NBA, NHL Playoff Ratings Lack Recent Help From New York, Los Angeles Teams

Over on TVREV, I wrote about NBA and NHL postseason ratings this year, and the factors that might impact audiences tuning in (or not). Key to that was the fact that since 2021, both leagues have lacked long runs of success from the nine teams located in its biggest markets, New York and Los Angeles.

• Early in the first round, the NBA enjoyed big TV audience wins, while the NHL did not. But ratings for both could potentially be a lot higher with greater contributions from teams in New York and Los Angeles.
• Since 2021, 38% of seasons for NY and LA teams have ended in a first-round exit, while another 40% have seen those teams miss the playoffs entirely. Of the remaining 22% of outcomes, just four seasons saw those teams make the conference finals (and none made their league's respective championship round).
• The Knicks are the last remaining New York or LA team across both playoffs, which is something to watch, especially given the larger collection of small-market teams still in the field. Hockey, meanwhile, only has a couple "big market" U.S. squads left in the field.

Read the full piece over on TVREV for more.