Millions of eyes on Charlotte over All-Star weekend is ‘exposure we could never buy’
As Charlotte hosted the biggest sporting event in the city’s history last weekend, the uptown skyline sparkled across millions of television screens around the world. The widespread viewership of the NBA All-Star Game provided a marketing boon city boosters say helped elevate Charlotte’s image.
The NBA All-Star Game aired in 49 languages in 215 different countries, according to the Charlotte Regional Visitors Authority, the city’s tourism arm. Those figures are higher than what the CRVA had originally projected, said Tom Murray, the group’s CEO.
“It gives us exposure we could never buy,” Murray said.
The TV broadcast of the NBA All-Star Game featured dramatic aerial shots of uptown Charlotte, with the city’s skyscrapers aglow in the Hornets’ teal and purple. The broadcast showed a packed Spectrum Center Sunday night for the All-Star Game, which was a star-studded affair with celebrities like 2Chainz, Gabrielle Union and Guy Fieri seated courtside.
The CRVA has said that the All-Star Game could have a total economic impact of up to $100 million, drawing up to 150,000 over the course of the three days. Charlotte put up nearly $6 million in organizing costs to host the event, including expenses such as security and use of the Spectrum Center.
The opportunity put Charlotte on the global stage, and that kind of exposure is priceless, Murray said.
“We often talk about economic impact of these events, but I always talk about the media value,” Murray said. “It’s more than we could afford to reach that many people internationally.”
Viewership numbers show a larger audience for some of this year’s festivities compared with last year, when the game was held in Los Angeles.
On Friday night, TNT delivered its most-viewed Rising Stars telecast since 2015, spokesman Tony Morreale said in an email.
TNT’s coverage of State Farm All-Star Saturday Night generated more than 13.6 million hours of live video consumption, up 14 percent over last year, Morreale said. Saturday night’s telecast averaged 5 million viewers for an increase of 8 percent over 2018, Morreale said, citing Nielsen Fast Nationals.
The NBA All-Star Game Sunday was the top sports program of the night across all of TV, Morreale said. The game’s ratings were even with the last two years’ All-Star Games ratings based on metered markets.
Charlotte leaders see major events like the All-Star Game as a way to show off the city and recruit companies.
“This is about the recruitment of good-paying jobs for our city, and every opportunity I have to get before a corporation or business owner, I’m going to be talking about that,” Charlotte Mayor Vi Lyles told reporters recently at an All-Star Game press conference at the Spectrum Center.
On top of traditional media, the CRVA also worked with the NBA to coordinate the league’s international influencer program, which brought in 27 social media influencers from China, India, Indonesia, Japan, Nigeria, the Philippines, South Africa and the United Kingdom.
Each influencer, whose all-expense trip required them to post photos and videos of themselves having fun around Charlotte, boasts millions of followers on social media.
The program, CRVA spokeswoman Laura White said, is a way the NBA is looking to reach younger fans in areas where the league is growing in popularity.
Within the league, the reaction to Charlotte as a host was positive as well.
“To the city of Charlotte, you’ve been tremendous hosts. Thank you, from the hotels to the restaurants, the police officers, everyone who’s assisted us in the community, it’s really been a fantastic reception,” NBA Commissioner Adam Silver said during a news conference in uptown Charlotte Saturday.
This story was originally published February 18, 2019 at 4:14 PM.
