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After a nice jump at the beginning of the season —before Jeremy Lin went down and losses began to mount, the Nets ratings on YES Network are the lowest in the NBA so far this season.
According to a survey by Sports Business Journal, the Nets on YES garnered a 0.42 rating, meaning less than half of one percent of the region’s TVs were tuned to the team’s games. That’s down 11 percent from last season. Four other teams don’t break the one percent barrier: the Nuggets, Magic, Mavericks and the Wizards.
The numbers run through the first of February.
Back in mid-November, the presence of Lin and some early wins gave the Nets and YES hope that things would change. In the first two weeks of the season, the Nets’ ratings on YES —the worst in the NBA last season as well— were up 44 percent year-over-year, from 0.32 to 0.46. Their total viewers also were up 44 percent, and all of the key demographics had risen significantly.
But Lin going down hurt bad. So did the recently resolved dispute between Comcast and YES which has denied nearly 900,000 households, mostly in New Jersey, access to Nets games. Could Lin’s return on Friday and maybe the addition of new players help? The Nets hope so.
Starting next season, the Nets new contract with YES takes effect. It represents a huge boost in revenue for the organization, even more than the increase in the league rights.
- NBA’s RSN ratings down 15 percent this season - John Ourand & John Lombardo - Sports Business Journal