The 76ers likely will lose many basketball games in their NBA season, which begins Wednesday, but the off-court team business looks promising.
The team's local revenue is rising, team executives say without disclosing numbers, because they have invested in the business side since Josh Harris' group bought the team in 2011. Having a player payroll that is near the league low also helps.
Beyond local efforts to keep and attract season ticketholders and corporate sponsors, the franchise value rose from $469 million to $700 million in the last year, according to Forbes, because the National Basketball Association last fall signed a nine-year, $24 billion TV contract with ESPN that starts next season.