The Bulls didn’t just have their worst season in over a decade on the court. The team also posted a massive decrease in its local television ratings for its worst average in 13 years, according to Sports Business Daily. It’s a concerning trend for a franchise in one of the NBA’s largest markets, as the league’s overall local ratings fell 4 percent from a year ago.
NBC Sports Network’s broadcasts of Bulls games averaged a 1.36 rating for the 2018-19 season, which is worse than the Bucks, 76ers and Timberwolves among other NBA franchises. It’s the team’s worst average TV rating since the 2005-06 season, when a group led by Kirk Hinrich and Luol Deng went .500 and reached the postseason as the No. 8 seed.
Most teams that saw significant declines in their local ratings from 2017-18 have obvious reasons for it.
The Cavaliers, down 58 percent from a year ago, lost the game’s most popular player in LeBron James. It’s no surprise there was a mass exodus of fans after the team plummeted to just 19 wins this season. The Knicks (down 38 percent) and Spurs (down 28 percent) didn’t have as dramatic declines as Cleveland, but they also traded away star players in Kristaps Porzingis and Kawhi Leonard.
The Bulls, meanwhile, have been on a different trajectory in the midst of their ongoing rebuild. The team won just 22 games this year after winning 27 a year ago, and in this case, it appears patience is thinning for fans watching at home.
Not everything is bad for the franchise, of course.
A young and improving roster could get a massive jolt this summer depending on the results of the draft lottery. The Bulls also finished second in average attendance, although their capacity dropped for the third straight year from 103 percent to 99.3 percent to 96 percent. Even with all that in mind, the team took home over $100 million in operating income last year, according to Forbes’ estimates.
But the lowest TV ratings since the Andres Nocioni era doesn’t exactly sound like an encouraging development.
