'Crackstreams taking all the ratings': NBA fans pile on Adam Silver's explanation for NBA viewership drop citing streaming expenses

NBA viewership is reportedly experiencing a significant decline this season, and Commissioner Adam Silver believes this could be attributed to the MLB's World Series and the elections. Silver noted that these events typically hog most of the attention, leaving fewer viewers watching basketball.

Fans on social media had different thoughts, with some on X (formerly Twitter,) noting that the cost of watching games through the League Pass has risen, prompting some to resort to piracy and illegal streaming. Here’s what a few had to say:

"Streameast, methstreams, crackstreams taking all the ratings."

"Or maybe it’s because we have to sacrifice a whole limb to be able to watch every nba game cuz of the bulls**t streaming prices," another added

Here are other reactions from fans on X:

"It’s because Adam makes everything so expensive," one pointed out.

"Maybe make watching the NBA affordable? Maybe dont sell your soul to streaming like the NFL," another noted.

"Surely it’s not bc it’s too expensive to watch your own team and people just stream the games instead," one said.

"Miss me with Silver’s excuses. It’s hard to figure out HOW to watch them, not to mention the cost of different packages to do so," another said.

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Looking at the decline in NBA viewership this season

Things aren't looking good for the NBA this season in terms of viewership. Reports indicate a significant decline in numbers this year. While the league enjoyed a strong start on opening night, viewership sharply dropped in the following days.

As per Drew Lerner of Awful Announcing, the opening doubleheader last Oct. 22 garnered 1.6 million viewers on ESPN, which is 42% lower than last year's opening night viewership.

Reports also revealed that teams like the Philadelphia 76ers, Milwaukee Bucks, LA Clippers and Phoenix Suns saw substantial losses in viewership compared to the previous season.

One of the season's opening games, featuring the Bucks and Sixers, attracted 1.71 million viewers. In comparison, last year's season opener between the New York Knicks and Boston Celtics drew 2.55 million viewers.

Given the reaction on social media to Adam Silver’s comments about the viewership decline, the issue might stem from one of two factors: the rising cost of the NBA League Pass, which could be deterring fans from watching legally, or the growing perception that the league is becoming less exciting to watch.