Nets win also a big win for YES

It was a big night for the Nets Wednesday ... and a big night YES Network as well. YES tweeted out the ratings, a huge uptick over last year’s average numbers

Last season, the Nets averaged only a 0.33 rating, the lowest number in the NBA. It was also the lowest for any NBA team since the 2010-11 season when the Nets on YES averaged a 0.31 as the team exited New Jersey. After an increase in ratings when the Nets moved to Brooklyn, then traded for Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett, ratings consistently dropped.

Ratings last season actually started out well, but when Jeremy Lin went down with hamstring injuries and the team went on a 1-27 stretch, they cratered. Another factor in the drop was the dispute between YES and Comcast. Nets games were unavailable to Comcast customers from the beginning of the season through the end of March.

The 2017-18 season in the first new TV rights agreement between YES and the Nets. The team gets an estimated $30 million more this season in local rights.