Posted on 12/27/2017 10:55:34 AM PST by Colonel Kangaroo
The decline of NFL viewership has rightfully been one of the biggest sports media stories of the past two years but less has been written about where college football stands in aggregate viewership. College football is a tougher game to analyze for ratings experts given a number of factors including the innate regionalism of the sport, and the massive number of national windows between ESPN’s multiple networks, Fox and FS1, CBS and CBSSN, NBC and NBCSN and others.
One of the best analysts at making sense of sports television and digital ratings is Austin Karp, the assistant managing editor of Sports Business Daily. Last week Karp examined the 2017 regular season viewership for college football and found that CBS, ABC, NBC and ESPN all posted significant declines this season. Fox was the one outlier, with record-high viewership thanks to its new Big Ten deal. Karp said ratings were not available for conference channels like SEC Network, Big Ten Network and Pac-12 Network.
Per Karp, here’s where the networks finished for average viewership for this year’s CFB regular season:
CBS: 4.951 million viewers, down 10% from 5.489 million in 2016.
ABC: 4.203 million, down 18% from 5.097 million.
Fox: 3.625 million, up 23% from 2.951 million.
NBC: 2.742, down 3% from 2.814 million.
ESPN: 2.155 million, down 6% from 2.300 million.
FS1: 819,000, up 4% from 743,000.
Some interesting thoughts from Karp in the piece: CBS's SEC package was the most-viewed individual package for the ninth straight CFB season, but this year’s average was its lowest in well over a decade.
(Excerpt) Read more at si.com ...
I tried to watch all the Navy games. Other than that, my college football enthusiasm is down from last year, too. The interest isn’t there.
But enough about the NBA...
Bowl teams made their records with their star players. Now star players don’t want to play in bowl games because they protect themselves for the draft. I am avoiding watching bowl games where star players sit out.
sound off. even when I fast forward i can read the box on the screen, down and yardage etc. You can re-run with sound when and if you want to.
I tape most games I want to watch and watch them in less than an hour.
Good idea. And sometimes, for games at schools in my state, I can find a radio broadcast to listen to while I watch. Usually, college football radio announcers are far superior to their TV counterparts.
If this report accurately reflects a decline in the popularity of college football, then it probably reinforces what I’ve said about the NFL. While college football may be more exciting than the NFL, it’s still a pretty dull game at it’s core when you consider how little action there is in a three-hour broadcast. And NCAA football has the same problem with U.S. demographic changes as the NFL, too.
It is offensive. No pun intended.
She has a very annoying voice, and seldom has anything worthwhile to contribute.
At this rate the Government will have to come up with something else to keep the Lemmings entertained.
Rollerball?
I agree, just read another article posted on FR that NFL’s loss was college footballs gain.
So true. And partisan as well with little attempt to hide it.
may also find it from streaming or online. Best wishes.
I did that hundreds of time when the dodgers were on TV and scully was on the radio.
At this rate the Government will have to come up with something else to keep the Lemmings entertained.... Gladiators?
There was an announce run the 60s I think Ray or Jim Scott. Did Green Bay and some national NFL games. His typical call. Packers break the huddle. Starr hands off to Hornung right side, 3 years gain. 2nd and 7. That was it. Now three people analyze every 8 years gain a six it broke a world record.
announcer in the 60s
Overpaid rich criminal buffoons?
Considering tuitions and expenses they are already there.
—The article fails to take into account that almost all
—of the conferences offer streaming of their games.
My Wife and I use streaming for college basketball games
Many of the games on cable have near zero interest because they are teams/colleges no one ever heard of.
I watch some of the regional games.
Add to that the nearly 40 bowl games, many having contenders with 6-6 records.
YUP! If I want to watch a game she is announcing, I watch it and mute the sound!
I mute all women football announcers - they have ZERO credibility as regards football, IMHO, and should not be on the field, in the booth, or in the locker rooms!
OTOH, when they are covering women’s sports, and I know that they have “been there, done that,” and have good speaking skills, I’ll gladly listen.
It is not a gender issue for me - it is a knowledge/experience issue.
I like UCLA but I passed on the game because Rosen used a ruse with his doctor so he didn’t have to pay QB for UCLA. But I think KS was 7-5 and UCLA 6-6. How do you lose that many games and get in bowl game. Didn’t ND turrn down a bowl appearance one year because they had 5 losses?
TV=$$$$$
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