Establishing viewership in the markets local to an NBA team has proven to be increasingly difficult as regional sports networks face waves of millions of cord-cutting households with many consumers turning to streaming services (Ryssdal, 2023). The shift of viewership away from cable is part of a larger push from a younger generation of sports fans. Individuals aged 18-24 worldwide have been found to be the least likely age demographic to watch live sports on a TV channel, but one of the highly likely age demographics to consume sports online through social media or streaming (Noble, 2024). Lower viewership and engagement in traditional sports media forms from U.S. audiences may not at present be a prevalent issue for U.S.-based leagues, but the investments into international audiences from these leagues showcase the need to diversify revenue streams stemming from viewership to secure growth and longevity. 

In addition to securing further international viewership as an expanded revenue stream, sponsorship focused on multinational brands or brands with high non-U.S. consumers has already been leveraged by both leagues. Emirates has recently taken on the naming rights for The Emirates Cup, the NBA’s in-season tournament. The airline is primarily known for its services to flights outside of the United States with plans to continue expanding into the U.S. (Singh, 2024). The partnership between the brand and league represent international sponsorship initiatives stemming from the ability to cultivate an international audience. Although Emirates benefits by receiving higher visibility by a U.S. audience, the NBA in turn is setting itself up as a major brand on the world stage. This was noted by NBA Deputy Commissioner and Chief Operating Officer Mark Tatum with the statement “as basketball continues to be recognized as the fastest growing sport globally, this collaboration will showcase the excitement of the NBA to the millions of people who fly Emirates every year” (Emirates Named Global Airline Partner of the NBA, n.d.). Leagues have further sponsorship leveraging opportunities to collaborate with internationally recognized brands to increase awareness while generating revenue. An example of international expansion already being leveraged for further sponsorship in the NFL includes Cisco Enterprising Networking and Cybersecurity Solutions being used to “connect and protect the NFL International Games” after previously only being partnered to protect the Super Bowl, NFL Draft, and NFL Kickoff (NFL and Cisco Expand Partnership to Connect and Protect NFL International Games, 2024). Sponsorship has become incredibly instrumental to generate revenue for these two leagues and the opportunity to leverage and build upon an international audience needs to be at the forefront of the league-wide strategy.