NFL Draft NFL Excuses Run Out After Ratings Declines Continue - Page 5

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.”

**DaneMcCloud** · 11-03-2017, 10:35 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JakeF

Cord cutters don't show up in the ratings system

False.

Local OTA viewership is part of the Nielsen ratings system.

Streaming is not.

**Nzoner** · 11-03-2017, 10:36 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DaneMcCloud

I’ve been saying this for months.

Regardless of whether or not the ratings are down (streaming isn’t included in the Nielsen ratings), there is no other program that can consistently garner 20 million+ viewers per episode like NFL games.

I just started the Nielsen diary yesterday for the next week.Sunday's logging should be interesting with 5-6 guys in the gameroom and football on 7 tv's for the whole day.

Seriously though if it weren't for fantasy football and the excitement of gambling my viewership would be way down.

3rd&Long · 11-03-2017, 10:44 AM

Media advertising is forever in a state of flux. Just as the internet is choking out newspapers, yellow pages and direct mail, streaming platforms are taking a bite out of terrestrial and satellite TV viewership. It's getting tougher to reach a precise demo target due to all the fragmentation. The market will correct itself for a time until the next revolutionary choice is introduced that might super serve a key demographic group.

This is the normal evolution of the industry and what it means is that the over the air and network operators and going to have to readjust their income projections downward which will trickle down to the NFL franchises until new ways are created to bilk the public.

bigjosh · 11-03-2017, 10:49 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DaneMcCloud

False.

Local OTA viewership is part of the Nielsen ratings system.

Streaming is not.

Yep, Antenna is recorded.

Even streaming is recorded now dane. they hook up fire tv, roku, and other media streaming devices to their setup. I am not sure how the data is used, or if it is included in the overall ratings though.

**TinyEvel** · 11-03-2017, 10:54 AM

Do you know anyone, ANYONE, who has said “I’m not going to watch NFL games any more because of the player protests.”
It’s purely due to viewing habits/online.

bigjosh · 11-03-2017, 11:10 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TinyEvel

Do you know anyone, ANYONE, who has said “I’m not going to watch NFL games any more because of the player protests.”
It’s purely due to viewing habits/online.

I do know a few people who have said that. They are not really fans of football though, and more likely just watch some of the patriots primetime games/playoff games because that is what a typical patriots "fan" does.

ChiefsCountry · 11-03-2017, 11:13 AM

Not a popular opinion on this board but Chiefs being on so many national tv games aren't good for ratings either. Small tv market hurts even when the local market ratings are good.

**Bowser** · 11-03-2017, 11:14 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TinyEvel

Do you know anyone, ANYONE, who has said “I’m not going to watch NFL games any more because of the player protests.”
It’s purely due to viewing habits/online.

Oh I've heard guys say it, but every Sunday - there they are, glued to the TV.

O.city · 11-03-2017, 11:16 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ChiefsCountry

Not a popular opinion on this board but Chiefs being on so many national tv games aren't good for ratings either. Small tv market hurts even when the local market ratings are good.

Maybe

But they have played bigger name draws in the prime time games.

Simply Red · 11-03-2017, 11:18 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sweet Daddy Hate

Welp, at least Papa John is screaming butthurt.

Always look for the positives.

It was truly Totino's that has hurt Papa John's.

**ChiefGator** · 11-03-2017, 11:28 AM

Yeah, they are also pulling teams out from cities and moving them now... I'm sure viewership has been greatly reduced by Charger and Ram fans, and certainly some Raider fans.

**DaneMcCloud** · 11-03-2017, 11:48 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TinyEvel

Do you know anyone, ANYONE, who has said “I’m not going to watch NFL games any more because of the player protests.”
It’s purely due to viewing habits/online.

I mentioned a couple of weeks ago that I looked into Spectrum TV because I was so aggravated at the officiating of the Raiders game and that a good friend here in SoCal, that's also a Chiefs fan, made the switch.

He cut off his Direct TV service and switched to Spectrum after the Chiefs loss to Oakland and he was heading into first weekend without the Sunday Ticket in more than 17 years.

Cut it on October 20th. Done. Nada.

Fast forward one week and I receive a text from him that says "Dude, I couldn't take it. Even ONE Sunday without Sunday Ticket was brutal. I called and got for free, along with a bunch of other discounts".

Chiefnj2 · 11-03-2017, 11:57 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ChiefGator

Yeah, they are also pulling teams out from cities and moving them now... I'm sure viewership has been greatly reduced by Charger and Ram fans, and certainly some Raider fans.

3 biggest markets:
1. NY - Giants are abysmal and everyone wrote off the Jets before the season started.
2. SF/Oakland - One horrible team, one team moving.
3. Chicago - poor team.

**notorious** · 11-03-2017, 11:57 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Nzoner

I just started the Nielsen diary yesterday for the next week.Sunday's logging should be interesting with 5-6 guys in the gameroom and football on 7 tv's for the whole day.

Seriously though if it weren't for fantasy football and the excitement of gambling my viewership would be way down.

Yes.

The core game itself leaves a lot to be desired. I don't know if it's because I've changed or the game.

Fish · 11-03-2017, 12:06 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TinyEvel

Do you know anyone, ANYONE, who has said “I’m not going to watch NFL games any more because of the player protests.”
It’s purely due to viewing habits/online.

Yeah. More than a few. I've even got a friend on Facebook that was leaving comments anytime someone posted about watching NFL games trying to shame them into not watching. Which went over well...

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

11-03-2017, 10:44 AM	#63
3rd&Long Starter Join Date: Sep 2017 Location: Dahlonega, GA Casino cash: $10000400	Media advertising is forever in a state of flux. Just as the internet is choking out newspapers, yellow pages and direct mail, streaming platforms are taking a bite out of terrestrial and satellite TV viewership. It's getting tougher to reach a precise demo target due to all the fragmentation. The market will correct itself for a time until the next revolutionary choice is introduced that might super serve a key demographic group. This is the normal evolution of the industry and what it means is that the over the air and network operators and going to have to readjust their income projections downward which will trickle down to the NFL franchises until new ways are created to bilk the public.
Posts: 126

11-03-2017, 10:54 AM	#65
TinyEvel Just a li'l Evel Join Date: Sep 2005 Location: Bald. Goatee. Jorts. Casino cash: $5437131	Do you know anyone, ANYONE, who has said “I’m not going to watch NFL games any more because of the player protests.” It’s purely due to viewing habits/online.
Posts: 11,809

11-03-2017, 11:13 AM	#67
ChiefsCountry The Insider Join Date: Jan 2004 Location: Lake of the Ozarks Casino cash: $2348752	Not a popular opinion on this board but Chiefs being on so many national tv games aren't good for ratings either. Small tv market hurts even when the local market ratings are good.
Posts: 49,571

11-03-2017, 11:28 AM	#71
ChiefGator Can these boys not play? Join Date: Apr 2001 Location: Northcentral Florida Casino cash: $7762956	Yeah, they are also pulling teams out from cities and moving them now... I'm sure viewership has been greatly reduced by Charger and Ram fans, and certainly some Raider fans. __________________ - Mark
Posts: 4,597