Economic Observer reporter Ye XinranIn order to increase the ratings, the NBA fought hard.
On December 10, Beijing time, the first NBA 2023-2024 Midseason Championship (hereinafter referred to as the Midseason Tournament) came to an end, the Los Angeles Lakers defeated the Indiana Pacers 123-109 to win the championship, LeBron James won the MVP (Most Valuable Player Award), and the Lakers also received a generous bonus of $500,000 per player and $250,000 for two-way players.
On December 12, Beijing time, the NBA announced the best team for the first midseason game, Giannis Antetokounmpo, Anthony Davis, LeBron James, and Tyrese Haliburton were selected with 20 votes, and Kevin Durant was selected with 7 votes.
The mid-season tournament is the first of its kind in the NBA, which lasted from November 4 to December 10, and it was a test of the waters that was not favored by everyone at first, but it really boosted the ratings.
According to data provided by the NBA, as of December 8, Beijing time, the average number of viewers per game increased by 12% over the same period last yearThe average audience for the semi-finals reached 1.88 million, a year-on-year increase of 50%. Among them, the average viewership of the semifinals between the Pelicans and the Lakers reached 2.17 million, an increase of 73% from last season.
Outside of the All-Star Game, NBA games are generally divided into four parts: the preseason, the regular season, the playoffs, and the Finals. The regular season runs from late October to mid-April of the following year. In other words, November and December are the time of the regular season, and the difference this year is that the NBA will set the regular season in November as a tournament, deciding that 8 teams will enter the single knockout game held in December, the remaining 22 teams will return to the normal regular season, and the 2 teams that make it to the finals will have an extra midseason final on the basis of the regular season. All midseason games except the finals are counted towards the NBA's regular season results, so at the beginning, when the NBA announced the introduction of the midseason, some fans questioned that the midseason was just a new name and a few more games.
In terms of specific packages, the mid-season tournament is not just a new name and an added competition. First of all, there is a generous prize money, with each player on the winning team receiving $500,000 in this mid-season, $200,000 each for the runner-up team, and $100,000 and $50,000 each for the top four and quarter-finals respectively. The second is the format change, with the introduction of a goal difference and a "wild card" system in the group stage, which means that every point in the game counts, and even if the situation is already in place, the team still needs to go all out to extend the advantage. In addition, the mid-season tournament also introduces a single-match elimination system that will determine the winner. This series of measures has increased the chance of the game, and also promoted the enthusiasm of the players, making the confrontation, intensity and suspense of the game more than in the previous regular season.
The NBA's mid-season game was created to increase viewership and attention. With the rise of short **, the audience's ** Xi has become fragmented, and the appeal of long-term live game broadcast has declined. According to the United States** Sports Business**, in the 2019-2020 season, NBA TV ratings were impacted, and the ratings of ESPN TV, the two major national live TV stations, fell by 20% compared with last season, and TNT TV's ratings fell by 23% compared with last season. The average number of people on ABC, ESPN and TNT in the 2020-2021 season was 1.32 million, down 25% from the 1.75 million in 2018-2019.
The question of how to add some elements to the long regular season that can stimulate the audience to tune in is facing the NBA.
In fact, as early as 2014, the mid-season game appeared in the NBA's concept, and this year it has been realized, in addition to the purpose of increasing ratings, there is also the NBA's upcoming negotiation of a new broadcast contract, and the NBA needs a new "card" to sit at the negotiating table. As we all know, the NBA's current broadcast contract expires at the end of the 2024-2025 season, and the NBA needs new growth points to add leverage to negotiations, and the midseason game is the one that has been selected.
It is reported that since the birth of the BAA, the predecessor of the NBA, the regular season and playoffs have been a fixed system, and they have basically not changed for more than 70 years. Mid-season tournaments are a novelty that upends the NBA's traditional format.
But disruption was not understood and accepted by everyone at the beginning. The mid-season tournament was initially met with some controversy, with some questioning the value of the mid-season and others arguing that the extra goals would burden the players and pose a threat to their health.
In response to the above questions, the NBA responded through the arrangement of the midseason tournament that the wins and losses of the midseason tournament are added to the regular season record, and each team still maintains 82 regular season games, and only the champion and runner-up teams will play 83 games because of the finals. In addition, the $500,000 bonus is not a small amount for a base-salary player. Furthermore, the mid-season tournament provides a platform for young players and grassroots teams to showcase themselves.
In terms of hardware facilities, the NBA introduced full-color painted flooring for the first time in the arena, breaking the original visual effect, and each team has a unique court floor design. NBA China told reporters that the distinctive floors reflect the NBA's determination to make breakthrough attempts.
The high quality of the game and the enthusiasm of the audience are two flywheels that drive each other, and the NBA China said that for the league, the increase in ratings, attendance and fan engagement has added gold to the mid-season game.
The NBA used the new format to activate the audience attention and participation in the NBA's "off-season" regular season, adding bargaining chips to the negotiation of broadcast rights, and the ultimate goal is to point to the competitiveness of the commercial market. The mid-season competition provides a new lesson for the industry.