Live Sports' TV Ratings Gamble: Will There Be a Comeback?

hollywoodreporter.com:

Spring has brought a few glimpses of post-pandemic stability to the TV sports world. The NCAA men’s and women’s basketball tournaments put up fairly healthy ratings, and Major League Baseball has shown early promise, with games once again being played in front of some fans.

Those cautiously optimistic notes are a far cry from the cratering ratings seen by a number of sports last fall, when the World Series, NBA Finals and NHL’s Stanley Cup Final plummeted by 30 percent or more.

Though there’s doubt about a full ratings recovery in the near term — “2021 is going to be a very sloppyyear,” says Fitch Ratings analyst Jack Kranefuss — a leveling off of the declines is likely in the next several months, industry insiders tell The Hollywood.