Brooklyn Nets have worst local TV ratings in NBA

Sports Business Journal is out with its midseason local TV ratings story and it's not good for the Brooklyn Nets.

In another measure of mediocrity, a little more than one-half of one percent of the New York market's TVs are tuned to YES for Nets games. That means Brooklyn has "the lowest average rating in the league," SBJ's John Ourand & David Broughton report.  The Nets drop in ratings --29 percent-- is the fourth largest drop in rating this season. The Knicks, whose audience is more than three times larger than the Nets, also suffered a big drop, 28 percent.

The Spurs games are the highest rated at a little better than eight percent of the San Antonio market, followed by the Cavaliers at 7.29 percent. The Nets actual number is 0.55. The next lowest rating is the 76ers, with a 0.74.

With the Nets currently seeking more money in local TV ratings, this is bad news for ownership.  The Nets, because of bad ratings in New Jersey --as low as one-quarter of one percent-- received a fraction of what other teams did in local TV money.  Two years ago, when they moved to Brooklyn, the Nets numbers jumped by 262 percent, then dropped 20 percent last season.

The numbers do not reflect raw numbers, just the percentage of televisions in use tuned to Nets games. Smaller market teams may have higher ratings, but a smaller number of viewers.

• Teams in transition post huge TV gains - John Ourand & David Broughton - Sports Business Journal