After the All-Star Game’s 8% increase in viewership last year and the league’s ratings bounceback this season, Turner Sports is hoping to build on that momentum Sunday.
Turner completely sold out its ads for the ASG broadcast on TNT, which will also feature slam dunk and skills contests. The success comes after the NBA’s 34% uptick in viewership from the previous year in a four-week period ending on Martin Luther King Jr. Day.
- Turner attracted advertisers by bundling All-Star Game and NBA Playoff commercial time.
- Advertisers were also able to book space on NBA.com and Bleacher Report, as per usual for Turner broadcasts.
- Low ratings for events like the Super Bowl, NBA Finals, and World Series have yet to turn off networks and advertisers. The NFL is finalizing its next round of TV contracts, which are believed to roughly double the value of its previous deals.
TNT will broadcast the midseason competition for the 19th consecutive year — perhaps the only current ASG streak longer than LeBron’s 17th straight start — and the game will be simultaneously broadcast on TBS, another Turner property.
The NBA has been billing the night as a TV-only event in an effort to dissuade people from congregating in Atlanta, but many fans are ignoring that request.
