Bulls' TV Ratings Down Nearly 30 Percent in 2015-16 Season

According to a new report by Sports Business Journal, the Bulls’ television ratings have plummeted along with their fortunes this season

The Chicago Bulls lost yet another game Monday, falling to the Charlotte Hornets, but their struggles on the floor isn’t the only thing going wrong for them this season.

According to a new report by Sports Business Journal, the Bulls’ television ratings have plummeted along with their fortunes this season. The team is drawing an average 3.52 TV rating on Comcast SportsNet this season, which is a decline of 29 percent over last year’s numbers, according to the report.

The SBJ report also says that the Bulls’ decline is the fifth-worst in the NBA, which overall has seen its local television ratings go up six percent this season.

There are plenty of reasons for the decline in the team’s TV ratings, and it all begins with the product on the court. The Bulls are currently in seventh place in the Eastern Conference playoff race, just a game and a half ahead of the Hornets. The Detroit Pistons are also lurking behind the Bulls, just a game behind them in the standings.

Those struggles have only been made worse by injury woes for several key players. Joakim Noah was lost for the season with a shoulder injury recently, and Jimmy Butler is currently out of the lineup with a strained knee. Add to that the off-and-on injury concerns for Pau Gasol and Derrick Rose, as well as Nikola Mirotic’s sudden bout with appendicitis, and a lot of arrows are pointing down for the Bulls.

The team’s coaching has left something to be desired as well, as Fred Hoiberg has failed to gain any traction with the team’s roster through 51 games this season. The team is one of the worst defensive teams in the Eastern Conference, giving up 101.7 points per game, and they have a losing record on the road as well.

If Bulls fans are looking for some good news, they can take comfort in this: the team only has one game left before the All-Star break, and five of their next seven games will be played at the United Center.

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