We use cookies to understand how you use our site and to improve your experience. This includes personalizing content and advertising. To learn more, click here. By continuing to use our site, you accept our use of cookies, revised Privacy Policy and Terms of Service.
You are being directed to ZacksTrade, a division of LBMZ Securities and licensed broker-dealer. ZacksTrade and Zacks.com are separate companies. The web link between the two companies is not a solicitation or offer to invest in a particular security or type of security. ZacksTrade does not endorse or adopt any particular investment strategy, any analyst opinion/rating/report or any approach to evaluating individual securities.
If you wish to go to ZacksTrade, click OK. If you do not, click Cancel.
Welcome to the latest episode of the Full-Court Finance podcast from Zacks Investment Research where Associate Stock Strategist Ben Rains breaks down the NBA’s growing international business.
The NFL’s ratings sunk 9% last season as it fell victim to the much talked about cord-cutting revolution, among other setbacks. Meanwhile, the NBA’s ratings jumped to their highest level in four years during the 2017-18 campaign, much to the delight of the league’s national TV partners, ESPN (DIS - Free Report) , ABC, and TNT (T - Free Report) .
Marketers and advertisers spent 31% more money last season, to help the NBA fall not too far behind the NFL. Some of this growth was driven by the NBA’s new jersey sponsorship patches. Companies big and small have spent millions to be featured front and center across TV and throughout highlights on social media outlets, where they will live forever.
General Electric (GE - Free Report) , Harley-Davidson (HOG - Free Report) , Western Union (WU - Free Report) , eBay (EBAY - Free Report) -owned StubHub, and Fitbit FIT were just some of the notable jersey sponsors in the inaugural season. Meanwhile, PayPal PYPL broke into the NBA this season through a deal with the Phoenix Suns.
There are, of course, the league’s massive corporate partners, Anheuser-Busch InBev (BUD - Free Report) , American Express (AXP - Free Report) , PepsiCo (PEP - Free Report) , and others. Yet, the winner this season could be an little-known e-commerce firm that hopes to take on Amazon (AMZN - Free Report) .
Nike (NKE - Free Report) is also a standout and is in the second year of its $1 billion jersey deal with the NBA. But the sneaker wars look poised to heat up with new competition from companies not named Under Armour UAA or Adidas ADDYY.
Plus, the NBA now offers a ton of ways to watch games live, which includes a new experimental way to watch that could become widely popular. It is also worth noting that the NBA has been at the forefront of legal sports betting, and signed an official deal with MGM (MGM - Free Report) .
Looking ahead, the NBA’s international expansion seems endless compared to its North American rivals, with the league already popular in China. And a simple social media case study across Instagram FB and Twitter TWTR will tell you a lot about where the NBA is headed.
As a reminder, if you feel that we missed something, or if you have any topic suggestions, shoot us an email at podcast@zacks.com. Make sure to check out all of our other audio content at zacks.com/podcasts, and remember to subscribe and leave us a rating on Apple Podcasts.
Looking for Stocks with Skyrocketing Upside?
Zacks has just released a Special Report on the booming investment opportunities of legal marijuana.
Ignited by new referendums and legislation, this industry is expected to blast from an already robust $6.7 billion to $20.2 billion in 2021. Early investors stand to make a killing, but you have to be ready to act and know just where to look.
Image: Bigstock
A Deep Dive into the Business of the NBA
Welcome to the latest episode of the Full-Court Finance podcast from Zacks Investment Research where Associate Stock Strategist Ben Rains breaks down the NBA’s growing international business.
The NFL’s ratings sunk 9% last season as it fell victim to the much talked about cord-cutting revolution, among other setbacks. Meanwhile, the NBA’s ratings jumped to their highest level in four years during the 2017-18 campaign, much to the delight of the league’s national TV partners, ESPN (DIS - Free Report) , ABC, and TNT (T - Free Report) .
Marketers and advertisers spent 31% more money last season, to help the NBA fall not too far behind the NFL. Some of this growth was driven by the NBA’s new jersey sponsorship patches. Companies big and small have spent millions to be featured front and center across TV and throughout highlights on social media outlets, where they will live forever.
General Electric (GE - Free Report) , Harley-Davidson (HOG - Free Report) , Western Union (WU - Free Report) , eBay (EBAY - Free Report) -owned StubHub, and Fitbit FIT were just some of the notable jersey sponsors in the inaugural season. Meanwhile, PayPal PYPL broke into the NBA this season through a deal with the Phoenix Suns.
There are, of course, the league’s massive corporate partners, Anheuser-Busch InBev (BUD - Free Report) , American Express (AXP - Free Report) , PepsiCo (PEP - Free Report) , and others. Yet, the winner this season could be an little-known e-commerce firm that hopes to take on Amazon (AMZN - Free Report) .
Nike (NKE - Free Report) is also a standout and is in the second year of its $1 billion jersey deal with the NBA. But the sneaker wars look poised to heat up with new competition from companies not named Under Armour UAA or Adidas ADDYY.
Plus, the NBA now offers a ton of ways to watch games live, which includes a new experimental way to watch that could become widely popular. It is also worth noting that the NBA has been at the forefront of legal sports betting, and signed an official deal with MGM (MGM - Free Report) .
Looking ahead, the NBA’s international expansion seems endless compared to its North American rivals, with the league already popular in China. And a simple social media case study across Instagram FB and Twitter TWTR will tell you a lot about where the NBA is headed.
As a reminder, if you feel that we missed something, or if you have any topic suggestions, shoot us an email at podcast@zacks.com. Make sure to check out all of our other audio content at zacks.com/podcasts, and remember to subscribe and leave us a rating on Apple Podcasts.
Looking for Stocks with Skyrocketing Upside?
Zacks has just released a Special Report on the booming investment opportunities of legal marijuana.
Ignited by new referendums and legislation, this industry is expected to blast from an already robust $6.7 billion to $20.2 billion in 2021. Early investors stand to make a killing, but you have to be ready to act and know just where to look.
See the pot trades we're targeting>>