From The Denver Post:
The Nuggets, unfortunately, lead the NBA in one category — the largest TV audience loss of any team, compared with last season.
Statistics supplied at the season halfway point by the Nielsen ratings group and the Sports Business Journal show that Nuggets viewership on Altitude is down 53 percent compared with last season, when the team finished with a 36-46 record.
That audience figure probably hasn't changed much since the all-star break, as the Nuggets have continued to struggle. Denver was 20-38 before Sunday night's game against New Orleans.
Denver ranks 27th in TV game viewership, slightly behind the once ratings-rich Los Angeles Lakers and ahead of Orlando, Philadelphia and Brooklyn.
Viewership for those four teams also is down, although the percentage is not as significant as Denver's.
The five top-rated cities: San Antonio, Cleveland (viewership up 150 percent), Oklahoma City, Miami and Chicago (up 67 percent).
If Denver turns around its hardwood game next season, the team may get more support from NBA couch potatoes watching at home.
A year ago, Milwaukee finished the season with a dismal 15-67 record and equally dismal audience ratings.
The midseason audience ratings for the Bucks, now sporting a 32-27 record, were up 324 percent.
All 30 NBA clubs provide cable coverage. National games aired on TNT and ESPN are not included in the figures.
And keep in mind Nielsen ratings don't measure viewership in bars and restaurants.
I regularly wonder how much "the ratings game" will change when these figures will be part of the audience mix.
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