This may be a way to bail out the NFL, sweetheart media deal.
It’s just Fox understanding math. The fact is ratings are down across the industry. The NBA is the only sport that isn’t suffering a ratings drop, but even their up ratings are tiny compared to the NFL. Fox’s ratings dropped an average of 20%, twice the NFL’s hit. The NFL is still the big shark in the tank, even with fewer viewers that 2 years ago they still have consistently the highest ratings. Plus the contract comes with internet distribution, the future, where most of the ratings are falling to.