How Broadcast Pickleball is Changing to Improve Viewership

Jul 25, 2023 | Sports

A Pickleball ball on a TV in color surrounded by a black and white room

OUR TAKE

Originally embraced as a more accessible, less-demanding version of tennis, the sport has an uphill climb in the effort to keep TV audiences riveted to their seats. One thing every network exec knows: sports fans are captivated by a good story. From intense rivalries to last minute victories, the heightened emotions experienced during a sporting event have an undeniable effect on viewers. In a bid to amp up the onscreen drama, at least one pickleball league has brought in acting coaches to work with players on channeling their inner Kyrgios.

Source Summary

While the growth of pickleball recently has been well documented, excitement around the game is not translating to viewership. So the major pickleball leagues (there are three) are making changes to build a legitimate audience by designing new pickleball venues to be optimal for broadcasting, adding more cameras, incentivizing more physical and exciting gameplay, improving pickleball sportswear, and increasing prize pools all to further legitimize the sport and improve the viewership experience.

[Fast Company]