Sacramento Kings may have fixed the NBA's ratings problem

One of the major themes of the 2024-25 NBA season has been the league's ratings crisis. All year long, there have been various stats being thrown around about a decline in viewership. The number that has been getting tossed around the internet is that numbers are down about 48% since 2012.

And while there is a lot more nuance to this conversation (the rise in streaming services, social media, etc.), there are certainly changes the league could make to help grow its brand with fans, and the Sacramento Kings may have stumbled upon one of those possibilities.

The Sacramento Kings' cool new halftime gimmick

Personally, for people like me, the NBA is the best it has ever been. The players are insanely skilled, coaches/teams are smarter than ever, and the tactics are changing at an unprecedented rate.

However, at the end of the day, the NBA, like all professional sports, is an entertainment product, and most people will not tune in if they are not being entertained. There are ways to change the rules of the game to increase interest, but there are also ways to do it during stoppages.

Most people (myself included) use commercials/halftime to use the bathroom or check their phone. But what if we could keep people's eyes on the screen even when basketball isn't being played?

The Kings found a way to do this by introducing a creative halftime gimmick. On Monday, March 10, in a game against the New York Knicks, the Kings debuted the "perfect pump."

How it works is simple. The arena host brings in a gas pump with a target dollar amount already up on the screen. Then, one lucky fan gets the chance to try to stop the pump from pumping gas as close to that amount as possible. Like this:

The concept is super simple. But it is also very fun and relatable. Many of us have faced a similar situation in our day-to-day lives, and so we know the feeling of gratification that comes with spending the exact amount of money you want at the gas pump.

The team's idea has been very well-received by fans across the league, as even popular media personalities like Ryen Russillo have been tweeting about it.

This was a huge win for both the Kings (a team that often gets overlooked by the NBA) and the league at large. Now, let's see if the NBA can take the Kings' clever spin on a mundane task and use it to solve their current ratings conundrum.