But lost amid the complaints was what Diament and sponsors already knew: NBA All-Star was the biggest draw among viewers ages 35 and under as TNT makes its run to the NBA playoffs. Because All-Star’s “got good demos” and “hits a lot of metrics,” Diament estimates that it draws a mix of brands that are 50% league sponsors and 50% athlete sponsors or non-sports brands that want to show up in a big way over the weekend.
Combining WBD’s own team with that of the NBA’s Julie Morris, who serves as the league’s svp of commercial development and media, Diament’s sellers point out those ideal demographics and the fact that there aren’t many tentpole events that can outdraw them. The two events that managed bigger audiences than All-Star over the weekend—ABC’s Four Nations Face-Off hockey game (4.4 million viewers on Saturday) and NBC’s SNL 50 anniversary show (14.8 million viewers on Sunday)—were one-off broadcasts.
“We had such a long history with the league. They trust us to be creative and be innovative and that we will do it within the guidelines of what the league is looking for, so that’s why they’re willing to take risks with us,” Diament said. “That doesn’t happen with new partners. That happens with lifelong partners.”
Putting in work
For WBD, collaborating with partners could mean listening to Steph Curry when he has an idea for a new All-Star format, or it could mean expanding both TNT Sports’ and the NBA’s footprint—and those of its partners—beyond the court.
At the beginning of All-Star Weekend, Diament looked outside his hotel room just off of San Francisco’s Powell Street at roughly 6 a.m. and counted about 2,000 people waiting in line at a Foot Locker activation. According to Diament, a healthy portion of that crowd fell among the 12- to 35-year-olds targeted by WBD’s Bleacher Report, which tends to focus more on the culture of the game than what’s happening on the court.
