ESPN is owning the stretch run of the NBA and the NHL. From the magic of the New York Knicks’ postseason run to introducing the country to different faces in different markets during the Stanley Cup Final, every step of the way ESPN has become the center of the sports fan’s ecosystem.
Meeting the moment is no small task. Talent decisions are made. Licensing deals are cut. Rights agreements are signed. In the end, the goal is the final result that we’ve been witnessing in what could possibly be considered the network’s finest moment. What a way to roll into a season with its first Super Bowl broadcast ahead.
The NBA Finals
From an NBA standpoint, ESPN has elevated its game. Despite criticism from some (including myself) about Inside the NBA’s impact this season on ESPN, the NBA Finals showcase what made the program the best in the industry for generations: unique insight, no-holds-barred opinion, and light humor to match the moment.
It also helps to be in the world’s most famous arena when the lights shine brightest. This is a home-court advantage that ESPN knew it had, and the network has delivered the goods. A balance of objectivity with a lean into celebrity pulls at the heartstrings and interests of different audiences. The social media approach to capturing engagement and embracing moments continues to set a high standard.
Then there’s Mike Breen. In an age when complaints run rampant about bias from using hometown voices on national platforms, Breen has met the challenge. He’s navigated the call like a brilliant virtuoso, finding avenues to mix his new broadcast team of Richard Jefferson and Tim Legler into his symphony. You would never know this was the first NBA Finals for the broadcast team, and that’s the magic Breen possesses.
Mix in the precise strategy of timing, pace, and choosing the right spots for analysis and insight. ESPN has delivered more than the NBA expected, but exactly what it wanted.
The viewership totals can be debated. Of course, the New York Knicks in the NBA Finals are going to draw viewers. However, for two teams with stars, but not true superstars who are bigger than the sport, they’re bringing in an audience not seen since “The Last Dance.”
It takes more than just a game to do that.
The Stanley Cup Final
From an NHL standpoint, this is the more impressive story of the two. Through the first three games of the Stanley Cup Final, the series is seeing its best viewership in more than a decade. Non-traditional markets such as Raleigh, NC, and Las Vegas, NV, many would consider not exactly ideal for the NHL. But following six years of a team from Florida being represented in the Cup Final, viewership is nearly doubling compared to each of the last three Cup Finals.
So far, we’ve seen an overtime winner, a double-overtime winner, and the fastest natural hat trick in Stanley Cup Final history. Sean McDonough is cementing his voice with every game into the lore that “Doc” Emrick and Gary Thorne own among hockey fans across the country. P.K. Subban is a natural showman, playing Robin to Mark Messier’s Batman. The presentation carries high drama, with games scheduled on opposite nights of the NBA Finals.
There’s no doubt that a number of factors likely play into the numbers. First, with the increased viewership of the NBA Finals, there’s likely some crossover from the cross-promotion of the other series on the same network. Additionally, the Big Data + Panel measurement launched last September surely helps. Team USA beating Canada likely reintroduced a number of people to hockey entering its final stretch.
However, much like the NBA, ESPN has owned the moment. Every game captures the drama that makes the Stanley Cup the hardest trophy to win in all of sports. Those moments go viral, with ESPN personalities becoming part of the engagement surrounding them.
Tip The Cap
For years, ESPN has been criticized for what it wasn’t doing. Not enough promotion. Not enough storytelling, or even enough attention paid to certain properties. Fair or unfair, those critiques have followed the network through multiple eras. But right now, those conversations feel very distant.
The NBA Finals and Stanley Cup Final have become appointment viewing. Not simply because of who’s playing, but because of how they’re being presented. ESPN has found the right balance between turning the games into events, amplifying the personalities, and allowing the competition itself to remain the star.
That’s not easy in an era when every highlight, opinion, and controversy is fighting for attention. The network can’t control who reaches the championship round. It can’t script overtime winners, historic performances, or viral moments. What it can control is how those moments are packaged, promoted, and delivered to fans.
Over the past month, ESPN has done that as well as anyone in sports television.
With the NBA and NHL both thriving on its airwaves, and a Super Bowl still waiting on the horizon, ESPN isn’t just carrying the sports conversation.
It’s driving it.
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John Mamola is Barrett Media’s sports editor and daily sports columnist. He brings over two decades of experience (Chicago, Tampa/St Petersburg) in the broadcast industry with expertise in brand management, sales, promotions, producing, imaging, hosting, talent coaching, talent development, web development, social media strategy and design, video production, creative writing, partnership building, communication/networking with a long track record of growth and success. He is a five-time recognized top 20 program director in a major market via Barrett Medi’s Top 20 series and has been honored internally multiple times as station/brand of the year (Tampa, FL) and employee of the month (Tampa, FL) by iHeartMedia. Connect with John by email at John@BarrettMedia.com.
