NBA Not Concerned With Terrible Ratings? | Hot Mic With Hutton And Withrow

Despite its status as a major American sports league, the NBA faces an issue with declining ratings. 

Americans aren't as interested in the current NBA product. Still, the league hasn't slipped into panic mode over its short-term future with audiences. 

OutKick's Hot Mic with Jonathan Hutton and Chad Withrow discussed the NBA's problem with ratings after a lackluster NBA Finals series that drew all-time low television numbers, and how perfect timing is keeping this rusting league afloat.

Courtesy of a weak sports calendar during the NBA's peaks and the emergence of suitors vying for media rights, the NBA isn't feeling the heat from slipping ratings.

READ: Clay Travis Roasts Mark Cuban Over NBA's Falling TV Ratings

Hutton called out the "great timing" benefiting the NBA. 

"The league doesn't view it as a bad thing," Hutton said, stemming from the NBA Finals' bad ratings for their pivotal Game 4. 

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"They're about to bounce from 2.7 billion annually to an estimated 7 billion in media rights, and it's just because of perfect timing."

Adam Silver the NBA Commissioner talks to the media. (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images)

Hutton continued, "They've set up negotiations in a window where there's not many other sports properties that are going to be available for several years to come. If you start to look at the horizon of everything. 

"UFC is coming up and that's pretty much it. Everybody's locked up. So if you want a premium brand that doesn't draw nearly to the amount that football does, but draws better than what might also be available for you, that you can't lose out on, that you can sell advertising for. It's this. And people at networks are lining up to negotiate and pay for it. 

"… Go grab cricket if you want. The UFC is available again. That's it. So that's why the money is so high and why they're going to skyrocket."

WATCH the full segment from Tuesday's ‘Hot Mic’:

Watch OutKick Hot Mic w/ Hutton & Withrow live from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m.

(Will the NBA suffer a fall from relevance or will media rights contracts continue to uplift the failing league? Send us your thoughts: alejandro.avila@outkick.com)

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Send a message: alejandro.avila@outkick.com