NBA In-Season Tournament Insights

The NBA’s recent incorporation of an in-season tournament marks a significant evolution in the league’s structure, injecting the regular season with the exhilaration of contending for a trophy. Crafted to offer added motivation and entertainment value, this competition not only grants teams the chance to compete for extra honors but also promises fans an engaging experience with high-stakes matchups. It reflects the NBA’s commitment to progressing and enhancing the fan journey, simultaneously raising the bar for competition throughout the regular season.

The Los Angeles Lakers faced the Indiana Pacers in the finals, with Lebron James and the Lakers coming out on top to raise the first-ever NBA Cup. Check out two of the top posts from the NBA celebrating the Lakers’ victory.

In-Season Tournament Triumphs Across Social Media

The first year of the NBA In-Season Tournament had many skeptics and may have been confusing for casual fans. However, the tournament ended up a massive success. The final featuring the Pacers and Lakers averaged a 2.5 rating and 4.58 million viewers across ABC and ESPN2, marking the largest NBA audience outside of Christmas and the postseason since February 2018 (Sports Media Watch).

The tournament did not disappoint on social either! In the six days of bracket-play (Dec. 4-9), the NBA received 210 million video views, 52 million engagements, and increased their social fan base by 515,900 followers. Surprisingly, the league outperformed the last six days of the 2023 NBA Finals in terms of video views (202 million) and follower increase (287,000 followers). The tournament also drove 84% of the total engagements compared to the last six days of the NBA Finals (62 million). It is important to note that there were more games played during this six-day window than the NBA Finals, but this shows the impact the tournament had on fan engagement.

Customized Tournament Court Designs

The NBA gave teams a template to design their very own In-Season Tournament courts this year. The reactions from players and fans were mixed, but you can’t deny that it created quite the conversation piece. The bold color designs were eye-catching to say the least. The Chicago Bulls court was bright red, the Indiana Pacers had an electric baby-blue court, and the finals court in Las Vegas featured the NBA’s red and blue colors.

Additionally, each team included one of their arena sponsors on the court. Explore this Instagram post showcasing the unique In-Season Tournament courts for every team, proudly showcasing their individual sponsors! Fans were intrigued by these court designs as the post by the NBA received 482,600 engagements and 3.6 million impressions.

NBA Sponsor Exposure

The NBA did not have a presenting sponsor for the In-Season Tournament this year, but their season-long partners benefited from this successful tournament.

State Farm, the league’s “stanchion arm” asset sponsor, received 25.1 million engagements on social media during tournament bracket-play (16.5 million from the league, 8.6 million from teams). Tissot, the league’s “clock” asset sponsor, received 19.7 million engagements on social media during bracket-play (12.9 million from the league, 6.8 million from teams). Stanchion arm and clock are proving to be valuable assets during the NBA season because they are close to the action around the basket.

Michelob Ultra also made a splash during the In-Season Tournament by sponsoring the “court-end” asset. The beer brand received 15.4 million engagements during bracket-play (10.6 million from the league, 4.8 million from teams). Again this asset is close to the action around the basket which creates a opportunity for exposure when posting highlights.

While the NBA did not secure a presenting sponsor for this year’s inaugural In-Season Tournament, there is sure to be one in the future after this season’s success. Tournaments and campaigns like this can be easily tracked and valued in Blinkfire to get all the sponsorship and social media data needed to help your team sell and report more accurately and efficiently.

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