How can this trend be reversed? For Turner Sports, who broadcasts a portion of the NBA playoffs, they hope the answer is social media, and a massive campaign they are launching for the event, which begins April 18th.
First up, the media company is getting all of their commentators on Twitter. TNT staples Ernie Johnson, Kenny Smith, and Craig Sager will all have their own Twitter pages, while former players turned analysts Chris Webber, Gary Payton, Steve Smith, and Eric Snow will join them. Like many cable TV operators before them, Twitter will be heavily integrated into on-air programming, in addition to promotion on NBA.com.
Interestingly, a number of NBA players have already taken it upon themselves to establish a similar social media presence, with the socially savvy Chris Bosh actually buying ads to promote his Page, and Shaq, somewhat famously, being an avid Twitter user.
Meanwhile, the NBA plans to promote all of these social media efforts with both on-air and online advertising. The most interesting example of the latter is the takeover-style ad that will be placed on YouTube, showcasing some of the NBA’s biggest stars and letting users roll-over to watch videos of them. Similar takeover ads will also be placed on Yahoo Sports.
So will all of this help get more people watching? I think it will come down to how well the network does at integrating social media in its on-air coverage. People love chatting about sports (apologies for the loudness of my Twitter stream during March Madness), and the possibility of having your commentary read on-air should provide incentive for fans to stay tuned in.