NFL Draft NFL Excuses Run Out After Ratings Declines Continue - Page 31

Eleazar · 11-03-2017, 05:07 AM

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.”

-King- · 09-13-2018, 03:44 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BigCatDaddy

The most comparable.

So all the other shows that have declined in ratings including all the other major sports don't count? Just the nba huh?

Funny thing is that nba players are more "SJW" than NFL players so this argument doesn't even make sense.
Posted via Mobile Device

BigCatDaddy · 09-13-2018, 04:23 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by -King-

So all the other shows that have declined in ratings including all the other major sports don't count? Just the nba huh?

Funny thing is that nba players are more "SJW" than NFL players so this argument doesn't even make sense.
Posted via Mobile Device

Sure it does. The NBA does a better job of keeping focus.on the games. You know? The reason people tune in.

Mecca · 09-13-2018, 05:23 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BigCatDaddy

Sure it does. The NBA does a better job of keeping focus.on the games. You know? The reason people tune in.

The NBA is a cable product and their overall fan base is smaller...

Fish · 09-21-2018, 03:10 PM

Jets vs. Browns. LOL....

Last night's #NYJvsCLE had 10.3 million viewers in the game's final 6 minutes, and was @nflnetwork's highest-rated and most-watched exclusive TNF game in more than three years.
— Gil Brandt (@Gil_Brandt) September 21, 2018

Strongside · 09-21-2018, 03:12 PM

I really, really think that if these young QBs pan out like we think they might, the ratings are going to jump. The NFL has to be ecstatic.

JakeF · 09-21-2018, 03:13 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Strongside

I really, really think that if these young QBs pan out like we think they might, the ratings are going to jump. The NFL has to be ecstatic.

That's why the NFL is desperately trying to protect their QBs.

BigCatDaddy · 09-21-2018, 03:15 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Strongside

I really, really think that if these young QBs pan out like we think they might, the ratings are going to jump. The NFL has to be ecstatic.

Football is now front and center instead of politics. It's fun to watch again.

Best22 · 09-21-2018, 03:19 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BigCatDaddy

Football is now front and center instead of politics. It's fun to watch again.

Yep.

**Buehler445** · 09-21-2018, 03:28 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BigCatDaddy

Football is now front and center instead of politics. It's fun to watch again.

Agreed. Even 2 garbage teams.

Eleazar · 09-21-2018, 03:30 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BigCatDaddy

Football is now front and center instead of politics. It's fun to watch again.

I think everyone would love the distraction if the NFL could provide something that people want to watch again.

Mahomes and Mayfield and Darnold or other young stars (at least, the latter was being hyped as one for a little while) giving them a new script would be great for the league (instead of the Brady and Rodgers etc reruns that everyone has seen a million times).

Of course, they still have to contend with the garbage we saw last Sunday, where the officiating is so poor that it's hard for a fan to watch a game without being pissed off.

philfree · 09-21-2018, 03:35 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Strongside

I really, really think that if these young QBs pan out like we think they might, the ratings are going to jump. The NFL has to be ecstatic.

I hope these QBs pan out. It would be nice to see some new and more QB rivalries. Where year to year there are real QBs trying to out play each other.

kcxiv · 09-21-2018, 03:43 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mecca

The NBA is a cable product and their overall fan base is smaller...

Yet, for some odd reason, NBA2K is more popular then Madden now days.

11-03-2017, 05:07 AM
Eleazar Beyond the Rapids Join Date: May 2003 Location: Langley, VA Casino cash: $-370000	NFL Excuses Run Out After Ratings Declines Continue 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.”
Posts: 80,659

09-21-2018, 03:10 PM	#454
Fish Ain't no relax! Join Date: Sep 2005 Casino cash: $2368919	Jets vs. Browns. LOL.... Last night's #NYJvsCLE had 10.3 million viewers in the game's final 6 minutes, and was @nflnetwork's highest-rated and most-watched exclusive TNF game in more than three years. — Gil Brandt (@Gil_Brandt) September 21, 2018 __________________
Posts: 47,455

09-21-2018, 03:12 PM	#455
Strongside Mahomes or GTFO Join Date: Feb 2012 Location: KC Casino cash: $6174282	I really, really think that if these young QBs pan out like we think they might, the ratings are going to jump. The NFL has to be ecstatic. __________________
Posts: 13,192