NBA draws record consumption from PH audience last season, says league

FILE PHOTO: A view of the NBA logo and NBA app logo and basketballs in front of the base during warms up before the game between the Dallas Mavericks and the Suns at the American Airlines Center. Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports/File Photo

MANILA, Philippines–It doesn’t come as a surprise that the NBA continues to achieve tremendous success in the basketball-crazy country of the Philippines.

The 2022-2023 season was another landmark year for the NBA in the country, the league said Wednesday, as the Filipino audience remained a voracious consumer of NBA content.

In terms of TV viewership and digital consumption, the Philippines was among the top audiences for the NBA according to numbers released by the league, ranking third largest audience globally for games on free and premium TV channels and second in NBA League Pass subscriptions in the Asia-Pacific region.

The NBA also saw a 27 percent increase in the Philippines in views per game in the NBA League Pass–the league’s live game subscription service– and a 126 percent increase in unique visitors to the NBA App along with second highest downloads of the app among the international markets.

“The record engagement we experienced across every facet of our business in the Philippines last season is a testament to the incredible passion of our Filipino fans and their appetite for all things NBA,” said NBA Asia Managing Director Ramez Sheikh in a release sent to the local media.

NBA Philippines 2022-23 Season: By the Numbers. –NBA HANDOUT

The Philippines recently hosted the Fiba World Cup, where a record number of 55 NBA players suited up for their respective national teams including Gilas Pilipinas’ Jordan Clarkson of the Utah Jazz.

The global meet highlighted the country’s undying passion for basketball, which was praised by both the players and international media covering the 17-day tournament in Manila.

In a recent interview with international press, deputy commissioner Mark Tatum said the NBA will continue to prioritize making the games as widely available as possible to all audiences, including here in the country.

In the Philippines, the NBA games are available on channels like TV5, One Sports, and NBA Philippines and via streaming on NBA League Pass. This season, Cignal’s Pilipinas Live App and Sentanta Sports have also made games available online.

The NBA also reported a record 923 million engagements across the league’s localized social media accounts on Facebook, X (formerly Twitter) and Tiktok.

Filipino fans also accounted for more than one-third, or 618 million views, on the NBA global YouTube channel–most of any country outside of the United States.

The Philippines has long been an important market for the NBA with the league steadfast throughout the years in bringing its events like NBA Cares, NBA 3×3 and Jr. NBA to the country. Recently, it also opened its first free community court in Mandaluyong.

The league opened its 2023-2024 season on Wednesday (Manila time), with Filipino fan-favorite teams Los Angeles Lakers and Golden State Warriors falling to Denver Nuggets and Phoenix Suns, respectively.