Even though the Spurs have won only 11 of 55 games this season, Bally Sports Southwest is pleased with the local audiences in San Antonio and surrounding areas.
According to figures collected by Nielsen Station and published by Sports Business Journalaudiences are up 54% compared to last season, and this is obviously due to the arrival of Victor Wembanyama.
In the barometer of the biggest audience increases, which include 27 franchises out of 30, the Spurs rank 5th in the current season. Figures to be linked to the year-round subscription sales for Spurs matches, but also to the figures for jersey sales since “Wemby” is already the 4th biggest seller in the league.
Twice as many viewers for the Nuggets and Wolves
The Spurs are not the only ones to explode audiences since the Nuggets, NBA champions, have completely doubled their audiences: +139% over the first part of the season. Same cards in Minneapolis for the Wolves (+107%) and the Suns (+94%). The Magic, with 76% progress, is slotted between the top three and the Spurs.
In total, 18 franchises out of 27 show increasing audiences, and that pleasantly surprises analysts.
“In the NBA, there are twice as many teams on the rise as on the downside,” notes Craig Sloan, president of Playfly Sports. “That’s not normally the case. It should be 50-50: someone wins, someone loses. Usually, interest wanes in markets where one team loses and the others rise. But it's a good sign when two thirds of the teams are growing, and the market share, locally, is really strong. »
