![[US, Mexico, & Canada customers only] Jan 23, 2025; Paris, FRANCE; NBA commissioner Adam Silver speaks before the Paris Games 2025 NBA basketball game between the San Antonio Spurs and Indiana Pacers at Accor Arena. Mandatory Credit: Stephanie Lecocq/Reuters via Imagn Images](/cdn-cgi/image/onerror=redirect,width=640,height=640,format=webp/https://storage.googleapis.com/uploads.mongoosehq.com/url/media/48376866/1e6ef8910df9395f0b834e9ab09eabdb92ef73c69147dc827bde869d8bdcb4a0)
Overview
- Speaking at Front Office Sports’ “Tuned In,” Silver said highlights are meant to be additive and to increase the likelihood that fans watch live broadcasts.
- He cited an estimated two and a half billion people connected to the NBA on social platforms and framed converting those followers into live viewers as a core challenge.
- Silver stressed that clips should not substitute for full games and noted practical limits such as global time zones affecting real-time viewing.
- The clarification follows backlash to his earlier phrasing, which critics viewed as dismissive of full-game audiences during a period of rising costs and access hurdles.
- Coverage tied the debate to the league’s new 11-year media deals distributing games across ABC, ESPN, NBC, Peacock, and Prime Video, while Mark Cuban defended Silver’s intent and called the wording a misstep.