2023-24 NBA Season

After averaging more than 11.6 million viewers for each game of the 2023 NBA Finals, the upcoming 2023-24 NBA season has plans to push its viewership numbers and audience engagement even higher—starting with the debut of a new in-season tournament taking place in November and December.

After struggling to attract audiences in the early months of the long NBA regular season—especially when basketball is up against a packed sports slate featuring the college football and NFL seasons—the NBA is hoping a new tournament-style TV event will create new fan intrigue and storylines to boost its early-season numbers.

This in-season tournament could spark an improvement upon last year’s regular-season viewership, during which the league averaged just under 1.6 million viewers for all of its games aired on ABC, ESPN and TNT. Along with a vast advertising inventory through NBA League Pass and other streaming services, local businesses should consider how early adoption of new advertising products could increase the value driven from your live sports advertising campaigns.

From cable TV and streaming ads to second-screen campaigns on social media, Cox Media’s advertising experts can identify valuable inventories and digital ad strategies aligned with your company’s advertising goals.

2023 NBA schedule:

• Oct. 24: Start of the NBA regular season on ABC, ESPN, ESPN2, TNT and NBA TV
• Nov. 3: Start of NBA’s inaugural in-season tournament on ESPN, TNT and NBA TV
• Saturday, December 9: Championship game for in-season tournament on TBD
• Feb. 16-18, 2024: NBA All-Star 2024 weekend on TNT
• April 16-19: NBA play-in tournament on ESPN and TNT
• April 20: Start of NBA playoffs on ABC, ESPN, TNT and NBA TV
• June 6: Start of 2024 NBA Finals on ABC

Get a head start on your media buys for this year’s NBA season—contact us today to get started.