NFL TV Ratings Down Big

[Crushgroove]

I quit NFL years ago. Don't miss it in the slightest.

What I find funny is that it was the National Anthem thing that broke the camel's back for the NFL fans and not the rooting for a plethora of overpaid womanizers, killers and general debauchees. I guess the line has to be drawn somewhere on Sunday afternoon, huh?

 

[bthaunert]

For me, a lot of it has do with the saturation of games. For years, games were Sundays at 1:00pm and 4:00pm and Monday night at 8:00pm. Now you have Thursday night games, Sunday night games and in the case of the past couple weekends, Sunday morning games along with the Sunday afternoon and Monday night games. At the end of the season, you also get a couple Saturday games. It makes a huge difference, imo, from having 3 specific times a week that people would carve out to watch games to having 5 times every week, plus the possibility of another 1 depending on games in other countries and Saturday games. Much easier to watch 9 hours of NFL football instead of 15 - 18 hours.

 

[laxcat#5]

I only watch my home team (Washington Redskins) and all the playoff games. I feel like the league has gotten really stale and soulless, and the star players either have no charisma or they try way to hard to be entertaining like that annoying WR for the Giants. Another thing I've noticed is that if you attend the games, the fans are predominantly people who have no college degree. That could be another reason for the decline as this group of Americans haven't gotten the same wage increases over the past 6 years that the college educated have.

 

[JDHoss]

Those reasons dont explain ratings going down that quick in one year. People have been doing all of that over the last several years.

Didn't day it explains it all, but my guess is that more and more people are doing this every year. Cable costs have gotten completely out of hand, and several of my friends and coworkers that have seen our setup have cut the cord and only pay for internet now.

 

[sefus12]

There's a giant elephant in the room that people tend to ignore (especially the MSM) when talking about this very subject. No matter what side of the argument you are on, the National Anthem protests are hurting the NFL.

http://boston.cbslocal.com/2016/10/27/nfl-ratings-national-anthem-protests-poll/

 

[SituationBlue]

- I can only speak to my tastes, but Sunday has never registered as gameday to me. I'm just going to passively watch the games because I'm worn out from Saturday and I have work Monday morning.

- I don't live in a city where there is an NFL team. I loosely follow Cincinnati sports, but on the whole I'm not a diehard.

- Week to week, the games don't matter. Talk about a suspense killer. Want to make a college football comparison? If Kentucky doesn't win Saturday they might miss a bowl game once again. Urban and the Buckeye lose to Penn State last week, now they're
on the outside looking in for the playoffs. It's just more fun to see the season unfold this way.

- 16 regular season games plus playoffs? I won't feel bad missing a week.

- The weather has been exceptional this fall. I'm going out to get some fresh air.

- NFL Live, NFL Insiders, NFL Matchup, NFL Primetime, Sunday NFL Countdown, Monday Night Countdown, Thursday Night Countdown, The OT, Fantasy Football Now, NFL RedZone, NFL Today, Football Night in America, Fox NFL Sunday, Inside the NFL - One more NFL show and I think they'll have this thing figured out.

 

[sluggercatfan]

NFL is really going to have to start looking into a running clock like Soccer, as well as cutting all the unnecessary stoppage of play.

One huge reason Soccer is becoming so popular is that it fits the millennial schedule and entertainment pallet. It's over in 90 minutes and it is continuous activity with out a lot of stoppage for ref discussions, replay, changing play calls, switching formations, etc.

Same for the meteoric rise of UFC. Continuous activity/movement, and a match doesn't take very long, some are over real quick.

Younger generations don't want to sit around for 4 hours nor do they really want to plan an entire day or weekend around a singular event.

Get this...I put a post on this topic on here about soccer becoming the top sport in America in ten years because of this reason and the the demographics are going to change in America especially after this next electionary and I was called a racist.

 

[JBHolmesfan]

Ratings are down almost 12% overall from last year, prime time is plummeting--Thursday night 18%, Sunday night 19% Monday Night 24%

That's what they get for continuing to put the Texans on primetime. I think they've had 3 primetime games so far. After this week Chicago is going to have played 4 primetime games. What were they thinking?

