NBA All-Star Game Gets Ratings Bump

The newly-implemented “Elam Ending” helped facilitate a much-needed ratings boost for the NBA All-Star Game. Over the weekend, the NBA’s showcase event focused on honoring the legacy of Lakers legend Kobe Bryant. Those changes captured a larger audience than normal.

On Monday, USA Today’s Mark Medina examined the television ratings from All-Star weekend.

During NBA All-Star weekend, TNT saw net improvements in Friday’s Rising Stars game (1 percent and most-watched since 2015), Saturdays’ 3-point and slam-dunk contest (one percent and most-watched since 2017) as well as Sunday’s pre-game show (6.3 million, an 19 percent increase) and the All-Star game itself (7.3 million, an eight percent increase). ESPN also experienced a nine percent increase in viewership with Friday’s All-Star celebrity game.

The All-Star Game’s increased viewership is part of a trend in the right direction for the NBA. Viewership numbers endured a significant dip to start the season. Along with highlighting the ASG numbers, Medina looked at the shift in overall ratings.

Although average viewership across ABC, ESPN and TNT have suffered a 13-percent decrease this season, the NBA experienced other relative improvements in recent months. Average viewership on ESPN and TNT increased by a combined six percent in December. Those viewers then increased by an average of 27 percent on ESPN, TNT and NBA TV in January.

You can read Medina’s full post at USA Today.