The way forward for the NBA’s media technique was taking form at this 12 months’s All-Star weekend.
The fanfare has at all times been about showcasing the league’s greatest gamers. However this 12 months, the occasion was as a lot concerning the league’s partnership with content material creators because it was about on-the-court expertise.
Greater than 200 world creators took half within the occasions Thursday by means of Sunday, facilitated by the league. It confirmed the NBA seems more than pleased to associate with content material creators quite than restrict their recreation entry to wall off the worth of dwell rights – the place the league makes most of its cash. The NBA’s new 11-year, $77 billion media rights deal started this season with offers with Comcast’s NBCUniversal, Disney and Amazon.
The NBA is betting its future has house for each a rising creator base and the normal recreation viewing expertise that has fueled its income development.
“The NBA has a protracted historical past of collaborating with gifted creators who share our dedication to bringing the thrill of our video games and occasions to followers all over the world,” NBA Senior Vice President of Social and Digital Content material Bob Carney mentioned in a press release. “We’re thrilled to hitch forces with extra creators than ever at NBA All-Star, offering alternatives for them to be energetic contributors throughout just about each occasion and ship participating content material that showcases this marquee NBA occasion to totally different audiences.”
A couple of months in the past, NBA Commissioner Adam Silver referred to as the NBA “a highlights-based sport” and pointed followers to Instagram, TikTok, X and YouTube for league content material. Silver has determined it is price partnering with creators to maintain Technology Z and Technology Alpha within the NBA as these age teams transfer away from watching full video games the best way their dad and mom did.
Embracing social media is a dangerous play for Silver, given the overwhelming majority of the league’s income comes from the worth of dwell video games. The NBA’s large media deal has led to hovering group valuations. The typical worth of an NBA franchise is now $5.52 billion, 18% greater than a 12 months in the past.
Nonetheless, Silver could have little selection. Not like the NFL, NBA common season video games do not have large audiences. This season, NBA common season video games have averaged about 2 million viewers throughout ESPN, NBC and Amazon Prime Video, in line with Nielsen knowledge. That compares with a median TV viewers of 18.7 million for a daily season NFL recreation in the newest season.
A 2023 survey from advertising and marketing agency InMobi discovered 61% of Gen Z respondents, or these aged 18 to 24 on the time of the survey, named user-generated content material as their favourite type of media.
Bridging the hole between content material creation and dwell rights could also be inventing a brand new type of different broadcasting, the place youngsters can watch video games together with their favourite YouTuber. A Harris Ballot survey earlier this 12 months discovered 37% of surveyed Gen Z-ers mentioned they might watch a creator‑led co‑stream throughout a daily season recreation throughout professional sports activities. Seventy p.c mentioned they’re prone to watch their favourite creator’s feed if that particular person is co‑streaming a sporting occasion.
“As time goes on, I may see in a few years, there’s 30 other ways to look at the Tremendous Bowl or one thing like that,” mentioned sports activities content material creator Jesse Riedel, generally known as Jesser on YouTube, in an interview. “I feel sooner or later, as a substitute of 1 broadcast, there’s gonna be so many variations of a broadcast.”
Riedel has greater than 37 million YouTube subscribers. He co-founded a media and life-style firm, Bucketsquad, which has annual income within the “stable” tens of tens of millions, in line with the corporate’s president, Zach Miller.
Riedel famous the NBA is a cleaner match for content material creation than the NFL as a result of followers are inclined to focus extra on gamers and fewer on groups. Riedel options many star gamers in his movies, serving to him to attract giant viewership.
“I really feel just like the NFL viewers I’ve is extra die onerous for his or her groups, however the NBA, I feel, specifically, is extra like participant pushed,” Riedel mentioned.
The rise of NBA content material creation shouldn’t be the one issue altering the league’s media future. Silver additionally spoke this weekend about how synthetic intelligence will possible change the NBA viewing expertise.
“One space specifically that I feel is price addressing is affect on the fan expertise. One of many issues we’re starting to see already is how we will, greater than personalize, virtually hyper-personalize our telecasts,” mentioned Silver in an All-Star weekend press convention. “Lots of you have got most likely experimented with this already, however in essence, you can hear the sport in any dialect, any language, you can hear a hardcore Xs and Os commentary, possibly one which’s extra comedic if that is what you are interested by, or a novice explaining every foul and the foundations because it goes alongside.”
NBA Commissioner Adam Silver addresses the media following the Board of Governors conferences on Sept. 10, 2025, on the St. Regis Resort in New York.
David Dow | Nationwide Basketball Affiliation | Getty Pictures
There’s inherent threat with hyper-personalizing the sport. Sports activities is among the final collective experiences in American society — and definitely on tv. This has led to skyrocketing media rights and the excessive price of related promoting.
Maybe having many broadcasts and AI experiences will increase curiosity, and focused promoting charges will proceed to spike as firms seize the chance to connect hyper-specific commercials to customized content material.
However breaking down broadcasts into many various items may additionally deteriorate the primary cause why dwell rights are so useful — as a option to goal tens of millions of individuals .
