The Korean Professional Basketball League (KBL) is facing a serious crisis. As the ratings continue to decline steeply, its status as a representative player in winter sports is shaking.
According to a nationwide household-based ratings survey by Nielsen Korea, the average viewership of KBL through Dec. 4 in the 2024-25 season was 0.057 percent. This is less than half of the average viewership of 0.123% in the 2023-24 season.
This season’s KBL broadcasts are being organized on tvN Sports and IB Sports channels. As a result of the ratings survey including the two channels, it can be seen that it is more than halved compared to the previous season.
Notably, just looking at the first round, the basketball plummeted from 0.109 percent last season to 0.055 percent this season. Analysts say that the basketball team failed to gain popularity with the opening of the season. 스포츠토토
KBL ratings have continued to grow in recent years. After recording an average viewership of 0.105% during the 2021-22 season, it rose to 0.108% the following year. Last season, it rose to 0.123% and was loved by basketball fans.
What is more worrisome is that the gap with other winter sports is widening. In particular, the KBL is lagging behind the WKBL viewership of 0.152 percent.
The gap is even worse with professional volleyball. The average viewership of the women’s V-League during this season was 1.102 percent, nearly 20 times that of the KBL. The men’s V-League (0.459 percent) is also far ahead of the KBL.
Several reasons have been pointed out for this drop in ratings. The biggest problem is the repeated controversy over misjudgment. This season, fans’ trust has fallen significantly due to frequent serious misjudgment that directly affects victory or defeat.
“The controversy over the decision intensified as the referee’s stance changed with hard calls. You should enjoy watching basketball, but the biggest issue in the first round was the referee’s decision on hard calls. Players and spectacular plays should be mentioned more, not decisions,” said an official familiar with professional basketball.
