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NBCUniversal’s streaming service Peacock is slated to host the 2021 Summer Olympics, and the company hopes the event will be a huge driver of subscriptions. NBCU has planned for months to use its broadcast and cable telecasts to attract new viewers, and with COVID concerns returning, executives at the company are likely getting nervous — one cable exec told Vulture that if the Tokyo Games were canceled, “it would be absolutely devastating” for Peacock. Clearly, Peacock has a lot riding on the Olympics happening this year.

But even if these Games do go forward as planned, not everyone is as excited about them as NBCU would like. Take the NBA, for example. Some of the league’s top American players, including LeBron James, Kawhi Leonard, Stephen Curry, and James Harden, have declined to play for Team USA in Tokyo this year, many citing concerns about exhaustion given the proximity of these Olympics to the NBA Finals. Even though basketball is one of the most popular sports among young, stream-happy viewers, the absence of these tremendously popular players could pose problems for Peacock.. 

How can NBCU and its streaming service draw more NBA fans? Ranker Insights can help! We took a look at The Top 100+ NBA Players Today (1.2 million votes from 126.4K voters) and arranged the Top 5 players who have agreed to join this year’s Olympic basketball squad according to their rank on the list. Using Ranker Insights, we can look at each player’s fan base to find out what they love to watch, play, and listen to, information that NBCU can use to better target NBA fans who may not know they can watch their favorite player compete in this year’s Olympic Games on Peacock.

#1: Damian Lillard

Fans of Lillard Are:

Supporters of Kylian Mbappé: Lillard’s followers are 8X more likely to love French soccer player Kylian Mbappé. While Mbappé’s French national team was recently booted from the Euros, there’s still plenty of reason to believe his fans are still watching to see who ends up victorious. Peacock might consider buying ad space wherever and whenever the UEFA is being broadcast.

Into Everything Disney Owns: If it’s something Disney created or currently owns the rights to, Lillard fans are more likely to love it. Lillard’s followers are 8X more likely to love the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and 6X more likely to vote up Disney and Pixar movies like The Lion King, Moana, and Up. That makes sense, given that Lillard has an official sneaker styled to resemble Buzz Lightyear. While NBC may not know quite as much about Disney’s fan base, Peacock is currently streaming pre-MCU superhero movies Hulk (2003) and Daredevil (2003), making it easier for them to target Marvel’s fans.

Dodger Fans: Though Portlanders are better known for following the Mariners or Giants than Los Angeles’ premier baseball team, our data says fans of Trailblazers point guard Lillard are 4X more likely to vote up the Dodgers on our list of the Best Sports Franchises Of All Time (158K votes).

#2: Jayson Tatum

Fans of Tatum Are:

Office Fanatics: The Office is a hugely popular show, but it’s a surefire winner with fans of Tatum: those who voted up the Celtics forward on our Top NBA Players list were 4X more likely to vote up the ultimate workplace comedy on our list of The Best TV Shows Of the Last 20 Years (1.5 million votes). We’re guessing Peacock is already pretty good at identifying which of its subscribers are Office fans.

BTS Stans: Tatum fans on our Top NBA Players list were 9X more likely than the average basketball fan to vote up international phenomenon BTS on the list of The Most Popular K-Pop Groups Of 2021 (1.7 million votes). Meanwhile, those who voted up Tatum on our list of The Greatest Duke Basketball Players Of All Time (40.7K votes) were 7X more likely to pick BTS on The Best K-Pop Groups Of All Time (2.1 million votes).

Raunchy Comedy: Plenty of Tatum fans on our Top NBA Players list also voted on our list of the Funniest Stand-Up Comedians Of All Time (1.3 million votes). Their top choices: Jim Norton, Jeff Ross, Anthony Jeselnik, Tracy Morgan, and Patrice O’Neal, all comics known for their outrageously raunchy and provocative material.

#3: Devin Booker

Anti-Trump: Though Arizona was fiercely divided over Donald Trump’s reelection in 2020, its NBA team’s fan base seems less ambivalent. Those who love 24-year-old Suns shooting guard Booker are more likely to downvote Donald Trump on lists like The Greatest US Presidents Of All Time (840K votes) and Which US Presidents Do You Wish Were In Charge Right Now? (453K votes).

WAP Lovers: When it comes to rappers who are currently producing albums, Booker fans are 5X more likely to count themselves as fans of Cardi B, a preference they demonstrated by voting for the artist on our list of the Best Young Rappers And New School Rappers (566K votes).

Northeasterners: Even though Booker plays in the Southwest, Insights says basketball fans in the Northeast are sweeter on him than anywhere else — he has a 69% approval rating in states north of Virginia, slightly higher than his 67% approval rating in the Southwest. Seems like a good reason to invest in more basketball-oriented TV spots in that region of the country.

#4: Bradley Beal

Fans of Beal Are:

Crazy about Crooners: Those who voted up Washington, DC’s NBA superstar on our Top NBA Players list are 10X more likely to also vote up crooner Norah Jones on our list of The Best Current Female Singers (604K votes), and they’re 5X more likely to vote up British singer-songwriter Sade Adu on our list of The Best Female Vocalists Ever (1.8 million votes). 

Friends of Friends: Streaming rights to this seminal NBC sitcom about six buddies living in New York have moved to HBO Max, but we’re guessing NBCU still has a good sense of who loves Friends. That might be a good audience to target: Beal fans are 4X more likely to vote up the show on our list of TV Shows Only Smart People Appreciate (1.2 million votes).

Down with Duvall: Beal’s supporters are 7X more likely to vote up Robert Duvall on Ranker’s list of The Best Actors In Film History (2.6 million votes). That might be a good reason for NBCU to target all its users who love the Godfather trilogy that Duvall is famous for co-starring in, as all three movies are currently available to stream on Peacock.

#5: Khris Middleton

Fans of Middleton are:

Gamers and Streamers: A significant number of people who vote up Middleton on our Top NBA Players list also visited and voted on our list of The Best ‘Fortnite’ YouTubers (361K votes), and were 7X more likely vote up both Ninja and DrLupo. Considering that Gen Z is likely to follow both basketball and eSports, the gamer demographic should already be on NBCU’s list.

De Niro Devotees: Those who voted upMiddleton as one of the top NBA players active today are 3X more likely to vote up Robert De Niro on our list of The Best (Male) Actors Working Today (1.6 million votes), which means Peacock should be tracking who’s streaming films from the Meet the Parents trilogy, The Godfather II, and Casino.

These stories are crafted using Ranker Insights, which takes over one billion votes cast on Ranker.com and converts them into actionable psychographics about pop culture fans across the world. To learn more about how our Ranker Insights can be customized to serve your business needs, visit insights.ranker.com, or email us at insights@ranker.com.

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