This is Matt Reustle and today we are breaking down the National Basketball Association. The NBA topped $10bn in revenue last season, in line with MLB and behind only the NFL in terms of major sports leagues. The initial headlines for the next media rights deal, which is coming in 2025 suggest a 200% to 300% increase versus the previous contract. But what's particularly interesting about these data points is that they stand in sharp contrast to declining viewership numbers.

To break down the NBA, I'm joined by Ethan Strauss. Ethan has been intimately involved with the league for the past decade and often writes about why the NBA, like other sports leagues, is not a traditional business. We cover who and what made the NBA into the giant it is today and whether that's getting stronger or less strong. Please enjoy this breakdown of the NBA.

For the full show notes, transcript, and links to the best content to learn more, check out the episode page here.

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Show Notes

(00:03:11) - (First Question) - His background and his entry into the basketball business

(00:09:24) - Key turning points that enabled the league to mature to what it is today

(00:12:53) - An overview of the league’s economics and scale

(00:16:01) - The dynamics of negotiating national and regional TV deals

(00:18:57) - How viewership is faring with an increasingly fractured TV audience

(00:22:40) - The counter-intuitive notion that lower TV viewership can help extract more media rights profits

(00:25:47) - The international market for the NBA

(00:31:06) - The unique role of the NBA commissioner and how it compares to other sports

(00:34:12) - How individual teams and their owners influence league dynamics

(00:37:27) - Rough splits between the NBA’s various revenue streams

(00:39:32) - Astronomical franchise purchase prices and owner dynamics

(00:41:34) - The possibility of expansion and the creation of new franchises

(00:44:41) - How the NBA’s star players draw in fans but also wield power over the league

(00:50:07) - The extent to which players’ popularity depends on nationality

(00:54:03) - How much players make in salary versus endorsement deals

(00:58:11) - Variables that could threaten the success of the league as a whole

(01:00:26) - Probable drivers for future success and growth of the NBA

(01:02:14) - The role of marketing in the NBA’s continued success

(01:04:15) - Cues the NBA could take from other leagues in terms of its media presence

(01:07:15) - Lessons for builders and investors when studying the NBA’s story

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