The New York Knicks are a bad basketball team. With a record at well below .500, they’re going nowhere fast. And for the long-suffering fans who have been waiting for the glory days to return, they’re quickly running out of patience.
The numbers show that the viewers are tuning out. Ratings are down double digits from last year. As MSG Network depends on the Knicks and the New York Rangers to attract viewers, having a bad Knicks team isn’t helping. According to Bob “Dr. Gloom and Doom” Raissman of the New York Daily News, MSG’s season ratings-to-date average through last Wednesday’s game against the San Antonio Spurs stands at 1.98. That is down 11% from the 2.23 from the same point a year ago.
And the viewership isn’t much better. Raissman writes, “Total viewers are at an average of 189,000, down nearly 20% from the 234,000 recorded during the same time period last season.”
It’s not a good picture for the Knicks who have been playing pitifully on the court. For Knicks President Phil Jackson, not only does he have to find a fix for the problem, but he’ll also have to answer to MSG head honcho James Dolan who has not seen many good times with his basketball team. And without success, fans will continue to tune out and find other alternatives to watch.
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About Ken Fang
Ken has been covering the sports media in earnest at his own site, Fang's Bites since May 2007 and at Awful Announcing since March 2013.
He provides a unique perspective having been an award-winning radio news reporter in Providence and having worked in local television.
Fang celebrates the four Boston Red Sox World Championships in the 21st Century, but continues to be a long-suffering Cleveland Browns fan.