NFL Excuses Run Out After Ratings Declines Continue

[Eleazar]

NFL's Litany of Excuses Runs Out After Ratings Fall for Second Year

By Lucas Shaw
Bloomberg.com
November 2, 2017, 11:30 AM CDT



TV networks are running out of excuses for the dwindling popularity of the National Football League.

They blamed the election for ratings declines last year, and hurricanes for a soft week one in September. Protests during the national anthem, and President Donald Trump’s criticism of the league, have faded from the headlines.

Advertisers are starting to believe a different explanation: the viewers aren’t coming back. Audiences are down an average 7 percent from a year ago through the first eight weeks of the season, excluding last Monday. That’s on top of a decrease of about 8 percent last season that spurred numerous changes in the broadcasts, from shorter commercials to better matchups earlier in the year.

“There’s just not as many people watching TV the way they used to watch TV,” said Jeremy Carey, managing director of Optimum Sports, a sports marketing agency. “It’s going to be an issue for advertisers when they can’t reach a large-scale audience the way they have.”

With CBS Corp., 21st Century Fox Inc. and Walt Disney Co. set to report earnings in the next few days, analysts are bound to raise questions. These companies have used the popularity of the games to extract additional fees from cable operators, promote other shows on their networks and sell lots of commercials. Pro football games drew about $3.5 billion in ad spending last year, including the postseason, according to SMI Media Inc.

Media companies have spent billions of dollars on the right to air football games, which had been immune to the erosion of viewership for other TV programming. Audiences for TV networks have diminished for years as the growing popularity of online alternatives Netflix and YouTube and the availability of most shows on-demand have reduced the appeal of dramas and comedies. Live TV, like sports, was supposed to be immune, but that theory looks highly questionable now.

Ratings for the NFL suggest the same societal trends are now affecting the league, even if the declines aren’t as dramatic. The drop in game viewership ranges from 5 percent for NBC’s “Sunday Night Football” to 11 percent for the CBS Sunday package. “Monday Night Football,” on Disney’s ESPN, has attracted more fans this year than a year ago, but the numbers are still down from 2015.

Viewership of the four main broadcast networks fell 8.7 percent last year, and 12 percent among adults 18 to 49, an important demographic for advertisers.

CBS’s 11 percent slump for NFL games is the steepest of the networks. Its parent company, which reports earnings after the close Thursday, is more vulnerable than rivals to the trend because the vast majority of its earnings come from the broadcast network. The declines at CBS reinforce a complaint that has gotten louder and louder in recent weeks: The league got greedy in adding the Thursday night game on broadcast.

Reserving top games for Thursday night robbed other time periods of good match-ups. After a nosedive in ratings at “Monday Night Football” last season, the league has scheduled better games for that time period, further damaging Sunday afternoon.

“Ratings declines on both general entertainment and NFL programming could be the single biggest point of focus for investors this quarter, and we’re not sure what media companies can say about the health and tone of the ad market to assuage fears,” Steven Cahall, an analyst with RBC Capital Markets, wrote in a note last month.

Viewership is dropping fast among people under 54 -- a key demographic for advertisers -- and even faster among those 18 to 34. Audiences for games on CBS, NBC and Fox have slid at least 10 percent among that younger cohort.

Advertisers aren’t abandoning the NFL, one of the only places they can still reach more than 10 million people at once. But they are growing concerned. John Schnatter, who appears in TV spots on behalf of his Papa John’s Pizza International Inc., laid into the league on a conference call this week, blaming the ratings for his company’s slow revenue growth and calling for the league to put an end to player protests.

Networks and other advertisers identify a wide range of reasons for the NFL’s struggles. The league has overexposed itself by making highlights available on Facebook, YouTube, Twitter and Snapchat. Identifiable stars like Peyton Manning and Aaron Rodgers have either retired or gotten hurt. The quality of play has deteriorated. Player protests and concussions have driven away some fans.

Some executives argue viewership of the league has still improved over the long term while dropping for every other show. Yet the amount of time people have spent watching football this season is at the lowest point since 2011, back when there were fewer televised games, according to Mike Mulvihill, Fox Sports’ head of research.

“The cumulative effect of everything happening in the world at large is having an impact on NFL viewership,” Mulvihill said. “ The league was defying the laws of gravity.”

[Pasta Little Brioni]

It's basically wrestling. Sports Entertainment. My passion for the results are pretty much gone. It's just something to watch now with a bit of amusement from time to time. Game results are just too influenced to take seriously.

[King_Chief_Fan]

Originally Posted by Pitt Gorilla

just keep the players in the locker room like they used to so you snowflakes won’t have to look at kneeling. OR you could choose to stop being such a ****ing pussy.

you got it all wrong...

