NBA Rating gets a big boost during the Warriors vs Mavericks game on NBA Cup opening night.
The NBA Cup clash between the Golden State Warriors and Dallas Mavericks set new records in NBA ratings. This game already achieved a huge hype, thanks to Klay Thompson’s homecoming. The Warriors also played a big role in making this game bigger than others. Media added fuel to this game and the broadcasters enjoyed this with improved ratings.
As per NBA Communications, TNT and Max saw a rapid growth in viewership on the opening night of the NBA Cup. It was 71% higher compared to last season’s NBA Cup doubleheader. This is the only second edition of the tournament and broadcasters are witnessing a big margin in ratings. Opening night of the 2024 edition of the NBA Cup doubleheader averaged 1.9 million viewers.
The viewership for the Warriors vs. Mavericks game broke all the numbers, earning 2.6 million viewers. Even TNT’s ‘Inside the NBA” show improved its audience number by up to 41% on Tuesday night. This game was special for both teams and the TNT hit the bull’s eye in rating records.
Klay Thompson made a return to Bay Arena who spent 13 years with the Warriors and won NBA titles. The Mavericks star got a crazy reception from the former team and all the staff including the camera crew were wearing the captain’s hat.
This game also started with a bang when Steph Curry scored a big three in the first quarter and later, Thompson scored two threes to make a signature shimmy for the former teammate. Curry could only shake his head while sitting on the bench. The match ended in a crazy finish in the fourth quarter and 12 final points from Curry pulled off a comeback for the Warriors. The 36-year-old paced the game for the Warriors, scoring 37 points and hitting seven 3-pointers.
Also Read: Warriors vs. Mavericks: Steph Curry spoils Klay Thompson’s homecoming
NBA Cup is generating big revenue for the Emirates, the title sponsor of the competition. According to Emirates executive Boutros Boutros, the deal would generate $500 million a year in advertising revenue. Dubai-based sponsorship will enhance the NBA Cup’s worldwide visibility and commercial appeal.
NBA Cup was introduced last year and viewership increased 26% from the games played in the same month in the previous year. 5.68 million viewers watched the Championship game between the Lakers and the Pacers last year. It was the biggest viewership for any non-Christmas and non-postseason game since February 2018, as per Forbes. Numbers will surprise the broadcasters next month when we will have the Championship game in Las Vegas.
The Warriors star Draymond Green also lauded the NBA for the NBA Cup and said, “The courts make you automatically feel like something’s different. You walk out there on that court, the court’s different, the jersey’s different. You automatically like something’s different.” Green also talked about the format of the NBA Cup and clarified how you rely on others if you lose a group stage game. “Now, if you can win out, you control everything. But if you lose, you’re at the mercy of everybody else.” he added.
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