 

[truebluewildcat_rivals34254]

There's a giant elephant in the room that people tend to ignore (especially the MSM) when talking about this very subject. No matter what side of the argument you are on, the National Anthem protests are hurting the NFL.

http://boston.cbslocal.com/2016/10/27/nfl-ratings-national-anthem-protests-poll/

Fortunately for the NFL they have been able bury that matter and not have to deal with it head on due to the unprecedented craziness of the election which has affected ratings as well.

When confronted with ratings they can point to a handful of other things before they have to address that. Soccer gaining in popularity, baseball seeing a slight uptick thanks to Cubs, millennial consumption habits and aversion to male aggression/uncensored/sport/locker room culture, moms against the dangers of the game (concussions), etc...

It may not be the main reason, but it is part of the puzzle and it is a continuation in the politicization of sports, which is the bigger overarching issue. Not that politics and sports haven't crossed paths before. We all know that athletes have taken up causes good or bad. However, there has never been a time when it seemed like there is some sort of effort to start combining the sports and politics.

It isn't the act of kneeing, it is the coverage and all the opinions in the sports media that come with it. It's the fact that people who want to see some sports talk/highlights and escape all the nonsense on CNBC, CNN, Fox, etc now are getting similar attitudes and talking points on ESPN as well as other sports driven outlets.

People could have eventually moved on from the singular act of kneeing, and even accepted that more athletes would start to do it. What folks have not gotten over is the media wearing us out with it, they won't let us get over it.

In fairness to Colin, this trend of politics and all the mess that comes with it has been slowly creeping into sports and sports media for some time. I think the NFL threatening Arizona because of their law was an even bigger deal than Colin taking a knee, that was really kind of a sign of where things are going.

Going to be interesting to see how things go in the NBA. They moved the all star game out of NC so it's very clear that they are now moving towards being socially active. We will see if that has any kind of affect. Luckily they have some basketball lines that can sustain them. Durant and Warriors, Lebron at his peak, Dwayne Wade/Chicago, Rose/Nicks, post Kobe Lakers, KAT and T-wolves.

 

[TopCatCal]

Characters like Colin Kaepernick that makes millions of $ a year. Yet go around with a giant chip on their shoulder doesn't help TV ratings either. Wouldn't surprise me if this jerk joined ISIS someday.

 

[Tskware]

With Kentucky I know we don't have a shot at beating teams like UT/UL/UF/A@M and the list goes on. Now while my pro team the 49ers are awful this year I FEEL THEY HAVE A SHOT AT WINNING ANY GAME, why? because in the NFL you never know and every team has a shot at even beating the best team on a Sunday.

Games are close and I can't miss a second of it.

I think this is the most legitimate criticism of college football, it is damn near impossible for the have nots to ever build up and beat the elite programs, which have been elite for decades. UK has not beaten Florida in 30 years . . . so how can you get really pumped up for another beat down in Gainesville?? Indiana has not beaten Michigan in Ann Arbor since 1967 . . . so if I were an IU fan, how excited could you be for a road trip to see another beat down in the Big House? What chance does Vanderbilt, Northwestern or Wake Forest realistically have of competing for the conference championship in their leagues? Yes, I know lightning strikes every 50 years or so, but lets get real, they are playing for a minor league bowl game, at best, annually, and that is the best they will ever do.

 

[Mr Schwump]

Quit the NFL long, long ago. When they went to fake grass and domes I hauled. Much preferred the days when the game was played in the mud, the blood and the beer.

 

[Tskware]

This!! If it wasn't for the DVR; fast forward through commercials and half time, I wouldn't watch any sports other than UK football and basketball. It makes it so much more fun. Just record the game; start about an hour late; fast forward through the commercials; then catch up to live near the end of the game so you don't get those "how could we blow this game" texts that reveal who won; and so forth. You should try it.

LOL, I do this all the time!! In fact, intend to play a round in the AM, then start watching UK v. Missouri around 2 or so, or over half way through the live game. And you have to put your cell phone away. I will also watch tonight's WS game early in the AM or at least the last few innings

 

[NCukcat62]

Truth is the NFL is borderline really boring. The reasons for the ratings going down has all been covered pretty much. Protests, on tv too much, over exposure, talent level is down, too many games, primadonas, too much passing. One thing to mention is injuries. I look every single week and a player or 2 is getting hurt on each team. Like wth???? Do these players take care of themselves?

