The first round of the NBA’s new in-season tournament continues this week, with all 30 teams competing for the new “NBA cup” and a $500,000 per-player prize.

The contest wraps up on December, about 4 months before the NBA playoffs begin. League executives hope this will drive fan engagement and revenue early in the season. 

In August, the Pew Research Center asked 12,000 Americans about their sports habits. Turns out, “most Americans — a pretty healthy majority of Americans — are fairly checked out,” said Pew researcher John Gramlich. 

Just 16% of Americans follow sports very or extremely closely. To boost that number some leagues are tinkering with the product; the MLB added a pitch clock to make baseball more watchable, while the NBA’s push comes down to marketing. 

“‘Here’s a reason to watch earlier.’ ‘Here’s another trophy. Who’s gonna win this trophy?’ said Kenneth Shropshire, CEO of Arizona State’s Global Sport Institute.

The in-season tournament’s knockout structure — plus flashy new jerseys and courts — are trying to turn early, regular season games into events, he said. “Crassly, it’s the same toothpaste in a different tube.”

So far, it seems to be working: The league says ESPN viewership for the tournament is up 55% over games this time last year.