"Partnering with YouTube at this level for the first time allows us to put these ceremonies directly into the environment where so much of today's journalism and storytelling already lives."
Although the overall viewership number was down, consumption of the first half-hour of the proceedings averaged 5.05 million viewers, marking a 4% proliferation from the previous year.
TNT Sports is going to work with the NBA on a transition plan for which it will assume the programming and operations responsibilities of both entities.