Posted on 01/03/2018 7:06:34 AM PST by 11th_VA
Capping a season of record-low Monday Night Football ratings, ESPNs first Christmas NFL game in 11 years was a lump of coal.
Raiders-Eagles scored a 5.9 rating and 11.7 million viewers on ESPNs Monday Night Football Christmas night, down 42% in ratings and 38% in viewership from Week 16 last year (Cowboys-Lions: 10.1, 18.9M). ESPNs Nielsen ratings now include streaming viewership on TV devices; comparisons are to last years TV+streaming numbers.
The Eagles win, which peaked at a 6.7 and 13.4 million from 9:30-10 PM ET, was the lowest rated Week 16 MNF game since Broncos-Chargers on Christmas Eve 2007 (5.1). It was the least-watched since Falcons-Lions in 2012, which aired on a Saturday night to avoid Christmas Eve (9.7M).
Of the 14 Christmas NFL games this century, it ranks tenth in ratings and ninth in viewership. Compared to last years Christmas night game, Broncos-Chiefs on NBC, ratings fell 44% from a 10.6 and viewership 45% from 21.4 million.
On a brighter note, it was ESPNs most-watched Christmas Day program in 23 years since Lions-Dolphins had 16.1 million on the holiday in 1994. That comes with the caveat that ESPN has only aired one other Christmas NFL game, Jets-Dolphins in 2006 (11.1M).
ESPNs telecast had an 8.9 rating in Philadelphia and a mere 3.6 in the Bay Area. Over-the-air simulcasts on ABC affiliates drew a 24.0 on Philadelphias WPVI and a 7.8 on KGO in the Bay Area. New Orleans was the top neutral market with a 12.3.
For the season, Monday Night Football averaged a 6.4 rating and 10.8 million viewers the lowest rated and least-watched season in series history. The previous lows were a 6.8 last year and 11.2 million viewers in 2007.
Monday Night Football ratings and viewership have now declined in four straight seasons. Just four years ago, the package averaged an 8.6 and 13.7 million.
Eight of the final nine MNF games this season hit multi-year lows in ratings and viewership. Five games failed to crack a 6.0 rating, matching the previous nine seasons combined.
Average Monday Night Football Ratings, Viewership
Hope you can wait till 2022 cause that’s when the tv contracts are up,
The NFL’s gravy train rolls on: today it announced nine-year extensions to its broadcast television packages with Fox, NBC and CBS under which the networks are expected to pay roughly 60% more. The new agreements will run through the 2022 season as the current deals expire after the 2013 season.
Each network gets the rights to three Super Bowls and NBC maintains its flexible schedule on Sunday nights during the second half of the season. NBC will also add the Thanksgiving primetime game starting in 2014.
Financial terms have not been released, but the three networks are expected to pay roughly $3 billion a year on average annually compared to the current $1.93 billion they collectively pay. ESPN re-upped its deal with the NFL earlier this year at an annual rate of $1.9 billion. Factor in other media deals with the NFL Network, DirectTV ($1 billion annually), Westwood One radio and others, and NFL teams will divvy up nearly $7 billion in media money starting in 2014. That is more than $200 million per team every year before one ticket, beer or jersey is sold.
Thank you! Like the old saying goes: “If you don’t stand for something, you will fall for anything”.
I take comfort in the fact that I am not alone in this. The FNFL is engineering their own demise and I won’t lift a finger to stop them.
NFL = National Football LeagueNFL = National Felon League
NFL = Not For Long
NFL = No Fans Left
There was already talk of discontinuing Thursday night football.
Monday night football may go away as well, OR the league may consider their own NFL network and do it themselves............
I never said the demise is near, and I am not the one who posted the article. I was merely pointing out what the original posters intent was.
And as far as waiting lists for NFL season tickets, well, its a country of over 300 million people...look at how many actually voted for Hillary, too.
meanwhile cities pony up a billion here a billion there for stadiums for these teams/.
Keep those Super Bowl and NFL playoff ratings handy.
Let’s see what this year’s numbers look like.
I am boycotting all of them and I watched all of them in 2017.
You are the only one who cares if you watch football, you are the only one that is affected by you not watching football. I do not let a few liberals and their bullshit ruin my entertainment. If you don’t like it tough shit.
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