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.”

[Over Yonder]

Originally Posted by BlackOp

It's the NFL that took a crap on people who are patriotic...not the players.

They were payed millions from the DOD to "invent" pre-game patriotism...the owners dont give a shit about anything except what they can profit from. The military saw this as a recruiting opportunity and paid for it..nothing more, nothing less.

People need to quit pretending the NFL is patriotic...it's not unless they are being paid for it. I guess the average Joe really doesn't understand how propaganda works...

For sure, we all know it's just a "show". I'm just saying I don't like the current version of that show. And I'm not spending money on something I don't like.

To each their own

[BlackOp]

Originally Posted by DaneMcCloud

What? Why were games in the 80’s and 90’s “special”?

Because it was cheap entertainment?

No...it was a time with things were more simple. People weren't bombarded everyday about it...it was a week-end event.

Scarcity is an important psychology in getting people to overpay for something. Are diamonds really something important...or is the fact that not everyone can afford them? If they were a nickel...shallow people would quit wearing them.

NFL isnt a special event anymore...it's over-saturated and grossly over-priced.

[chiefzilla1501]

Originally Posted by Bearcat

I'd think cheap would be a big part of it.... when it's $100+ just to get in, that college atmosphere is going to be replaced with a lot of people who have been there/done that and aren't quite as rowdy. And empty seats don't help, of course.

A big part is upbringing. If a kid goes to 1 game a year or none vs. in the past when they used to go to a few, that makes a huge difference. If you live in an outside market, many families don't want to go through the hassle of buying a dish to watch games. If a kid wants to buy a jersey, for years you had to pay a gajillion dollars because of exclusive licensing deals. These things add up. The more a kid is exposed to their favorite players and teams the better. But the NFL in most cases wants you to pay more to use the NFL less.

[DaneMcCloud]

Originally Posted by BlackOp

NFL isnt a special event anymore...it's over-saturated and grossly over-priced.

Then please explain why a Thursday Night NFL game was in the Top 10 of all broadcasts this past Fall if the NFL is "over-saturated".

[Bearcat]

Originally Posted by DaneMcCloud

In the past year, I’ve been to Rams, Dodgers and Clippers games.

The game day experience was exactly as it had always been.

I totally get that people might not want to drop $150-$300+ dollars to hit a single game but that’s just the cost of entertainment these days.

If people truly stop attending NFL games in droves, the market will adjust and teams will lower their parking, concession and ticket prices.

But I don’t understand why that would make the actual game itself “special”.

Well, LA isn't exactly known for crazy college-type atmospheres, but I'm sure Arrowhead wouldn't be considered boring these days, either.

Yeah, the freakin' Arizona Coyotes, who started 0-11, charge $120 for lower level seats and $170 for "premiere" games... and they have 41 home games. It's nuts. And on any given night, one or both teams might not show up.

I had college hockey season tickets for several years in Omaha... Friday/Saturday night games, 10 weekends/season, $20/game (I think they're $25 now). Can't beat that. Now I go on hikes on the weekends and it's $3 at most.

[GloryDayz]

Originally Posted by DaneMcCloud

Sure, that's why millions of people all over the country pay those prices. And by "deserves", are you talking about the $2.5 billion dollar Verizon deal that was recently signed?

Meh, had the seats I got for the last two home games not been ~$30 each (the same price I pay to watch ECHL hockey games), I probably wouldn't have done it. The parking is ridiculous because it's pure greed, and the fact that we're talking about it means it's a bigger deal than you're making it. But hey, I got my parking passes for cheap too. The good news is we tailgate pretty well with friends from work so we don't have to buy anything once inside.

But that's just my opinion..

[BlackOp]

Originally Posted by DaneMcCloud

Then please explain why a Thursday Night NFL game was in the Top 10 of all broadcasts this past Fall if the NFL is "over-saturated".

Are we talking about empty seats...or people watching for free at home?

[GloryDayz]

Originally Posted by rabblerouser

Quit rigging the games via the refs would be a great start towards me caring again.

And get rid of Thursday Nights. It's OK for the season opener, and that's it.

Agree..

[DaneMcCloud]

Originally Posted by BlackOp

Are we talking about empty seats...or people watching for free at home?

Empty seats can be caused by a number of reasons, not limited to weather, opposing team, etc.

I'm unable to watch the NFL games of my choosing for "free", which is why I've had Direct TV and the NFL Sunday Ticket since 2003.

Viewership isn't down. Ratings are skewed by mobile devices and streaming.

