“What streaming brings to the table is targetability,” Lynch told ADWEEK in June. “The value of Amazon Prime Video is the ecosystem that they bring to the table—the league wants to be able to tap into more direct-to-consumer opportunities within their own partnerships … [and] if you’re just working at a national broadcast level, that becomes much more challenging to do.”
Bonus points
It’s that targetability and potential that’s boosted the NBA media deal’s value.
During the 2023-24 basketball season, television data and analytics firm EDO found that the league produced more than 56 billion impressions for its advertisers across more than 29,000 airings. That made the full NBA season four times more impactful for advertisers than the average primetime program.
As the NBA regular season wore on, viewers were 12% more likely to engage with an ad during an NBA game than during the average primetime broadcast—up 15% from a season before. Once the playoffs began, viewers were 39% more likely to interact with an ad during game time than in primetime. That put the NBA second only to the National Football League in effectiveness for advertisers—with increased streaming opportunities offering NFL-sized potential to score big for brands.
During the 2023-24 NBA Season, EDO noted that certain brands got an outsized boost from placing their ads in the league’s games. New Balance’s spots were 330% more effective than commercials from the average NBA advertiser, while Denny’s (211%), plaque-psoriasis medication Bimzelx (210%), Temptations cat treats (197%) and Hennessy Cognac (165%) all performed better than most.
“This deal signals a new streaming era for the NBA and its fans,” said Laura Grover, svp and head of client solutions at EDO. “Given recent NFL success with streaming-exclusive games on Amazon and Peacock, advertisers should feel confident that these new formats will drive the business results they are looking for.”
It isn’t as if the NBA is unfriendly to advertisers now.
According to SponsorUnited data, overall NBA team sponsorship revenue has risen to $1.5 billion—up 7% from a year earlier and 77% from the pandemic era.
Though the launch of an in-season tournament drew 58 sponsors alone, additions ranging from an LED court at NBA All-Star weekend to global games in Paris, Mexico City and Abu Dhabi provide sponsors with new opportunities to check into the game. Between ESPN and ABC, Disney’s NBA coverage has drawn more than 450 brands into the fold, according to SponsorUnited. Comparatively, Warner Brothers Discovery drew 200 across its TNT network and Max streamer.