[Otter]

• The refs dictating the game
• "Social awareness" being being shoved down fans throats

I want to hear about players pet peeves in social justice while I'm watching a football game about as much as you want to hear about my take on the middle east while I'm cleaning your gutters or walking your dog. NFL players have gotten Hollywood syndrome where they think because they're actors (players) their opinion matters and you need to listen and hear everything they have to say.

and do your job like the rest of us.

[DaneMcCloud]

Originally Posted by ForeverChiefs58

Don’t take it personal. Sooner they understand that the better.

Good grief, man.

Goof ****ing grief.

[DaneMcCloud]

Originally Posted by GloryDayz

Talking the kneeling out of it, the overall social activism and WWFL nature of the NFL aren't helping. But that's JMO.

Then how do you explain the fact that EVERY network program and the entire television landscape is experiencing even greater drops in Nielsen Ratings than the NFL?

If that was the case (which unequivocally, it is not), then only the NFL would see a decline in ratings while CBS, NBC, ABC and Fox hold steady.

Your opinion (and the "opinion" of others, who want to base the ratings on those things you've listed) don't line up with the facts.

[DaneMcCloud]

Originally Posted by Otter

• The refs dictating the game
• "Social awareness" being being shoved down fans throats

I want to hear about players pet peeves in social justice while I'm watching a football game about as much as you want to hear about my take on the middle east while I'm cleaning your gutters or walking your dog. NFL players have gotten Hollywood syndrome where they think because they're actors (players) their opinion matters and you need to listen and hear everything they have to say.

and do your job like the rest of us.

Not fact based

[GloryDayz]

Originally Posted by DaneMcCloud

Then how do you explain the fact that EVERY network program and the entire television landscape is experiencing even greater drops in Nielsen Ratings than the NFL?

If that was the case (which unequivocally, it is not), then only the NFL would see a decline in ratings while CBS, NBC, ABC and Fox hold steady.

Your opinion (and the "opinion" of others, who want to base the ratings on those things you've listed) don't line up with the facts.

I think "than" is the operative word. And I think America's love of the sport they once knew is helping people flow away from it at a slower rate than other things the country has always held as the #1 sport (in the world in their opinion).

But I took the first 14 games off of going to games, that's a first, and really only went back for the Chargers and Fins games because, well, the price for entry had adjusted accordingly.

I'll put it this way, what I used to sell my seats for in the early 2000s when I was a STH was well more that twice what I've paid for either gameday experience this year. And I'm getting into a playoff game for $60 bucks per ticket. 10 rows up in the upper deck, on the 50 yard line. As you know, outside of being in row 1 of the same section, that provides about the best view you can get. So let that sink in a bit, $60 for playoff tickets. My game day tickets in 2003 were $126 each.

So quote all the ratings you want, but $60 to get into a playoff game with a spectacular view, on the 50, says something.. And it's not that 60" flat-screens are cheap!

[GloryDayz]

Originally Posted by DaneMcCloud

Not fact based

If you think the WWFL has to admit to it before opinion is fact, well then there are very few facts in the universe.

[DaneMcCloud]

Originally Posted by GloryDayz

So quote all the ratings you want

Ratings are fact. They cannot be disputed by opinion.

Again, if the NFL Ratings were flat while the rest of the Broadcast Network's ratings were even or higher, then there would be evidence that the NFL's popularity is waning.

ESPN's Monday Night Football ratings were up 5% over last year.

Again, there is zero verifiable proof that the NFL is experiencing anything different than any other program on Broadcast TV (and while ESPN subscribers are down by more than 8 million, ratings were up).

The NFL had 37 of the Top 50 rated programs last Fall.

The NFL is King.

Originally Posted by GloryDayz

but $60 to get into a playoff game with a spectacular view, on the 50, says something.. And it's not that 60" flat-screens are cheap!

That's exactly what $60 dollar playoff tickets "say".

It's the same here in Los Angeles. While the Coliseum is a complete and utter uncomfortable dump with zero restaurants, no club level and shit for parking, I can go on Stub Hub right now and purchase tickets in the upper deck (which are awful) for $76 dollars plus tax.

Why would I do that, though?

I have a better view at home. 65" 4K LED TV, sound system with subwoofer and a bar just a few feet away.

Why would I want to go to the actual game?

[Pitt Gorilla]

Originally Posted by DaneMcCloud

Ratings are fact. They cannot be disputed by opinion.

Again, if the NFL Ratings were flat while the rest of the Broadcast Network's ratings were even or higher, then there would be evidence that the NFL's popularity is waning.

ESPN's Monday Night Football ratings were up 5% over last year.

Again, there is zero verifiable proof that the NFL is experiencing anything different than any other program on Broadcast TV (and while ESPN subscribers are down by more than 8 million, ratings were up).

The NFL had 37 of the Top 50 rated programs last Fall.

The NFL is King.



That's exactly what $60 dollar playoff tickets "say".

