Former NBA superstar Charles Barkley, who has been enshrined in the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame twice (2006, 2010), has been one of the most entertaining and beloved TV personalities in the past several years. To be clear, he’s outspoken and polarizing. As a result, while many fans adore him, there are many others that don’t feel that way. Nevertheless, there’s no denying that he’s always being honest. In an era and industry in which many refrain from being so forthright, his candidness is appreciated.
After the NBA signed a new media rights deal, Inside the NBA switched networks and will now be on ESPN as opposed to TNT. Though the popular program will continue airing, there are fans concerned about how the change will affect its content. However, Sir Charles believes there’s a bigger problem for the league: getting fans to keep tuning in to the games.
Charles Barkley Warns NBA About Losing Fans
The NBA’s media rights deal with Disney and Amazon, worth $75 billion, will run through the 2035-36 season. While the new deal will bring money, it will completely change the way fans watch games. In fact, discussing what he considers “one of the biggest issues” for the NBA, Barkley tells The Bill Simmons Podcast host Bill Simmons:
“… I think the NBA’s got a big problem. How are they going to tell people which night the games are on? The games have been on for 40 years. They’ve been on TNT on Tuesdays and Thursdays, right?”
“And ESPN (on) Wednesday, Friday, then Saturday night, then some Sunday,” Simmons adds.
“But Saturday is gone because of Amazon,” Barkley appends.
“My thing is how are regular fans going to… ‘Okay, it’s Tuesday’…,” he continues, before Simmons interjects with an accurate ‘where do I go?’
“Sometimes, the game is going to be on Peacock, and not going to be on NBC,” Barkley muses. “I think that’s a huge dilemma for the NBA.”
The former NBA MVP certainly has a point. A lot of casual fans are not aware of the new deal and new schedule. In the beginning, there will certainly be some fans who will tune in to one platform hoping to see a game, just to find out that it’s on another platform. Even passionate fans that will be more motivated to cycle through streaming services to find the program they’re looking for could give up the search, frustrated.
Ratings Go Down, Money Goes Up?
There’s more cash flow in the NBA than ever.
Teams are being sold for record amounts, with the Los Angeles Lakers going for $10 billion and the Boston Celtics fetching $6 billion. Even the down on their luck Portland Trail Blazers had a $4 billion price tag. At the same time, the new TV rights deal will bring plenty of money for owners, and the salary cap will rise. Players will receive higher salaries and owners will bank in more money.
Boston Celtics majority owner Wyc Grousbeck watches from the sideline as his team takes on the Brooklyn Nets at TD Garden. Mandatory Credit: David Butler II-USA TODAY Sports
Yet, this hasn’t had a positive correlation with viewership. Indeed, the viewership for the 2024-25 season declined by two percent (year-to-year), per former Forbes contributor Brad Adgate. Putting that in perspective, Barkley and Simmons are right; the NBA appears to care more about revenue than about the viewing experience of its fans.
Milking The Wrong Cow?
Perhaps one reason viewership is declining is that the NBA continues to push its aging luminaries on nationally-televised games, while the young and rising talent doesn’t get as much love.
Just consider, when the NBA released the 2025-26 regular season schedule, there were plenty of games featuring Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James, Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry, and Houston Rockets forward Kevin Durant. Yes, those are the biggest names in the game. However, that star trio and those in their stratosphere already have an established fan base that will follow them. Up-and-coming players need more nationally-televised games to attract wider audiences.
It’s a two-way street though. The more the NBA grows its audience, the higher the next media deal might be.
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