John Dempsey writes in Variety:
National TV audiences are flocking back to the NBA, led by double-digit gains in all the adult-male demographics on ABC, ESPN and TNT.
ESPN, which has earned season-to-date biggest bragging rights, is averaging 1.46 million total viewers for 53 games, a 12% jump over those watching for the same period for 2006-07. The network's three most important demos are up dramatically: Up by 44% in men 18 to 34, by 32% in M18-49 and by 28% in M25-54.
"It's the wild, wild West," said David Levy, president of Turner Sports, referring to one of the tightest races in the history of the Western Conference. Nine teams are jammed up within six games of one another as the National Basketball Assn. season rolls into its final six weeks before the playoffs.
Ed Desser, head of Desser Sports Media and a former top official in the NBA, said, "The competition is wide open. There are no prohibitive favorites," which will keep fans biting their nails until the season ends in mid-April.
Reasons cited include the resurgence of big market teams like Los Angeles and Boston, goodwill from having the All-Star Game in New Orleans, and the writer's strike that kept away some TV competition.
