While Commissioner Adam Silver is thrilled with where the NBA’s popularity is, he also believes that the league must evolve.
Silver joined ABC’s pregame show, NBA Countdown, before Game 3 of the NBA Finals. He praised the home markets of both the Oklahoma City Thunder and Indiana Pacers, saying “I don’t remember being in two markets where it feels so dominant to have these games.”
The commissioner then turned his attention to television ratings, comparing the current ratings to previous eras. Silver noted that in terms of viewership, the league is both better and worse now than it was in bygone eras.
“People compare us to 20 years ago,” Silver said. “But these Games 1 and 2, so far, as the highest-rated programs in May and June, so far, on television. And if something beats us, it will be another sports program. Back 20 years ago, we often didn’t win the night when the Finals were on. But the absolute rating is lower now.”
“People compare us to 20 years ago, Games 1 and 2 so far are the highest-rated programs in May and June so far on television. And if something beats us, it will be another sports program. Back 20 years ago, we often didn’t win the night when the Finals were on.”
Adam Silver pic.twitter.com/vxTAnUXbfN
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) June 12, 2025
He continued, noting how much television in general has changed over the last 20 years.
“What’s happening, people talk about it in politics all the time, that we’re a divided society and people just want to watch their point of view,” Silver said. “The world’s changed. There’s so many more options now…that for us, when a huge event happens, like the Finals, the question is, ‘How do you bring in casual viewers?’ It used to be, when you were on ABC, there were only a few networks. Then there’s some cable channels. So, if there was the NBA Finals on or the World Series, you were drawn to it because it was a big event in society. People were talking about it at work the next morning. Long way of saying, I think we have to do new things now.”
Silver is correct. Compared to 20 years ago, television ratings are lower, virtually across the board. There are more options on TV, which naturally thins out the ratings. There are also more readily available forms of entertainment now than ever before.
The commissioner finished his point by reiterating his overall happiness with where the league is, while also identifying a few potential areas of growth.
“In some ways, I couldn’t be happier. I mean, we’re dominating in these cities, we’re dominating relative to other programming. But ultimately the goal is to get more people to watch. That’s what makes it a bigger event. So we have to be innovative and find new ways — podcasts, social media, direct-to-consumer marketing, new digital platforms that we’re moving to next year. ESPN and ABC are doing the same. It’s a changed society.”
