To put things in perspective, the most watched game in NBA history was Game 6 of the 1998 NBA Finals, in which Michael Jordan famously won his sixth championship against the Stockton and Malone Utah Jazz, which was broadcast live on ESPN. NBA MT Coins The game drew a total of 35.9 million viewers. Various theories as to why basketball's ratings have been declining, including politicalization of the sport, LeBron's dominance, the coronavirus pandemic, and the growing trend of "easy way out" teams, all of which are arguably for basketball fans to debate rather than the general public.
One thing is certain, and that is that nothing is certain. NBA fans are enamored with the team's on-court drama. It is the compelling storylines, such as the conclusion of Jordan's basketball career with the Bulls and the basketball team's epic comeback in 2016, the Cavaliers incredible comeback against the Warriors, and the 2010 showdown between the Lakers and the Celtics, that produce incredible television, and the viewership reflects that fact.
The NBA has entered the rapidly expanding world of esports by partnering with Take-Two Interactive, the company that owns the well-known NBA 2K video game franchise, to launch the NBA 2K League in partnership with Take-Two Interactive. This is an extremely wise decision on the part of the NBA, as it is predicted that approximately 351 million people around the world will be watching esports games as a form of entertainment by 2023.
Esports are a rapidly expanding market that provides an excellent platform for the NBA to communicate with audiences outside of the United States of America. It has been discovered that the Asia Pacific region accounts for 57 percent of all Esports viewers worldwide, as opposed to the North American region, which accounts for 12%, and Europe, which accounts for 16 percent.
