NBA Fan Engagement Strategy 2025: Digital Innovation, All-Star Weekend, and Constant Coverage

Image: “NBA game” by Pablo BM, originally published on flickr.com, licensed under Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic (CC BY 2.0).

Fan engagement is a core principle when it comes to driving revenue and popularity in sport. When it comes to marketing, the NBA is an industry example of how to capture an audience’s attention. 

Selling More than Basketball: How the NBA Tells Stories

The strategy the NBA uses to hook new fans whilst retaining existing ones acts as an example to other sports when it comes to marketing.

Its first and potentially most crucial method is that the NBA promotes more than just the game of basketball.

The NBA sells personalities, it sells rivalries, and it sells stories.

Just like a TV drama, the NBA’s ability to advertise a character-driven plot means a wider audience is interested in tuning in to games – beyond those who watch for the basketball itself.

These include LeBron James sharing a court with his son Bronny, Ja Morant’s road to redemption after off-court controversies, and one of the final years that we’ll get to watch the magic of LeBron James, Steph Curry and Kevin Durant as they edge closer to retirement, which are all discussed at length through 24/7 coverage on NBA TV, creating constant discourse.

The NBA further pushes these storylines by advertising player-driven content such as the Netflix series Starting Five, which follows some some of the league’s biggest faces behind the scenes. The amount of content that most players have created around them means fans can like a player for what they wear, where they went to college, and how they speak, as well as their on the court performances – providing multiple reasons for new fans to connect with the NBA.

These factors contribute to why the NBA generates the most revenue from TV rights outside the US compared to any other American sport, according to Ampere Analysis.

This season’s Conference Semi finals were the second-most-watched NBA Playoffs since 2011, averaging 4.88 million viewers.

Balancing Sport and Entertainment: All-Star Weekend and the NBA Draft

Despite being a competitive sport, the NBA is also known for its entertainment factor too. 

One of the most iconic events associated with the NBA is All-Star Weekend. First played in 1951, the NBA capitalises on its superstars by hosting a spectacle where the best players compete with and against each other – not just in a standard game but also in events like the Slam Dunk Contest and the Three-Point Contest.

All-Star Weekend also features the All-Star Celebrity Game, which debuted in 2003. Integrating pop culture is a major strength of the NBA’s engagement strategy, and the celebrity game enhances its cultural relevance beyond sport. Household names such as Justin Bieber, Kevin Hart, and Usain Bolt have participated in the past – opening the NBA up to broader audiences and reinforcing its status as entertainment as much as sport.

This is complemented by the popular studio show Inside the NBA, known for its humour and commentary, as well as the highly anticipated presentation of the NBA Draft. A common phenomenon in American sports, the draft is a televised event that involves each franchise taking turns to select, or draft, players who do not yet play in the league – often from college or overseas. Early draft picks are the most sought-after, and teams with the worst records get the highest chance at securing the first pick.
This system not only improves competitiveness but also builds anticipation and drama – creating compelling storylines around which player will go first and how it will impact the drafting franchise.

The NBA as a Leader of Digital Innovation

Beyond its entertainment value, the NBA is a global leader in digital innovation. Mastering short-form content, the NBA consistently shares game highlights, player interviews, and courtside reactions across platforms like Instagram, TikTok, and X, allowing fans to engage directly through comments and reposts.

Players are often mic’d up during games, such as Tyrese Haliburton in this year’s finals, bringing fans closer to the action.

The NBA also supports long-form content. YouTube channels like Thinking Basketball partner with the NBA to break down game footage, helping new and casual fans better understand the game without needing to commit to watching full-length matches.

This strategy offers fans glimpses of NBA action, and behind-the-scenes access, but most importantly, the NBA makes watching games accessible.

Unlike many sports that require multiple expensive subscriptions, the NBA offers NBA League Pass, its own streaming service, for under £40 per season. This includes every game and 24/7 coverage on NBA TV.

At the Global Institute of Sport, we aim to provide you with the tools to learn and implement these strategies in your current and future workplace. To learn more about the methods behind sports marketing on our MSc Sports Marketing & Media course, click here, or to explore success stories from alumni already working in the industry, click here.

Article by Zakaria Anani