It's the same here in Los Angeles. While the Coliseum is a complete and utter uncomfortable dump with zero restaurants, no club level and shit for parking, I can go on Stub Hub right now and purchase tickets in the upper deck (which are awful) for $76 dollars plus tax.

Why would I do that, though?

I have a better view at home. 65" 4K LED TV, sound system with subwoofer and a bar just a few feet away.

Why would I want to go to the actual game?

That's got to be the question for every sport out there. For us, it's an experience for our children (once in a while). However, I'm guessing the allure of attending a game (of any sort) is waning for many. South Carolina had a Final Four team last year and most of their arena was empty last night.

[ChiefsCountry]

Originally Posted by DaneMcCloud

ESPN's Monday Night Football ratings were up 5% over last year.

Monday Night Football was down from last year.

ESPN also wrapped up 2017 averaging 10.8 million viewers for "Monday Night Football," which is the package's lowest figure on record. ESPN's previous low was 11.2 million in 2007. More in SBD tomorrow.

— Austin Karp (@AustinKarp) December 28, 2017

[Gravedigger]

We're still talking about this?

[GloryDayz]

Originally Posted by DaneMcCloud

Ratings are fact. They cannot be disputed by opinion.

Again, if the NFL Ratings were flat while the rest of the Broadcast Network's ratings were even or higher, then there would be evidence that the NFL's popularity is waning.

ESPN's Monday Night Football ratings were up 5% over last year.

Again, there is zero verifiable proof that the NFL is experiencing anything different than any other program on Broadcast TV (and while ESPN subscribers are down by more than 8 million, ratings were up).

The NFL had 37 of the Top 50 rated programs last Fall.

The NFL is King.



That's exactly what $60 dollar playoff tickets "say".

It's the same here in Los Angeles. While the Coliseum is a complete and utter uncomfortable dump with zero restaurants, no club level and shit for parking, I can go on Stub Hub right now and purchase tickets in the upper deck (which are awful) for $76 dollars plus tax.

Why would I do that, though?

I have a better view at home. 65" 4K LED TV, sound system with subwoofer and a bar just a few feet away.

Why would I want to go to the actual game?

To be honest, the TV views provided have been better views since the 70s, at least better than 90% of the seats in the venue where the game is being played. And the bar has always been mere feet away, so it wasn't the transition through the 45th inch of televisionery that explains the drop, that too simple, it's more. It might not be one thing, but it's happening, and it's happening to America's #1 sport (among many things).

I know you've been to games so I don't need to tell you that there's a huge difference between watching it on TV and being there, you already know that. they're two different experiences. The problem might be that while there's still a difference, the price made the TV an even better option.

Keep tickets at $30-$50 dollars, GET RID OF $40 PARKING (!!!!), and I'm sure you'll see the awesomeness of tailgate and being part of the game experience become a big enough deal.

But when you're dropping $120-$150 on a ticket, then $40 to park, and $10 for a cocktail, all to see a game where the Steelers can drag a defender down and an official can claim he just didn't see it (again) - don't make me pull up pics from last year's loss - then the 65" becomes an even more enticing choice BECAUSE the bar is 10 feet away. You need the bar to deal with the league's officiating. At $30, more of that bullshit is forgiven because the tailgate food was awesome and fun... How about nobody knowing what a catch is anymore? How about DPI being called because your shadow looked at his shadow "real mean like" and the WR knows how to cry? All while OPI is rarely called because, well, the league wants high scoring games. Let's not forget how it's a pick if your the Chiefs, but it's a rub route for Tom and Payton. All those things mean the league has to drop the price to make their assholishness not as big a factor.

But I'm happy with the prices where they are now, it's great time with the sons..

[WilliamTheIrish]

Wonder what viewership was like this weekend?

[Prison Bitch]

Originally Posted by DaneMcCloud

Ratings are fact. They cannot be disputed by opinion.

Again, if the NFL Ratings were flat while the rest of the Broadcast Network's ratings were even or higher, then there would be evidence that the NFL's popularity is waning.

ESPN's Monday Night Football ratings were up 5% over last year.

Again, there is zero verifiable proof that the NFL is experiencing anything different than any other program on Broadcast TV (and while ESPN subscribers are down by more than 8 million, ratings were up).

The NFL had 37 of the Top 50 rated programs last Fall.

The NFL is King.



That's exactly what $60 dollar playoff tickets "say".

It's the same here in Los Angeles. While the Coliseum is a complete and utter uncomfortable dump with zero restaurants, no club level and shit for parking, I can go on Stub Hub right now and purchase tickets in the upper deck (which are awful) for $76 dollars plus tax.

Why would I do that, though?

I have a better view at home. 65" 4K LED TV, sound system with subwoofer and a bar just a few feet away.

Why would I want to go to the actual game?

Lie^

They ended up down -5.8% for the year:
https://www.si.com/tech-media/2018/0...nbc-network-tv