As Charlotte hosted the biggest sporting event in the city’s history last weekend, the uptown skyline sparkled across millions of television screens around the world. The widespread viewership of the NBA All-Star Game provided a marketing boon city boosters say helped elevate Charlotte’s image.
The NBA All-Star Game aired in 49 languages in 215 different countries, according to the Charlotte Regional Visitors Authority, the city’s tourism arm. Those figures are higher than what the CRVA had originally projected, said Tom Murray, the group’s CEO.
“It gives us exposure we could never buy,” Murray said.
The TV broadcast of the NBA All-Star Game featured dramatic aerial shots of uptown Charlotte, with the city’s skyscrapers aglow in the Hornets’ teal and purple.