A solid opening stretch, an enticing brand of basketball and hope that the worst of a multiyear roster rebuild is finished have fueled a surge in television ratings for the Portland Trail Blazers.
The Blazers have enjoyed a 118% year-over-year spike in local viewership for games aired on KUNP, which represents the third-largest increase of any team in the NBA, according to league data given to The Oregonian/OregonLive.
Only the Denver Nuggets, with a dramatic 280% surge, and the Chicago Bulls, with a 174% increase, have seen a more significant boost in local television viewers.
What’s more, the Blazers also have seen an expansion in viewers on BlazerVision, the team’s direct-to-consumer streaming service. Impressions on the online platform have climbed 134% from this time last year.
The local increases in Portland mirror the trend nationally, according to the NBA’s data. Leaguewide viewership on all local regional sports networks and over-the-air stations have seen a 13% spike in ratings and an 8% spike in viewership. The number of households watching NBA games is up 16% year-over-year and on pace to be the highest-ever, according to the league’s data.
National broadcasts also have become more popular under the league’s new media rights deal, which includes the return of games to NBC and the addition of Amazon Prime. The first two weeks of the NBA season saw a robust 92% surge in national television viewers, the highest total in 15 years, according to the NBA’s data.
It remains to be seen if the increase in Portland was a temporary spike or the beginning of a wave of renewed interest. The Blazers (6-7) started the season strong, opening with a 5-3 record that featured impressive wins over multiple Western Conference contenders, including Denver, Oklahoma City and Golden State. Along the way, their new fun, fast-paced style of play proved to be an enticing product.
But the team has hit a rough patch since its encouraging beginning, dropping four of five games on its just-completed five-game trip. The slide has come amid a flurry of injuries — all three of the Blazers’ point guards missed Sunday night’s loss at Dallas — and because the team has fumbled away multiple wins with poor play down the stretch of close games. Three of Portland’s four losses on its recent trip came in “clutch-time” games, when the score is within five points in the final five minutes.
At the very least, the Blazers — who have played nine “clutch-time” games this season — should keep things interesting when they make their first nationally-televised appearance of the season.
Portland hosts the Phoenix Suns on Friday night at 8 p.m. in a game that will air on NBC/Peacock.
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