospect has sparked hopes of a ratings rebound. Last year, ESPN and TNT struggled to fill the early-game timeslots for their doubleheaders with the move of star LeBron James from the Eastern Conference to the West, which meant he was playing the majority of his games after 10 p.m. ET. The continued dominance of the Warriors also made the outcome of the season feel pre-ordained. Also Read: Here's How the NBA's TV Partners Will Discuss the League's Thorny Situation With China On the Air...
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