Social media is transforming sports engagement, and the NBA is no exception. We check out which teams are creating the most-engaging videos on Facebook, and how.
Want to see a social media slam dunk? Look no further than NBA teams on Facebook video. Basketball is booming, and the NBA is turning their focus to the social media landscape.
Due to a new TV contract this year, the average NBA team is now valued at $1.1 billion, an enormous 74% more than last year. Names like Lebron James and Kobe Bryant dominate the sports channels.
In a Wall Street Journal interview with NBA Commissioner Adam Silver, it was noted that “the NBA has made a very conscious decision to let basketball social media—including amateur videos of in-game highlights—fly free.”
Using our Spike database, we looked at the biggest videos the NBA teams put on their official Facebook pages in 2015. We totaled up shares, likes, and comments to find the most engaging content.
For more information on our methodology for tracking content engagement, click here.
NBA Teams Most Engaging Facebook Videos in 2015
Strikingly, there isn’t much diversity in our list. Eight teams make up the top 15 most engaging videos of the year, with total engagement hitting over 448,000 for the top piece. For a fuller exploration into the top videos, click here. Let’s dive into what the top 5 teams are doing with their video content.
Sacramento Kings Reign Supreme in Shares
The Sacramento Kings have the three most-shared videos on Facebook in 2015. In total engagement, they take our first and third spots.
The video of performer Skydunk Squad doing an acrobatic slam dunk drove over 18.3 million views. The Facebook total engagement broke down to over 184,000 like, 273,400 shares, and 12,000 comments.
[fb_pe url=”https://www.facebook.com/sacramentokings/videos/10153221233264026/” bottom=”30″]
The Kings’ other videos that drove Facebook shares also went beyond the game. The Sacramento Kings hosted their third “baby race” in November, encouraging baby Kings fans to crawl across the court. Their other video showed some very young Kings fans getting their groove on in the sidelines. The cute factor is clearly a winner, even for basketball content.
All three of these videos are fun content. None of them show in-the-moment, action shots of game time. The first video is a thrilling clip, and the others cash in on the internet’s love for cute things.
[bctt tweet=”The @SacramentoKings slam dunk their social by using the internet’s love of all things cute”]
Chicago Bulls Revel in Their Victory
The Chicago Bulls provided our second top-engaging video. It featured Derrick Rose scoring the winning shot against the Cleveland Cavaliers. With over 286,000 likes, 128,000 shares, and 18,000 comments, the stealth shot also made a big hit on social.
[fb_pe url=”https://www.facebook.com/chicagobulls/videos/10153403726891614/” bottom=”30″]
As we’ve noted before, sharing a team’s victory moments and best highlights on social is a great way to build fan engagement and pride in the team. Fans can relive their team’s best moments over and over, and share the moments, and voice their enthusiasm through comments.
Golden State Warriors are All about Stephen Curry
Footage of Stephen Curry dominated our top list. Five of our 15 most-engaging videos were related to the team’s champion point guard. Their top video was a Vine reshared on Facebook. It featured Curry nonchalantly making a shot from the sidelines.
[fb_pe url=”https://www.facebook.com/warriors/videos/10153448028622526/” bottom=”30″]
With 117,000 shares, nearly 150,000 likes, and 9,200 comments, that’s a lot of buzz around Stephen Curry. Riding on the coattails of their most valuable player is a way to amp social engagement. The Golden State Warriors encourage fans to jump on the engagement through hashtags like #StephGonnaSteph. By creating a team hero, fans feel a deeper connection through passion for a specific player and not just an entity.
Kobe’s Killer Content for the LA Lakers
Our eighth most-engaging content is about the Lakers’ most famous player, Kobe Bryant. Their other content in our Top 15 is also related to the basketball giant. The Lakers’ top video was of Kobe during a game in his hometown of Philadelphia. The video collected nearly 4.7 million views, 142,000 likes, 45,500 shares, and almost 5,000 comments.
[fb_pe url=”https://www.facebook.com/losangeleslakers/videos/10156341711730341/” bottom=”30″]
While Golden State Warriors’ Steph Curry is a team champion, Kobe Bryant has the admiration of basketball fans nationwide. His retirement announcement sent waves through the social stratosphere.
NewsWhip Spike showing stories about Kobe’s retirement trending, with high Social Velocities
Kobe’s fan base is nearly equal to his team’s. He has 20.5 million fans on his own Facebook page, and the LA Lakers have 21.2 million. Again, Kobe Bryant’s celebrity propels fan engagement and loyalty in the team. Social media brings players closer than ever before, giving them a direct voice to their fans.
Charlotte Hornets Share Love for Other Carolina Sports Favorites
Our list with the most-engaging videos is rounded out by the Carolina Hornets. A video of Cam Newton, quarterback for the Carolina Panthers, dancing for the camera at a Charlotte Hornets game had over 3.2 million views on Facebook. It drove 73,700 likes, 51,200 shares, and 4,500 comments.
[fb_pe url=”https://www.facebook.com/hornets/videos/10153750346803430/” bottom=”30″]
Like the Golden State Warriors and LA Lakers, this content also hones in on a sports celebrity. But Cam Newton is not on the Charlotte Hornets. Despite that, this content has two tactics working for it–there’s both a celebrity endorsement at play, and a sense of camaraderie for the state’s teams.
Fans are pleased when their teams are supported by famous people they recognize, and are further impassioned by local pride in their state.
[bctt tweet=”Celebrity endorsements of @NBA teams ramp up that fan passion #sportsmarketing”]
Why Is Video So Big for Basketball?
A Whistle Sports study from this summer found that 52% of Millennials (age 25 to 34) and 53% of Generation Z (age 13 to 24) list Facebook as their source to consume sports-related content. Add to that the the audience for TV viewing is falling year by year, with a 10% decrease this year alone for those 18 to 34 years old.
In an increasingly mobile-first world, knowing how to dominate that second screen is crucial. For sports, video content is the product they’re already producing. Teams are simply realizing value in another channel.
The NBA teams that produced the most-engaging video content on Facebook followed many of our steps to success. Four of the five were shorter than a minute long. All were action-based (no talking heads here!) and could be watched without sound. The action of the game and emotions of fans on the sidelines translate immediately without any audio companion.
[bctt tweet=”Why’s @NBA so good on Facebook video? They use action shots that show off their team’s epic moments”]
With such a big change in the NBA franchise values this year, it will be fascinating to watch how their viral content evolve in 2016. Will the top videos still feature star players, top game moments, and adorable child fans? We’ll be watching, and so will the rest of the web.
What’s Next:
1) Check out the basketball content going viral with a free trial of Spike
