MLB opening day has most viewers in 9 years ... but

[TimmySmith 2,782]

1 minute ago, Hawkeye21 said:

 It's a bit of a logistics nightmare so I give them credit for what they've done. 

Really?  Wouldn't know. It seems that rescheduling games has been done forever and they have never used HS rules before.  Get ready for this in the future.  I guess if they gave you 2, five inning games, you would see the positive in that.  I wouldn't.  

[drobeski 3,061]

13 minutes ago, Hawkeye21 said:

Who cares?  Times are strange and they are trying to do what they can.  I'm just happy we have games to watch.  It's a bit of a logistics nightmare so I give them credit for what they've done.  I like to find the positive in things and try to enjoy them.  I see you like to go a different direction.

You complain about peoples opinions here a lot. 

 

[posty 2,296]

16 minutes ago, TimmySmith said:

Really?  Wouldn't know. It seems that rescheduling games has been done forever and they have never used HS rules before.  Get ready for this in the future.  I guess if they gave you 2, five inning games, you would see the positive in that.  I wouldn't.  

Five inning games?  I wonder if we would see more complete games or would the start just go three innings and the setup man go in the fourth and the closer in the fifth...

[Hardcore troubadour 12,633]

3 fouls and you’re out, tie goes to the runner, designated runners, unlimited substitution. Just get it over with and use little league rules. 

[Voltaire 4,558]

Hockey isn't kneeling, right? Except that one Minnesota turd. How are those ratings?

[TimmySmith 2,782]

5 minutes ago, posty said:

Five inning games?  I wonder if we would see more complete games or would the start just go three innings and the setup man go in the fourth and the closer in the fifth...

5, 1 inning specialists is my guess.  At that rate they should be able pitch 100 games a year. 

[Hardcore troubadour 12,633]

9 minutes ago, Voltaire said:

Hockey isn't kneeling, right? Except that one Minnesota turd. How are those ratings?

They are up from last year. 

[Voltaire 4,558]

5 minutes ago, Hardcore troubadour said:

They are up from last year. 

Everyone else down and NHL up. That's a good sign. NBA is dead to me. MLB and NFL are in dire straights and I will not watch this year.

But I'm going to up my hockey consumption next season. With the Wings out of the playoffs, it's hard to get the juices going this year.

[JustinCharge 2,397]

https://itsgame7.com/nba-playoff-ratings-down-39-percent/

NBA Playoff Ratings Down 39 Percent
Carlos Garcia August 19, 2020

The NBA Playoffs began on Monday with four first-round games spanning from mid-morning to late night.

Overall, the opening day of the pro basketball postseason averaged 1.71 million viewers for ESPN. That number was 39 percent lower than the 2.82 million average from last year.

Before delving deeper into the specifics, it is important to offer some context.

Last year, the playoffs began on a Saturday and included an ABC primetime slot. This year, the games took place on a weekday and did not feature a single ABC-broadcasted outing.

Comparing last year’s NBA Playoff day 1 ratings versus this year’s is not truly an apples-to-apples measurement. But it does still speak to a broader, much-discussed ratings problem that pro basketball has been dealing with as of late.

Daytime games in the COVID era are not the same thing as daytime games prior to it. A lot of people are still working from home and have their TVs on – even as background noise.

Moreover, it’s not like daytime, weekday athletic events are always ratings stinkers.

The NCAA’s March Madness Tournament is one of the most beloved sports happenings of the year despite often falling on weekdays.

This year’s showdown between the Boston Celtics and Philadelphia 76ers, one of the more intriguing outings on the calendar, averaged 2.10 million viewers. That number is down 57 percent from the 4.83 million that the Los Angeles Clippers and Golden State Warriors averaged last year.

Earlier in the day, the Utah Jazz and Denver Nuggets played a fun one that averaged 1.18 million viewers – down 42 percent from the 2.04 million average a showdown between the Brooklyn Nets and Sixers game did last year.

Monday’s battle between the defending champion Toronto Raptors and Nets averaged 1.30 million viewers – down 47 percent from a similar game last year between the Raptors and Orlando Magic which averaged 2.44 million.

NBA Playoff Ratings Are Suddenly A Big Deal

Sports TV ratings, especially the NBA’s, have become something of a hot topic in recent times. Critics use the numbers to cite growing dissatisfaction with the product itself. Fans dismiss them as a sign of the times, arguing that streaming and social media have far more to do with the declines than anything else.

If the NBA Playoff ratings go up over the next few weeks as the stakes get higher and the less interesting teams are weeded out, then all the viewership panic will become an afterthought.

However, if the numbers don’t improve, there will likely need to be a reckoning of some sort regarding why a sport that gets so much play on social media and TV is struggling so badly when it comes to people actually watching its games.