Posted on 09/23/2017 3:42:41 PM PDT by doug from upland
The Colin Kaepernick-led player protests may be hurting the NFL broadcast networks where its hurts them the most: in the pocketbook.
With NFL TV ratings plunging by double-digits over the first quarter of the 2016 season, some NFL TV networks are being forced to provide so-called "make-goods" to advertisers, media sources tell Sporting News.
MORE: Worst of the Kaepernick takes
When advertisers and ad agencies buy commercial time on NFL partner TV networks, they're promised certain numbers in terms of ratings and audiences. If the game fails to reach those numbers, the networks have to "make good" for the audience shortfall by providing the equivalent of free commercial time.
The last thing TV networks want to do is give back valuable commercial time, especially when ad rates for a 30-second TV commercials during NFL games cost anywhere from $500,000 to $600,000 for prime time games on Madison Avenue.
But if NFL TV ratings continue to fall, it could cost the league's partner networks — CBS, NBC, Fox, ESPN and NFL Network — millions worth of make-good ads.
NFL game programming is the most expensive programming on TV, with CBS, NBC, Fox and ESPN paying a combined $5 billion per year for the right to air games through 2021.
(Excerpt) Read more at sportingnews.com ...
Yep. Chickens will be coming home to roost soon.
LOL. Yes I’m laughing at the misfortune of others.
While these contracts run through 2021, you can bet that the networks are already sharpening their pencils, and thinking about when the contracts are up for renewal.
These networks are paying big bucks for the right to broadcast the NFL. If audience erosion happens, then it stands to reason, that the networks offers for buying the rights to NFL football will decline too.
Heck, some networks might pull out entirely, not even put bids in, but instead decide to show more programming such as “American Ninja Warriors” or “Dancing With The Stars” type shows instead of the NFL.
Look at the Olympics. Far fewer cities around the world even place bids to host those games anymore. The NFL may find fewer networks willing to bid on NFL football the next time around. It’s possible.
Television viewers tired of being lectured about climate change, white privilege, racism, sexism, homoism, hedonism, capitalism, when all we want is some peace and the old 1 minute commercial breaks instead of the 5 minute commercial breaks they now have.
Lots of ‘could’ and ‘if’ in that article...
The article is a year old. More paybacks to come this year, betcha.
keep it up NFL and pretty soon
NFL will stand for No Fans Left
Hey Roger! Good luck pulling in those multi-million ads for the Super Bowl.
I think your bonus might not be so good this year.
Ignore your customer long enough and he/she will go away.
Then who will buy your product?
Just a few short months and the NFL is history. The thugs have ruined the game in many ways but the anti-American stuff is the final straw.
I doubt they would feel the same about their proposed parity if the owners suggested they take a pay cut to help absorb the losses they are causing.
And are there attendance problems in other cities?
I’ve heard that the 49ers did not sellout their most recent game. And the Rams have played to a half empty LA Coliseum.
And the Chargers can’t even sell out their temporary home in a 27,000 seat soccer stadium.
Somebody said empty seats don’t matter, because the tickets have been sold and the teams/NFL got their money, even if fans are no shows.
But the optics are bad when crowds are sparse.
One thing the left is ... dumb as a rock.. They never connect the consequences of their actions to their actions!
“These networks are paying big bucks for the right to broadcast the NFL. If audience erosion happens, then it stands to reason, that the networks offers for buying the rights to NFL football will decline too.”
It’s funny you mention the networks, because they are in many ways, responsible for the decline themselves. And that goes beyond ESPN because the other networks have “sports divisions” and commentators who are no different that the tribe at ESPN. It would be a wonderful outcome if, for openers, the NFL went under and took the networks with them. When they finally were forced to pay strict attention to their viewership, a lot of the political nonsense would stop by necessity.
I can see them all scurrying around like cats covering $hit, trying to find replacement programming that would render the revenue that they were getting from the NFL. And there would be a possible “health benefit” when all the fat-a$$ed “sports junkies” were forced to do something with their time rather that sitting in front of their “big screens” blowing farts and drinking beer.
Most of the problems that the america-hating nfl seems to be suffering are california based, starting with descending colin krapperdik to all the paltry attendance numbers for the bolts, ninners, and rams. The Raiders are the only california bright spot for the nfl, and they will be doing a #CalExit in a few years.
ANW athletes are as good as NFL players
Wouldn’t it be funny, if the Raiders have better support in their lame duck seasons in Oakland, that the other teams in the state?
The Raiders are still by far the most popular team in LA.
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