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    [OC] Down 13% vs. last year, this year's NBA All-Star game was the second least-watched ever
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    [OC] Down 13% vs. last year, this year’s NBA All-Star game was the second least-watched ever

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    34 Comments

    4. generaltso81 on

      I really tried to watch it this year but I can’t get over how many commercials and ads are all over the place. I used to be sports obsessed but as I get older I’m noticing my tolerance for ads and commercials is declining. I usually stop watching during a commercial break and either stream a show or play video games.

    5. idkwhatimbrewin on

      Does this count people that turned in off midway through? I honestly can’t imagine that many people actually watching the entirety of that hot garbage

    6. RainMakerJMR on

      It’s because the all star game used to be the only time you’d see cool dunks and alley oops and a bunch of all stars playing in the same game, just showing off and having fun. Now that’s every game, 140 points and 55 3 pointers.

      They used to play the normal season games to win, and played real basketball.

    8. bumjug427 on

      It’s getting tougher and tougher to justify paying to watch a game consisting of multi-millionaires running up and down a wooden court, like it’s some kind of noble pursuit. Those are the things that are sliding by the wayside as the oligarchs and their minions continue to squeeze the average person.

    9. Beleiverofhumanity on

      They should learn from NHL and do a country style face off

      USA vs Canada vs EU(France, Germany etc.) vs Baltics (Slovenia, Lithuania Serbia etc.)

    11. coporate on

      The 4 nations final game pulled in 16million which was used as a replacement for the all star game in hockey.

      The nba is going to need a shake up to their programming to get it right.

    12. IrksomFlotsom on

      Should probably try and qualify as a sport, and not entertainment so viewers can trust the competitive integrity of what they’re watching

    13. executivesphere on

      The tournament approach was intriguing but the NBA really messed it up with all the commercial breaks and stoppages throughout this year’s game.

      We’re a bit past the point where the All-star is truly meaningful. These days, the top players are very locked in on the regular season and gearing up for the playoffs, so I don’t think they see much value in an exhibition game. At the same time, the past few years have shown that if the all-star game is close toward the end, guys will still lock in and play some entertaining basketball. Hypothetically, the tournament format should have given more of that. But all those stoppages really ruined the vibe.

      The other thing is that the pace is so fast in the modern NBA with a number of teams having half-court offenses that look more like transition offenses. That just gets amplified in the All-star game with the reduced defensive effort. So you’re not seeing as many of the methodical star vs. star iso possession against set defenses the would hypothetically be more enjoyable to the casual audience. That said, Kyrie had a really amazing possession deliberately isoing Wemby this year.

      Overall, I just don’t think the All-star game is a huge deal and it’s not worth clutching pearls about. Nobody cares about the Pro Bowl anymore either.

    16. thesquirrelnextdoor on

      The second least watched ever… but better than two years ago? I hate this sort of stat. 2nd worst in 3 years.

    17. itsricheyrich on

      Adam silver let the players dress how they wanted which was cool but otherwise has been not great for the league lol

    19. Moonskaraos on

      The NBA has basically become a league of fancy 3 point contests. It’s boring and predictable.

    21. naijaboiler on

      Adam Silver became boss when? 2014. its been on teh way down since then.

      when i say the man changes things too much, people downvote me. The man has no respect for tradition. he is incorrigibly wedded to change for change sake.

      I am not saying things should never change. David Stern slowly tweaked things. Adam silver is all about always changing and trying gimmicks. almost, like he he doesn’t think through what’s wrong before suggesting changes.

      I don’t even bother watching all-star weekend. I honestly don’t know what to expect anymore.

      good luck

    23. rockerdude22_22 on

      The NBA is just not fun to watch anymore. Teams know that the most value these days is to just shoot threes via all the analytics that are available.

      If the NBA wants to become more relevant again they need to make different ways to score various points. I.E. make a 4 point line wayyy back and eliminate 3’s etc.

    24. bagofdicks69 on

      Pretty sure it got beat out by esports around 2010-15. Would be cool to have some big esports tournaments compared

    25. FoolishChemist on

      I think a lot of the drop correlates with people cutting cable and satellite subscriptions.

    27. wikiwombat on

      Well NBA is losing viewership across the board. And that’s with Disney aka ESPN doing all it can do to prop it up.

    28. Tired_of_politics_75 on

      Well, when you call a majority of your viewership racist and preach to them, they tend to get turned off.

    29. mf-TOM-HANK on

      I swear, hating on the NBA is a sport in and of itself these days. Broadcast media rights will increase 300% in the next round of deals, but ratings for an All Star exhibition are down so I guess they’re circling the drain. All the armchair assistants are experts in how the game ought to be played lol

    30. DanTheStripe on

      Would it not be fair to say at least some of this is down to decline in television as a whole?

    31. imironman2018 on

      Answer is that fans are tired of watching less minutes of NBA action and watching a shit ton more commercials. I would like to see a format with All stars from the world vs the US.

    33. TheDukeKC on

      Hmm. It’s almost like this downward slump tracks perfectly with Lebrons career. He’s NBA cancer.