Wemby meets Ohtani: NBA hopes to mirror MLB's international success
Wemby meets Ohtani: NBA hopes to mirror MLB's international success An international superstar in the championship series was a boon for MLB interest overseas; the NBA hopes it can say the same.
Besides the ratings boon created by having the game's best player in the championship, Ohtani stirred immense interest overseas.
Fans in Japan would wake up early in the morning to catch the games played at night in the U.S.The time difference didn't matter.
The 2024 World Series between the Dodgers and the New York Yankees had a greater share of the Japanese population watching, compared to the U.S., after Japanese pitcher Yoshinobu Yamamoto started Game 2 for the Dodgers.
The 2025 World Series enjoyed the largest international viewership for a baseball game in 34 years, thanks to the Toronto Blue Jays' first World Series appearance since 1993.
The logistics are difficult, but the interest is there.In France, a primetime game in the United States begins at 2:30 a.m.
Game 3 between theThe comparisons between Wembanyama and Ohtani reaching their first championship series run deep.
, but Amazon Prime Video is streaming games in the country for the first time this year.
The game will also be available on LeaguePass.TheWembanyama's rockstar status in France, not unlike Ohtani's in Japan, is starting to spread to the U.S.
A fan ran onto the court during Wednesday's Game 1 in San Antonio and attempted to take a selfie with Wembanyama.
They were arrested and "When that fan ran on the court, it wasn't to take a selfie with Mitchell Robinson or Jalen Brunson," Austin Karp of Sports Business Journalon the"Sports Media" podcast with Richard Deitsch."We've seen the NHL, they want to report viewership Canada plus the U.S.
Major League Baseball for the World Baseball Classic, 'here's what we did with Japan and the U.S.' "After this series is done, and we're able to say 'here's how the numbers did in France plus the United States,' it's going to be huge.
Wemby is a global, rising superstar.
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