Megusta 
After a couple of poorly-received seasons of its acclaimed series LeBron James’ final team — and an overwhelming amount of criticism for some of the more questionable decisions — the NBA Network finally became sports television’s savior this year. In a move that will undoubtedly boost viewership and bring even more viewers, NBA TV debuted to much fanfare on May 10, featuring Golden State Warriors star Stephen Curry wearing his signature chain-strap visor and starring in an hour-long special. The show, while well-executed, seemingly fell short of expectations, despite an exhaustive promotional push by the network in 2015 and an uptick in television ratings. NBCSN, which has been tabbed as the replacement to the league’s weak broadcast network, lost nearly half of its audience in the first three weeks. Despite a promotional budget in the range of $2.5 million, NBCSN was seen as a distant second to NBADLC, losing as much as 38 percent of its overall audience. In a recent Nielsen survey, each network projected that it would draw 4.9 million to 5.1 million viewers for their games alone. Yet even with the high standards set by NBA TV, many viewers still came away disappointed — even though NBCSN was more abysmal. One recent study found that nearly 25 percent of those watching NBA TV regularly don’t watch, and that viewership only expanded when the network added a basketball series that included two of the world’s highest-paid athletes.
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But that could just be the beginning of the “sports porn” effect, as NBA TV definitely wasn’t the first network to do this kind of marketing trick. Thanks to the stellar ratings for LeBron James’ final season in Cleveland last year, Downton Abbey was a huge hit among people who don’t watch sports. But according to David Justice, the supervising producer of the new English drama, because it was filmed in a sportscasting environment, it was able to tap into some sports’ deep-seated nostalgia. Instead of attempting to recreate the original Downton Abbey, which “looks and looks like you’ve seen on sports channels all the time,” says Justice, the show’s director of photography, “we’re doing something different, and really brilliant.” Though the show doesn’t have everything fans want to see, Justice hopes it will “bring those iconic icons closer together,” adding that “resilience has always been a theme in Game of Thrones, and we believe that’s true here.” After Jon Snow’s torture in Game of Thrones, or even more importantly the Alamo Drafthouse-esque experience it offers with Breaking Bad’s ultimate do-over, a lot of people return to sports in between straight shooting (Serena Williams’ head). Now, more than ever, people want to reach a similar level of participation and immersion with their sport (especially considering the awesome spectacle of going to the dentist). The sports porn genre— like snooker, ping pong, and frisbee—was once a way for people to express their fandom (both literally and figuratively), but it seems that people are taking the opportunity now to get involved with a sport they previously weren’t interested in. Justice believes that with sports porn, “It’s a whole new planet, where nothing is sacred,” but also says that NBA TV’s promotion during the Stephen Curry first Warriors-Warriors Playoff game was “incredible.” “There’s really very little you can do to avoid the NBA,” says Justice. “As part of [the promotion], you learn a couple things. Most importantly, your favorite teams win, but most importantly, you have something to talk about at the end of the season.”
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