NBA’s International Efforts Bearing Fruit As Viewership Skyrockets

It is no secret that the NBA has been at the forefront of making the sport of basketball as global as possible. Over 50 years of work has been done internationally to ensure access to the beautiful game is far-reaching and impactful.

This is by no means an accident. It is has been a part of long-term, meticulous plan by a league that initially planted the seeds internationally in 1978 and are finally seeing full blown trees blossom in different pockets of the world. The NBA has hosted games in Europe, Asia, Middle East, Canada, Latin America and have partnered with FIBA on the Basketball Africa League which is already growing rapidly in popularity on the continent.

But it’s also more than that.

As media has evolved, so has the leagues efforts globally. Chief among their priorities is access, both digitally and on television. Their brand and sponsorship deals with influencers help them keep their pulse on what’s popular in the region. A global network that serves as an amplifier for basketball and for the league.

I spoke to the NBA’s Senior Vice President and Head of International Content Partnerships, Matt Brabants to get more insight into the leagues global efforts.

“One of the key pillars for us internationally is to reach fans, wherever they’re consuming content, no matter which country they’re in,” said Brabants — who has been working in the NBA for 25-years and assumed his current role in 2021. “Whether it’s through our NBA app, League Pass, or through brand new channels or Instagram or third-party platforms — we want to be as accessible as possible.”

That’s relayed in the data. Over 75% of the NBA’s social media followers are from outside of the U.S. and the league generated a record 26 billion video views across their social platforms this season, up 22% compared to last year.

Social media growth is clearly imperative to the NBA’s plans for consumption. After all, the way fans enjoy the game has evolved throughout the years and will continue to as media platforms adapt. League Pass is offered in more than 200 countries and most games can be viewed directly from the NBA App on your phone.

“Frankly, this isn’t a new challenge,” said Brabants. “We need to meet fans where they are and we have to be realistic abut the fact that many of these countries around the world, we’re going to be reaching fans with live games but predominately through content in and around the game, including short-form content, highlights, and other content that we produce.”

It’s a multi-layered approach and oftentimes a moving target, but the NBA has found itself a successful formula internationally, collaborating with streaming platforms like Amazon Prime in South America, and TV partners and local broadcasts like Movistar in Spain. And while the NBA’s United States TV negotiations are on-going, it’s hard not to glean from their efforts internationally and see how they can replicate it: a blend of streaming and television that helps their games be as far-reaching as possible.

“What we’ve been doing outside the US has been a litmus test for things we may do in the future,” said Brabants, whose focus is on the international markets. “I think the way of the future is a mix of both traditional television platforms and streaming, as well as our own product. But in all cases, we’re going to be wherever the fan is, and that is probably going to require us to be available on all of them at some point.”

Perhaps another aspect of the leagues conscious effort to be as international as possible is their primetime weekend games, created specifically to make it easier for fans in Europe, Africa and Asia to watch their stars.

“We started that initiative a few years back with our Primetime NBA Saturdays and Sundays. We air games in the afternoon and we promote these games to our primetime audience outside of the US, so that fans in France, for example, can watch easier. It’s given us greater visibility. It’s led to an 11% increase year over year in our primetime viewership and we think that’ll continue to grow.”

It’s not a surprise then that four of the 10 most-viewed players globally come from Europe: Victor Wembanyama, Luka Doncic, Nikola Jokic and Giannis Antetokounmpo. Viewership on the NBA’s Europe Youtube channel has increased 220% year-over-year.

All of this has a trickle down effect. As viewership grows, so does interest in the sport locally in these markets. And as interest spikes, so do facilities, parks, and gyms that allow for more kids to play, which leads to more basketball players and more international talent.

The league has already seen its results. Opening night rosters for the 2023-2024 NBA season featured a record 125 international players across 40 different countries and territories, including 25 from Canada and 14 from France. The top of the league is dominated by international stars from Jokic, Doncic, Joel Embiid, Antetokounmpo and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander to an up-and-comer like Wembanyama.

As a person who has grown up watching basketball in Canada, I’ve seen the massive impact the league has had across this country. Over the span of 30 years, the NBA has created an entire eco-system and industry of basketball. Now, there are fully-fledged leagues, locally and professionally. There are media platforms, influencers and creators from all across the country whose main purpose is to provide insight and bring the game closer for fans.

Now multiply that same idea across 200 different countries where the NBA has laid its roots. How will that look in the next 50 years?

It’s hard to pinpoint exactly how it manifests itself — but one thing is for sure: the NBA will continue it’s global efforts and remain adapatable as they successfully make basketball the fastest growing sport in the world.

The proof is in the pudding.