NBA Seeing Uptick In International League Pass Consumption

This season, the NBA is seeing increased League Pass interest internationally compared to the 2020-2021 season in a number of regions.

Brazil has become a major NBA hub

Brazil has seen a bump at +16% larger average audience, according to Matt Brabants who is Senior Vice President, Head of International Content Partnerships.

“Brazil is a priority market for the NBA with a passionate fan base that has grown by more than 50 percent over the last two years,” he explains.

“NBA games and programming are widely available in Brazil through our broadcast partners Band, ESPN Brasil and Globo’s SporTV, and games are also live-streamed on digital channels in Brazil through our partnerships with Vivo, Budweiser, TNT Sports and Twitch streamer Gaules, one of the most-watched Twitch streamers in the world who has more than 3 million followers on the platform.”

It’s not just viewership that’s producing high numbers in Brazil. The NBA’s social media strategy has paid off as well.

According to numbers presented by the NBA, NBA Brazil’s social media channels (Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and YouTube) have more than 4.7M followers, and garnered 95 million interactions in 2021, the latter being +104% compared to 2020.

“We are seeing really strong engagement with fans in Brazil on other digital and social platforms. Outside the U.S., Brazil is the No. 1 market in NBA League Pass subscriptions and No. 2 market in year-over-year subscriber growth. The NBA’s YouTube and TikTok channels in Brazil also have the largest followings among the league’s international channels on those platforms,” Brabants elaborates.

Additionally, jersey sales increased by 67% in Brazil in 2021. The country has 18 NBA-branded retail locations.

Australians show great support for their countrymen

Australia, the second-largest market outside of the U.S. in NBA League Pass subscriptions, is drawing a +35% larger average audience compared to the 2020-21 regular season.

The 2021 Christmas Day slate of games drew a +27% larger average audience in Australia than 2020, further cementing the increasing level of interest from the region.

“Australia has a strong basketball ecosystem that has consistently produced NBA and WNBA-level talent. As one of the most-represented countries in the NBA outside of the U.S., players from or with ties to Australia, including members of the National Teams and those who have played professionally in the country, continue to drive fan interest there,” Brabants details.

“For instance, highlights of Oklahoma City Thunder rookie Josh Giddey on the NBA’s Facebook page in Australia have generated eight times more engagement than the average highlights post.”

The league has seen a steady flow of Australian players since the 1990’s, even having two players (Andrew Bogut in 2005 and Ben Simmons in 2016) becoming top picks in the draft.

According to Brabants, teams with Australian players on the roster usually rank high on League Pass.

“It’s common to see teams with Australian players rank among the most-watched teams on NBA League Pass there, such as the Thunder, who are among the top 10 most-watched teams on the platform in Australia this season.”

The Philippines show enormous NBA interest

Based on average viewership and average reach, the Philippines is drawing the largest average audience of any country outside the U.S. The nation is the fourth-biggest market outside the U.S. in NBA League Pass subscriptions, which in the Philippines have increased +26% season-over-season.

“The NBA is the most popular sports league in the Philippines with 98 percent awareness among the general population. A key focus of our efforts to grow interest in the Philippines is making NBA games and content widely available on national free-to-air channels such as TV5 and One Sports, both of which are broadcasting live NBA games for the first time. Pay TV channel NBA TV Philippines also delivers live games and original programming,” Brabants says.

“It’s also worth noting the excitement among Filipino fans around NBA players and coaches with ties to the Philippines, including reigning Sixth Man of the Year Jordan Clarkson of the Utah Jazz, 2021 No. 2 overall draft pick Jalen Green of the Houston Rockets, and Miami Heat Head Coach and two-time NBA Champion Erik Spoelstra, all of whom have participated in our content and fan engagement initiatives in the country in some capacity.”

The Philippines ranks fourth globally in the percentage of the average 2021-22 NBA regular-season telecast watched by viewers, according to the NBA.

NBA Christmas Day 2021 reached more than six million unique viewers in the Philippines, which is +79% year-over-year and the most of any country outside the United States.

The NBA has likewise made a strong effort on social media in the region, with the NBA Facebook page having more than 8.5M followers from the Philippines, the number one country outside the U.S., as the NBA Philippines Facebook is the largest regional NBA Facebook page with more than 5.1M fans.

The NBA’s marketing efforts on social media has become a major boon in recent years, especially with feeds tailored for individual regions.

“We have found that by making highlights and content widely available to international fans in the language they prefer, they are more likely to watch live games and become fans,” Brabants explains.

“In-language content – whether live game commentary, social media highlights or digital destinations – draws increased engagement in many markets where English is not the primary language. We’ve launched more than 80 localized Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Twitter and other social media accounts and websites in nearly two dozen countries and regions in nearly 20 languages. Basketball is a global game and NBA players come from all over the world. We want to ensure that fans everywhere can engage with their favorite teams and players in their native language. We also know there is a greater propensity for fans to purchase League Pass or NBA merchandise if they’re engaging with NBA content via our localized digital and social accounts.”