The National Basketball Association

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(00:03:11) - (First Question) - His background and his entry into the basketball business

(00:05:30) - His early interest in investigating and writing about the quirks of the NBA

(00:09:24) - Key turning points that enabled the league to mature to what it is today

(00:12:53) - An overview of the league’s economics and scale

(00:16:01) - The dynamics of negotiating national and regional TV deals

(00:18:13) - Additional context on media rights revenue across different teams

(00:18:57) - How viewership is faring with an increasingly fractured TV audience

(00:22:40) - The counter-intuitive notion that lower TV viewership can help extract more media rights profits

(00:25:47) - The international market for the NBA

(00:31:06) - The unique role of the NBA commissioner and how it compares to other sports

(00:34:12) - How individual teams and their owners influence league dynamics

(00:37:27) - Rough splits between the NBA’s various revenue streams

(00:38:33) - Additional context for media right economics

(00:39:32) - Astronomical franchise purchase prices and owner dynamics

(00:41:34) - The possibility of expansion and the creation of new franchises

(00:44:41) - How the NBA’s star players draw in fans but also wield power over the league

(00:50:07) - The extent to which players’ popularity depends on nationality

(00:54:03) - How much players make in salary versus endorsement deals

(00:57:05) - Factors that influence the career decisions a player makes 

(00:58:11) - Variables that could threaten the success of the league as a whole

(01:00:26) - Probable drivers for future success and growth of the NBA

(01:02:14) - The role of marketing in the NBA’s continued success

(01:04:15) - Cues the NBA could take from other leagues in terms of its media presence

(01:07:15) - Lessons for builders and investors when studying the NBA’s story