 

[BluffaloSlim]

IMO it's a perfect storm of many factors

-presidential race
-oversaturation
-kneeling to the Anthem lost some casual viewers
-the CBA caused product quality to decrease
-College game is increasingly different (bad coaches, fewer good players redshirt) leads to younger rookies with poor coaching .. average age of NFL players are down. It's the first time in NFL history there isn't a starting OLineman over 37 years old.
-Lack of Star power
-cord cutters.. these aren't accounted for in the ratings. (Chrome cast, Sunday ticket can be streamed, bars, red zone)

With all of that said. The first set of NFL games (Sunday morning/afternoon) are down 2-3%, which isn't near as much as the primetume games. This means avid fans are still watching. The primetime games are the Major issue, viewership is down around 15% for the games that derive the most income for the league.

 

[Cawood86_rivals]

Teams in college can't play defense and they have a lack of stars to keep up with outside the 4 names you hear each year. Lots of blow outs, here's the case with my college and pro team.

With Kentucky I know we don't have a shot at beating teams like UT/UL/UF/A@M and the list goes on. Now while my pro team the 49ers are awful this year I FEEL THEY HAVE A SHOT AT WINNING ANY GAME, why? because in the NFL you never know and every team has a shot at even beating the best team on a Sunday.

Games are close and I can't miss a second of it.

You mean like the game last night that was "close". Please. Just as many blowouts in the NFL.
How may Super Bowls have been blowouts. Supposed to be the 2 best teams, and usually it's a blowout. Just a couple of years ago the Seahawks destroyed the Broncos and Peyton Manning. game was never a game. Some have been good games, some have been epic blowouts.

 

[Randy Bob]

I do not watch because of the overpaid jocks not standing for our national anthem..

 

[BlueBallz_rivals30790]

Once politics really crept into my happy place of Sunday football, I really tuned it out. It wasn't just the one part of kneeling for the anthem, it was also wanting to listen to sports radio, reading about it on sports news, etc. It turned from talking about on the field games to a political forum and they are STILL talking about it. Fortunately, I haven't seen so much in the college game.

Aside from the politics in sports, I'm pretty busy with my kids sports and my own activities. Watching a bunch of overpaid, self centered, prima donnas isn't high on my priority list anymore.

By the way, how on earth does a presidential election effect games on Sunday?

 

[Gary4UK]

i lost interest a couple of years ago, got burnt out playing fantasy football. Games too long, too many commercials, too many flags, average QBs, RB carousels, players acting like idiots on and off field, screaming and hot dogging after every play, 6 hour long pregame shows, vomit inducing amount of coverage from ESPN, crappy prime time match ups, boring divisional play--I don't need to see the Patriots beat the crap out of the Jets/Dolphins/Bills 6 times a year, Bungles Browns twice a year etc etc. Really it's gotten to be the same games over and over just playing in different colored uniforms.

I think people are tired of seeing Squillers get preferred treatment by the refs and media.... People are tired of seeing the same teams going to the Super Bowl year in and out... The market is what the NFL is about and it's sad to say the money is the reason...

People are also tired of these millionaires crying around and putting our flag down... Just think about all the people that died fighting under that flag... I'm sick of this politically correct system....

The NBA will soon be next...

I remember when baseball made a fatal mistake of striking every little bit, and them making millions a year for playing... Base ball hasn't been the same... These players are going to turn all the fan base off and then where will they get their big money....?

 

[ashleys handfull]

Quit the NFL long, long ago. When they went to fake grass and domes I hauled. Much preferred the days when the game was played in the mud, the blood and the beer.

