NBA commissioner Adam Silver recognizes the dramatic shift in traditional TV viewership over the last several years, and that’s ultimately going to impact what the league’s next media rights contract looks like.
Speaking Tuesday at the Sports Business Journal’s World Congress of Sports conference, Silver said streaming and cord-cutting have dramatically changed the viewership landscape.
“What we’re seeing in television is that the internet has disrupted this business just like it has virtually every other business,” Silver said. “But there’s still enormous interest in premium live sports programing.”
“If anything, on a relative basis, we’re much more valuable than we were in the old days,” he added. “Even this season if you look at the NBA ratings, which were roughly flat on cable despite a decline in the number of homes, our share continues to grow.”
As for the next media rights deal, Silver isn’t ruling anything out completely yet in making sure the league gets the most optimal package possible.
“I think then as we approach our new national deals, there may be a solution for local rights,” he said. “It probably is most likely some sort of hybrid. You’re going to continue to have traditional cable and satellite distribution. You probably see more over-the-air distribution, almost a return to the past in a way where we were in the old days, more national use of broadcast, more local use of broadcast.”
It’s expected that Silver and other league representatives will begin taking meetings this summer to secure the next media rights deal. The current contract expires after the 2024-2025 season.
