Excellent point.
I know some have said that fans will come back.
But, if the NFL loses, say 10% or more of fans permanently, both in terms of ticket sales, and TV ratings, that’s a big financial hit to the teams.
I’ve heard there are “giveback” provisions, if that’s a proper term to use, in the TV contracts and advertising sales rates, such that if the ratings on TV aren’t a certain minimal level, then the sponsors will get refunds, and/or free ad time somewhere else in the networks’ schedules, to make it up.
I’ve heard the gross TV revenue, to the NFL from all networks, is about $7 billion a year. If we say that there’s a 10% decline in viewers, then the NFL could lose roughly $700 million in TV income, as the networks find their ratings decline and ad revenue isn’t what was projected?
Am I missing something? Are the rights fees paid by networks to the NFL a hard amount, a guaranteed amount regardless of ratings? I had heard that the amounts depend on the ratings. Which until now, nobody ever thought we would see big declines in the TV ratings.
Nobody is coming back. The NFL has not one damn thing to do with nationality, they proved it.
Get Bent NFL. Watch as billions fade.
Ratings are already down nearly 20% from 2 years ago. The NFL will still make the same amount through their contract which goes until a few more years from now. The Networks, though, will see earnings fall and several analysts are forecasting just that. The NFL does lose out from lost revenue/ticket sales, though.