They absolutely ruin Thanksgiving Day football for me having the same crap games at indoor and usually crappy Detroit and Dallas...what a bunch of fakea$$ bs, the games might as well be played in China because that's where almost every component of them come from on what's supposed to be a great American Tradition

 

[Deeeefense]

My biggest issue with the League is, the keep coming up with new rules but never do away with any old rules that are no longer needed. I love the replay system but why does it often take 5 minutes or more to confirm or overturn an obvious call like a TD or a TO? And now they are talking about making pass interference a reviewable call. Can you image the time and the arguing that will take place over something as subjective as pass interference? Honestly do any two officials call it the same way?

 

[UK till Death]

It's obviously all the BLM garbage...

Vast majority of Americans DO NOT agree with the crap agenda that Soros-funded hate group is pushing and do not want to give one iota of support to a company that tolerates such disrespect for the country, the flag, and our police.

Numerous polls of NFL fans have shown this to be true, despite the protests of the NFL that it's unrelated.

I genuinely wonder, will the NFL at some point change course or will they continue to lose millions of dollars and thousands of former fans to support this radical left wing agenda/hate group?

 

[51stFan]

NFL games are not nearly as slow as college games. NFL games typically stay under 4 hours consistently, and sometimes only last 3 hours. College games, OTOH, we have seen go as long as 5 hours this year. 4 hours plus for network games is the norm. At least the NFL doesn't stop the clock on every first down. Plus, I have never seen near the amount of commercials for an NFL game as I have on CBS for the SEC game of the week.

You are absolutely correct. CFB is the one that needs to speed up play. There was like nine minutes left in the TV game before the UK /State game last week at the scheduled start time for the UK game. At least most of the NFL games are over before the next scheduled start times. CFB needs to shorter halftime and anything else it can do to get these games finished in at least 2.5 hours.

 

[rmattox]

Turn the nfl on Sunday afternoons. I'd rather nap through a football game than one of the "Bravo" shows my wife would choose to watch. Generally lost interest in the nfl until introduced to fantasy football by my sons. FF gives me reason to watch. As for those that cite competitive equity and balance as a reason the nfl is better than college, that's only a facade. As a central Kentuckian, I'd be more than happy to be a fan of the bung-holes if I knew there was a chance of their winning a championship....but we all know they have topped out as a franchise. A run of play-off births with nothing more than a participation trophy. They have no intent of winning a championship...just being competitive.
I'm also turned off when those people making social statements and trying to mold society are unqualified to do so. The media being the primary culprit in this country...but to see athletes and sports leagues trying to manipulate cities, businesses, etc....that's it for me. The nba is the absolute worst sport in the world. IMO, The nfl is striving to become more like the nba.

 

[anon_q409idbs5m40a]

Too many mediocre teams in the NFL. They've managed to achieve parity, however, it's gone too far. I'm not interested in seeing teams like the Titans and Jaguars battling it out. If not that, for a while it seemed as if the Jets and Bills were on every week. Just not interested.

 

[Mr Schwump]

They absolutely ruin Thanksgiving Day football for me having the same crap games at indoor and usually crappy Detroit and Dallas...what a bunch of fakea$$ bs, the games might as well be played in China because that's where almost every component of them come from on what's supposed to be a great American Tradition

Remember years a Thanksgiving game between Detroit and Chicago played in heavy snow in Detroit. They'd probably cancel today.

 

[Mr Schwump]

It's obviously all the BLM garbage...

Vast majority of Americans DO NOT agree with the crap agenda that Soros-funded hate group is pushing and do not want to give one iota of support to a company that tolerates such disrespect for the country, the flag, and our police.

Numerous polls of NFL fans have shown this to be true, despite the protests of the NFL that it's unrelated.

I genuinely wonder, will the NFL at some point change course or will they continue to lose millions of dollars and thousands of former fans to support this radical left wing agenda/hate group?

Glad to get that off your chest?

 

[anon_q409idbs5m40a]

Glad to get that off your chest?

He's right.

 

[anon_q409idbs5m40a]

Remember years a Thanksgiving game between Detroit and Chicago played in heavy snow in Detroit. They'd probably cancel today.

I remember watching a titanic struggle circa 1968 on Thanksgiving day between the Lions and Eagles. The Lions were still playing outdoors and they'd had a constant week of rain in the Detroit area. The field was a quagmire and the score ended up 12-0, courtesy of 4 field goals. Couldn't get any more boring than that.