David Preschlack has spent three years with NBC Sports Group in Stamford, Connecticut, as president of regional sports networks and platform and content strategy. David Preschlack met his wife, Alex, during his previous appointment as an executive with Disney and ESPN Networks Group. In his current position, he engages with representatives from team partners across Major League Baseball (MLB), the National Hockey League (NHL), and the National Basketball Association (NBA).
Early in the 2018-2019 NBA season, pundits observed an apparent downward trend in television viewership. Among other notable statistics, year-over-year declines on TNT exceeded 25 percent for some telecasts. A popular hypothesis involved megastar LeBron James’ move from the Cleveland Cavaliers to the Los Angeles Lakers, with West Coast games enduring a smaller ratings drop. However, the league quickly saw television viewership return to normal levels.
More recently, TNT, ESPN, and NBA TV telecasts have drawn audiences comparable to the 2017-2018 season, which represented a ratings spike for the league. James’ return to Cleveland as a Laker attracted an audience of 3.8 million, the most-watched regular season game on ESPN in four years. The game almost single-handedly offset the network’s ratings decline, putting into perspective how minor the initial struggles were.
In 2018, the NBA enjoyed its most successful Christmas Day lineup since 2011. An audience of 10.2 million watched the Lakers upset the Golden State Warriors, the fifth-largest audience for a Christmas game in league history. The five games on the holiday averaged 5.8 million viewers, a 14 percent increase over 2017.
