Posted on 10/04/2016 10:20:02 AM PDT by 11th_VA
Research conducted on behalf of SportsBusiness Daily has found unprecedented double-digit audience declines for NFL games so far this season.
According to research firm CivicScience, NBC’s Sunday Night Football — the highest rated prime-time program for the last five years — has seen its average audience drop 10 percent so far this year after four games.
Viewership of the NFL’s widely dispersed Thursday night games has dropped 15 percent. And ESPN’s Monday Night Football is down 19 percent.
It’s not fringe science — culling Nielsen data, Sports Media Watch has the NFL’s ratings pretty much down across the board through the first four weeks of the regular season.
It’s hard to elicit panic from media executives just a quarter of the way through the NFL regular season, but the implications could be huge. Popularity of NFL programming has grown quickly as most other shows have seen their audience succumb to new consumption patterns. And the NFL now operates with impunity.
"You never like seeing a competitor getting a part of what you do, but such is the NFL,” CBS Corp. chief executive Moonves recently lamented to investors after the league made CBS share its Thursday night games with NBC and Twitter. “They’re the 800-pound gorilla, and when the NFL says 'jump,' you say, 'yes sir.’"
But the possible ramifications go beyond the NFL.
Not only did NBCU experience double-digit ratings declines for the Rio Olympics, Major League Baseball and NASCAR have all seen significant ratings drops, too. And the NCAA men’s basketball championship game experienced record low viewership.
“All these sports go through cycles,” said Artie Bulgrin, ESPN’s senior VP of global research and analytics, said to SportsBusiness Daily. “It’s impossible to suggest that there’s anything going wrong here, particularly in light of the fact that we are in a really odd year in terms of the protracted presidential race, which has captured the attention of Americans going back a year now. Plus, it’s an Olympic year, which clearly had an impact during the summer.”
For his part, Mike Mulvihill, Fox Sports’ senior vice president of programming and research, says sports ratings have dropped in previous presidential election cycles. Notably, cable news networks are experiencing double-digit ratings increases.
“I would really start with the election — I don’t think you have to look much deeper than that,” Mulvihill said. “Cable news has been up so much all year, going back to the earliest primary debates. So much of a share of attention has gone to the campaign, it seems like it has affected everything else.”
I knew it was skating on thin ice over other issues. Injuries to star players. Suspensions to star players. Blown calls that cost the game. Last: Going for the big hit instead of the tackle. Going for the interception on a long pass on 4th down. Heads are not in the game.
Yeah! The election! That's it! It affected everything, going back to events that were happening even BEFORE the election! Yeah, that's the ticket!
People don't want politics with their sports. Seems that the MSM is rapidly learning this fact.
I was thinking this crap was limited to the NFL, so I limited my football watching to college only, but then heard the announcers praise the Michigan players for protesting during the national anthem and how it was “bigger than the game” and all that crap, so I turned that off too.
I’m boycotting and posted their list of sponsors here the first week this started.
Until it stops I won’t be back.
People also develop other habits. Might never see many of these viewers come back.
I would dare say the main thing keeping NFL ratings afloat is the Fantasy Leagues, people watch just to see how their fantasy players are doing.
Keep it up, NFL. Those boycotting fans may see they can live without football indefinitely.
Exactly. What does this do to TV revenue?
In summary: It’s blacks. Condi can still save it.
Yay Capitalism !
We wouldn’t pay to the NFL Sunday ticket, if not for every year we get it free from Directv.
I really despise watching in October for the NFL pandering to women. Making the players wear bright pink is feminzing men.
I guess if it costs money to the stations they’ll drop NFL broadcasts?
the nba apparently is in on the America bashing as well...looks like our TV watching will be avoiding them as well...
Virtually all the significance of pro football has drained away for me over the past several years. From various acts of thuggery to manifest acts of ignorance and bigotry to lame Super Bowl halftime shows to current displays of political stupidity. And then I think, my God these are adults making millions of dollars for acting like total punks. Yeah I know there are exceptions, but all in all why the hell would I want to waste precious hours watching this nonsense?
It was fun to watch the Ryder Cup last weekend. Overflowing with patriotism.
Its time to go after the sponsors too. Budweiser and USAA need to get the message.
United Soccer League Total Attendance Increases by 33 Percent in 2016
http://90soccer.com/ussoccer/united-soccer-league-total-attendance-increases-by-33-percent-in-2016/
Mr. Mulvihill is a certified idjit!
I still have my USAA - but I should at least give ‘em a call
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