In-depth analysis: NBA ratings are cold in winter, strongly promoted new stars and aesthetic fatigue, the audience will not buy it!

The average G2 ratings in the 2025 Finals were only 8.76 million, making it the lowest G2 data since the 2020 "Park Finals". It is tied with the Spurs vs. Cavaliers in 2007, making it the only two series in NBA history with "G2 ratings lower than G1". This data reflects the ratings dilemma that the league has been facing in recent years. The following analyzes the deep reasons from multiple dimensions:

⚡️1. The weakening of the team and star effect in the small-season market: the attractive fault

Star replacement fault, veteran fans lost

This season, the Thunder (Russia City) met with the Pacers (Ind City) in the finals. Although the core members of the two teams, Alexander (26 years old) and Halliburton (25 years old) are the new generation leaders, their business influence is far from reaching the level of James and Curry. Xiao Hua publicly admitted the league's "new star-making plan" and bluntly stated that he needed to gradually abandon 40-year-old James, 37-year-old Curry and other balloon stars. However, young stars have not yet established a global appeal, resulting in the loss of traditional audiences. The natural disadvantages of small-scale teams

Indianapolis (6.9 million people) and Oklahoma City (7.02 million people) are small and medium-sized markets, far lower than those of metropolitan cities such as New York and Los Angeles. Although Xiao Hua quoted data that "88% of the U.S. population lives in smaller cities", the absence of large-market teams has weakened national attention. For example, when the Raptors (non-US team) participated in the competition in 2019, the ratings also hit a 12-year low.

📺2. Digital media impact and traditional statistics blind spots

Streaming media diversion is not included in the viewership statistics

At present, institutions such as Nelson mainly count traditional TV ratings, while the viewing data of OTT platforms (such as NBA League Pass) has not been included. Before the 2025 finals, the league predicted streaming ratings to grow by 6.8%, but the plunge in traditional channels was not fully offset.

"Non-home scenario" statistical dispute

During the 2021 finals, some fans have questioned Nelson's statistics method: collective viewing in public places such as bars and restaurants was not accurately recorded, resulting in data distortion. This problem has not been resolved in recent years.

📉3. Historical comparison and structural crisis: The vicious cycle has emerged. The vertical comparison is shocking: the ratings of the 2024 finals fell by more than 10% year-on-year, and have not exceeded 14 million viewers for five consecutive years; the ratings of the 2019 finals G1 (Raptors vs. Warriors) were 13.38 million, the lowest since 2007; the ratings of the G1 in 2025 plummeted 27% compared with 2014 (leading by James), and 37% from 2004 (Bryant era).

The vicious cycle chain is formed:

The ratings decline → The advertising revenue decreases → The salary cap decreases → The team investment shrinks → The star group is intensified/The quality of the game declines → The audience is further lost. For example, the Mavericks' market value has shrunk by 50% in a year due to fiscal deficits.

🏆 4. Alliance strategy and future challenges: Star creation cannot hide the fundamental contradictions

Strongly promoted new stars vs audience aesthetic fatigue

Xiao Hua emphasized that "the finals are the star creation stage", but the narratives of Alexander and Halliburton lack the sense of grudges and fate in the Jenku era (such as the four-year battle of the Qiyong). The homogeneity of young players' technical skills (three-point dependence, weakening of defense) has also weakened the tension of the game.

The schedule and health management are out of control

The season compression policy has led to frequent injuries among players (such as Saric and Craig in the 2021 Suns Finals). The core star is absent or fights with injuries, reducing the value of the game.

Fake-up doubts and competitive purity crisis

In recent years, the NBA has been questioned for "manipulating games" and "spinaching", and the NCAA is more popular in comparison with the "authenticity" brought by Xu Yong's coaching, and even a rare phenomenon of "NCAA's willingness to pay exceeds that of the NBA".

💎Conclusion: Saving ratings requires a systematic revolution

The decline in NBA ratings is the result of the combined effect of media changes, star faults, business shortsightedness, and game system defects. If the league continues to rely on "star creation" and ignores the essence of the game (such as reducing suspicion of counterfeiting and balancing offense and defense rules), or refuses to embrace streaming statistics innovation, the downward trend may be difficult to reverse.

As fans joked: "When the G2 ratings of 8.76 million are 'subsist' in 2007, the league may have to relive Duncan's warning to James: 'The future is yours' - but now, where is the future?"