Amid concerns over a dip in NBA television ratings, former star Carmelo Anthony is offering a fresh perspective on the league’s trajectory.

While some fans and analysts attribute the decline to issues like load management or the abundance of regular-season games, Anthony points to the league’s landmark $76 billion media deal as a game-changer that could ensure its long-term success.

Melo says NBA ratings drama is overblown

The NBA’s monumental agreement, signed earlier this year, sees partnerships with Disney/ESPN, Amazon, and NBC Universal.

“They just did it by reaching that 10-year billion-dollar TV deal,” Anthony said in a recent interview with Complex.

“It’s one of the biggest TV deals. So they figured it out, you know what I mean? It’s not like they can’t figure it out. It’s just that everything is down. Numbers are down all across the board, but that doesn’t mean it’s not good or people aren’t watching. People are watching it in different ways.”

The deal, which stretches over 11 years, ensures an influx of revenue from multiple platforms.

Disney, for example, will pay $2.6 billion annually to broadcast the NBA Finals, while Amazon will stream regular-season and playoff games for $1.8 billion per year.

NBC Universal will contribute nearly $2.5 billion annually to air select games.

Anthony further argued that traditional television ratings might not accurately reflect viewership trends in the modern era.

“Only some people watch it on television,” the 10-time NBA All-Star explained.

“People are on their phones streaming, or people will wait until later to watch it. It’s different ways of watching the actual content. So when you know that, and you know the business side of it, and you understand the numbers, it’s, like, OK, the numbers aren’t down.”

Adam Silver’s explanation for ratings decline

Despite the league’s ongoing popularity, TV ratings on platforms like ESPN have dropped 28% since the start of the season, while TNT’s ratings have remained flat at 1.8 million viewers per game.

Analysts have highlighted several potential causes, from frequent player movement and uniform changes to the sheer volume of games.

NBA Commissioner Adam Silver, however, attributes the decline to external factors.

“There’s always some unique things. This year we were up against the World Series, Dodgers-Yankees, two very attractive teams, they brought in a big audience. You had a presidential election which was commanding an enormous amount of attention. So I don’t think it has anything whatsoever to do with the style of play on the floor,”Commissioner Silver explained to Front Office Sports.

Anthony’s optimism underscores the potential of the $76 billion deal to reshape the league’s future.

Whether it can reverse declining ratings remains to be seen, but the former Knicks star is confident that the NBA has already taken decisive steps to adapt to changing times.