How much will LeBron boost NBC Sports Philadelphia? Here’s what the past says.
The TV ratings for the Miami Heat, Cleveland Cavaliers, and Los Angeles Lakers all increased substantially after James joined their teams.
Outside of the 76ers, one of the biggest winners of the LeBron James’ sweepstakes is NBC Sports Philadelphia.
We won’t know how much of a boon James will be for the city or the network until the 41-year-old takes the court in a couple of months. A lot will depend on the future Hall of Famer’s health during his unprecedented 24th NBA season, but James has remained remarkably healthy, averaging over 62 starts a year over the past five season.
If the Sixers match expectations and James can remain on the court, NBC Sports Philadelphia can expect a big boost in viewership based on what happened at his previous stops, according to an Inquirer analysis of Nielsen data previously reported by Sports Business Journal and provided by its media reporter, Austin Karp.
Before James famously made his decision to join the Miami Heat in 2010, games on the city’s now-defunct regional sports network, FanDuel Sports Network Sun (known then as Sun Sports), averaged a 2.51 rating, roughly 40,000 households. After James joined the team, ratings nearly doubled to a 4.92. By the 2012-13 season, after James helped lead the Heat to two straight NBA championships, games were averaging a 7.14 rating on Sun Sports, nearly three times higher than before he came to town.
In 2014, James decided to leave Miami to return to the Cleveland Cavaliers. Ratings tripled on the now-defunct regional sports network, formerly known as Fox Sports Ohio, jumping from a 2.79 rating (roughly 41,000 households) before James to a 9.31 rating (roughly 139,000 households) as he led the Cavaliers to their first and only NBA championship in 2016.
In 2018, James took his talents to Los Angeles to join the Lakers, whose local TV ratings were already among the strongest in the NBA. Lakers ratings still increased 31% on Spectrum SportsNet, the highest since 2013.
NBC Sports Philadelphia averaged 86,000 viewers per Sixers game last season, according to Nielsen numbers obtained by The Inquirer. If James can provide the same spark he did in both Cleveland and Miami, you can expect upward of 250,000 fans tuning in locally to watch the Sixers on NBC Sports Philadelphia.
The network is certainly counting on a boost. NBC Sports Philadelphia is working to improve its production capabilities and add staff, potentially including a third personality alongside announcers Kate Scott and Alaa Abdelnaby who can do interviews and bring the atmosphere of the stadium to fans watching at home.
“I think you need a voice on the court where Alaa and Kate can’t be to give us insight, do pre- and postgame interviews, analysis, all of that,” Alexandra Matcham, the vice president of content for NBC Sports Philadelphia, previously told The Inquirer.
The only bad news for NBC Sports Philadelphia is that ratings tanked for the markets James left.
When he left the Cavaliers for the Heat, ratings in Cleveland dropped 54%. The same thing happened when he returned to Cleveland — ratings on Sun Sports in Miami dropped 28%.
After James joined the Lakers, Cavaliers’ ratings on Fox Sports Ohio dropped 58%. It remains to be seen whether Spectrum SportsNet will suffer a similar fate this season.
Fortunately, that’s a future problem for NBC Sports Philadelphia to deal with, as James signed a two-year deal with the Sixers.
NBC Sports Philadelphia still finalizing its Sixers schedule
The Sixers have 34 nationally televised games this season, the most in franchise history, but most of them will also air locally on NBC Sports Philadelphia.
Just 15 of those games are exclusive to national broadcasters, including the Sixers first two games — Oct. 20 against the New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden (NBC), and the Sixers’ home opener against the Cleveland Cavaliers at Xfinity Mobile Arena on Oct. 22 (ESPN).
That means the first Sixers regular-season game that will air on NBC Sports Philadelphia will be Oct. 24 against the Milwaukee Bucks in South Philly.
NBC Sports Philadelphia will air at least 67 Sixers games this season, but the full schedule needs to be approved by the NBA before it’s released publicly. There’s also some juggling that needs to happen, since the network also broadcasts Flyers games.
The network will air all four Sixers preseason games, beginning Oct. 5 against the Knicks at Xfinity Mobile Arena, which could be the first time fans see James suit up for Philly.
Regardless of when he plays, the expectations are sky-high for the Sixers this season.
“Championship or bust,” Hall of Famer and TNT analyst Shaquille O’Neal said during a recent interview on ESPN’s SportsCenter. “I know LeBron wants to get one last one. ... If they don’t win the championship, I think all those players will be very, very disappointed.”
