Hoops

NBL Ratings way down this week

41k last night. Waiting for the 'NBL Ratings way up this week' thread...

GuessWhos, ratings are continuing to rise. They're still up on this time last year. The ratings on the weekend were up on equivalent games from last year.

What more can we really ask for? An improvement week-to-week every single week, regardless of who's playing, regardless of the channel, regardless of whether the games are live or delayed, regardless of factors that force competition for eyeballs? It doesn't work like that, sadly.

I have a ratings box at home. What makes these numbers more concerning is each person entered in a ratings box (including guests) = around 2,500 for stats. It's only a small sample size but if yo do the maths, it's not many people tuning in.

Our house normally watch the games, but was at the game on Friday Night and Sunday's game got moved to One HD with no real warning. I had recorded it to watch Sunday night but ended up with whatever was on channel 10.

Pretty simple stuff, really.

1. The scheduling of three games on a single night on Friday has to have an impact. Particularly when one of those non-TV games took out two of the capital city markets in Adelaide and Melbourne. Some people will watch games back to back. Others, particularly if they've attended one of the games in question, won't.

2. The 2hr delay appeared for the first time this season, which would also naturally have an impact. (People already seeing the scores, people less inclined to watch because it's not 'live', etc.)

3. No Perth games. Every weekend to date has had one on TV. Fact is they are the most popular TV team and have the most marketable player, James Ennis, who's getting a fair bit of hype right now. Of course that's going to be a factor.

4. The Sunday game was shifted to One (at least in some markets? It wasn't really properly communicated). We know from last year that this meant a noticeable drop in ratings. The only exception to that notion was earlier this year but that was a Wildcats game. Very hard to get over 40k when it's not on the channel people expect it to be on, especially when that channel is a primary channel (lots of passers by that could potentially tune in).

5. Two regional teams. As said above that's not factored in to capital city ratings.

6. The inevitable correction. Numbers have been very, very good relative to previous seasons so far. But we know from those seasons that numbers can be volatile from week to week, jumping up and down unexpectedly. It hadn't happened yet this season and it was always going to happen. Not everything follows a perfectly neat trajectory.

Instead of reacting to a sample size of two, you have to look at the trend overall, which is incredibly positive. And even then, let's be realistic.

Even the 22k for Sydney-Cairns was better than the 17k that watched the same two teams in the same timeslot on the same channel in Round 8 last year. The 24k on Sunday was up on another early season Hawks game last year (vs. Adelaide) that was on a Sunday and shifted to One. That game had - wait for it - 12k.

Settle down, everyone. This is not the end of the world. People looking to draw ridiculous conclusions (the league is going down hill!!!!) can look elsewhere.

OneHD commentator fouls are less than this time last year but scoring is up, which means less holding going on. Also mentioned the League's reigning threepoint shooting champ was playing.

Nail on the head Jack, I agree mate, too hard to follow the schedule of the NBL, far too hard...

Wasn't there some stats showing that the fouls have actually dropped this season? And that the scoring has actually gone up?

The AFL and Seven have it down pat pretty well. You know that the weekend is basically. Friday night game, Sat arvo game, Sat night game, Sun arvo game.

With the NBL, is there a telecast this week? Is it on ten, 11, or 12? What time does it start?

There is too much uncertainty which means you can't build a loyal following.

Let's face it guys, the promotion and advertising on Ch10 or HD One is not really in your face is it?

Sunday, feelings incoherent, Ch10 showing golf instead of NBL, think I'll go out and go for a walk, not much happening here, nothing ever does.
Later, seems there was a game on One.

A few factors for Friday's poor ratings.

1. Game in Sydney, so it was delayed by at least 2 hours on TV. Compared to Perth games where they are live in the eastern states.

2. Sydney games don't rate.

3. Kings played Cairns. Those figures don't include regional areas like Cairns. That would make a difference, not tens of thousands, but a difference none the less.

Sunday's game, pretty much same as the above.

1. Doesn't take into account the regional figures like W'gong.

2. The Hawks don't really rate that well on TV. Although usually rate higher than the Kings. Throw in the fact that the Hawks are also last...


But with all the "fans" canceling their NBL TV subscriptions and choosing to stick with the 2 TV games per week, you'd think if anything games would rate higher?

I'm shocked, there was no Bathurst or Phillip Islamd MotoGP to contend with and with test match cricket on its way Sundays should be seeing growth but wow I can't understand how they are so low.

Anyone know if Brisbane was the highest for the country?