Viewership Trends & What it Means

Across MLB, NBA, NFL, and NFL there have been recent trends that give us an insight into what the future may hold. While NFL still stands atop the rest, NBA has shown a massive breakthrough alongside MLB with their global outreach. But NHL has shown mixed viewership in the last couple of year. Have they truly recovered from their lockout, and could this be what MLB is looking forward to if they go on a lockout after the season? NFL has shown true dominance in viewership, standing at the top and furthering the gap year after year. Even with them streaming games exclusively on Prime, Netflix, Peacock etc. fans seem to voice their opinion about spending the money, but the viewership doesn't slow down. If fans TRULY want a change with prices, they will need to put their foot down. Because at this point NFL can do whatever it wants and the views will keep rolling in. If you were the NFL what would your incentive be to stop chasing the money from these platforms if you know the fans will spend the money.

To my surprise, in the 2025-26 season the NBA has somehow managed to deliver the highest viewership in nearly 25 years. They were up 86% from the 2024-25 season. They have been a great example of what social media can do for a league, tallying 228 billion social media views. This is the future of sports! Brand your players and the league on social media and it will drive people to want to watch the games. It worked with me! After the Warriors vs Cavaliers run it got boring, I didn't have anyone to watch that was genuine entertainment. Since they came out with "Starting 5" on Netflix I was pulled in to watch Anthony Edwards. Now I watch almost every game of his that I can. Other leagues should follow the lead for what the NBA has done, turning social media into game viewership.

Now for MLB, my personal favorite. After the lockout there was a stark decline that they are starting to recover from. Events like the WBC and international games have been huge for growing the sport. I'll admit, I was a hater for the pitch clock at first. But it has shown to shorten the game which in turn makes it easier to get new fans to watch. With ABS too it seems like MLB is the one sport that actually listens to its fans on where it can improve. All that being said, MLB has had a steady growth BUT all of that will go downhill if there is another lockout.

NHL... Where to start. Although there has been a lot of steps towards getting their fan bases back (new all-star game format). NHL seems very dependent on there being nothing else to watch. Also trying to make another team in Atlanta? That has already failed! But that's a conversation for another day. NHL needs to find a way to make their players into someone that can be followed, but I don't think hockey players have that kind of personality to make it work. That's why those like Paul Bissonnette, Ryan Whitney, and Keith Randle are rare and have given such a good insight into an NHL players mind.