This thread is about ratings, not empty seats at stadiums.

[GloryDayz]

Originally Posted by Rain Man

It'll be interesting to see the playoff attendance. Wasn't it just last season where several playoff games didn't sell out because the pricing was stupid high?

As you can tell from the attached pic, getting into the Chiefs playoff game isn't going to break the bank if you really want to experience NFL playoff football.

[DaneMcCloud]

Originally Posted by GloryDayz

Meh, had the seats I got for the last two home games not been ~$30 each (the same price I pay to watch ECHL hockey games), I probably wouldn't have done it. The parking is ridiculous because it's pure greed, and the fact that we're talking about it means it's a bigger deal than you're making it. But hey, I got my parking passes for cheap too. The good news is we tailgate pretty well with friends from work so we don't have to buy anything once inside.

But that's just my opinion..

So what a minute: You had access to cheap seats and cheap parking and didn't have the need to purchase any concessions.

What's the issue again?

[BlackOp]

Originally Posted by DaneMcCloud

Empty seats can be caused by a number of reasons, not limited to weather, opposing team, etc.

I'm unable to watch the NFL games of my choosing for "free", which is why I've had Direct TV and the NFL Sunday Ticket since 2003.

Viewership isn't down. Ratings are skewed by mobile devices and streaming.

This thread is about ratings, not empty seats at stadiums.

I can tell you this...I used to watch all three games on Sunday. Now, it's boring...I'm assuming that I'm not alone.

Times change...NFL isnt very entertaining anymore.

I honestly just tune in, now and then, to see how terrible/overt the calls are....analyze how they dictate the flow of momentum/which teams are given favoritism. It's amazing what they think they can get away with...and people wont notice.

I break down match-ups/outcomes based on what will make the NFL the most advertising profit...that's a Goodell invention.

Who does the NFL want in the play-offs...LA or Nashville? Titans are going to take a dive type of shit...

[DaneMcCloud]

Originally Posted by BlackOp

I can tell you this...I used to watch all three games on Sunday. Now, it's boring...I'm assuming that I'm not alone.

Considering that MNF is up 5% this year over 2016 and that many of the featured games put up enormous ratings, I'd say you're definitely in the tiny minority.

Look, people used to bitch constantly back in the 80's, 90's and early 2000's about how the Giants, Eagles, Redskins, Cowboys and 49ers were always on Monday Night Football or had the Sunday afternoon feature game.

The schedule now is more "balanced", which is why the NFL schedules shit games on Thursday, Sunday and Monday night, which of course leads to a decline in ratings. Most people aren't interested in the Titans vs. Jaguars or Buccaneers vs. Panthers. Those are small media markets that just don't put up high numbers. Maybe the NFL will go back to that model, where only the large market teams (and Green Bay) play in Prime Time.

I'm pretty certain that it wouldn't go over well in small markets like Kansas City.

Originally Posted by BlackOp

Times change...NFL isnt very entertaining anymore.

That's an opinion and clearly not a fact.

[GloryDayz]

Originally Posted by DaneMcCloud

So what a minute: You had access to cheap seats and cheap parking and didn't have the need to purchase any concessions.

What's the issue again?

Aren't you trying to say that the game is fine and attendance is as healthy as it ever was? If that's the case why is it so east to get tickets at half the face value for games that matter (the Charger game two weeks ago)? Clearly it's not the hot commodity it once was or I wouldn't be able to buy $55 tickets to get into a playoff game.

I'll give last week a pass because it was Christmas Eve, but the Charger game the week before had attendance issue. The weather was perfect, everything was perfect, the game mattered, and there were far too many empty seats.

[ChiefsCountry]

Originally Posted by DaneMcCloud

Considering that MNF is up 5% this year over 2016 and that many of the featured games put up enormous ratings, I'd say you're definitely in the tiny minority.

Look, people used to bitch constantly back in the 80's, 90's and early 2000's about how the Giants, Eagles, Redskins, Cowboys and 49ers were always on Monday Night Football or had the Sunday afternoon feature game.

The schedule now is more "balanced", which is why the NFL schedules shit games on Thursday, Sunday and Monday night, which of course leads to a decline in ratings. Most people aren't interested in the Titans vs. Jaguars or Buccaneers vs. Panthers. Those are small media markets that just don't put up high numbers. Maybe the NFL will go back to that model, where only the large market teams (and Green Bay) play in Prime Time.

I'm pretty certain that it wouldn't go over well in small markets like Kansas City.



That's an opinion and clearly not a fact.

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