NFL suffers 9.7 percent drop in TV ratings for regular season

[CGI_Ram]

NFL suffers 9.7 percent drop in TV ratings for regular season

https://www.thescore.com/nfl/news/1460688

The NFL experienced a 9.7 percent drop in television ratings during the 2017 regular season, according to Nielsen numbers reported by Darren Rovell of ESPN.

Games averaged 1.6 million fewer viewers than last season.

The NFL's drop in viewership is consistent with other TV programming, as cable subscriptions continue to decline. But the Nielsen data still shows that 20 of the top 30 highest-rated shows in 2017 were NFL games.

NBC's Sunday Night Football and ESPN's Monday Night Football remain the most watched shows every week in all key male demographics. It's the seventh consecutive year that Sunday Night Football finished as the No. 1 primetime show in fall.

As Rovell notes, the dip in ratings has been at least partially attributed to Thursday Night Football and the expansion of the TV product.

The league also dealt with controversial player protests during the national anthem this season and a subsequent spat with President Donald Trump, which turned off some fans.

 

[Angry Ram]

But the Nielsen data still shows that 20 of the top 30 highest-rated shows in 2017 were NFL games.

And there you go. And count the number of people streaming (both legal and not) and the numbers aren't what the shock headlines are making.

NBC's Sunday Night Football and ESPN's Monday Night Football remain the most watched shows every week in all key male demographics. It's the seventh consecutive year that Sunday Night Football finished as the No. 1 primetime show in fall.

Yup. Still highest rated.

The league also dealt with controversial player protests during the national anthem this season and a subsequent spat with President Donald Trump, which turned off some fans.

I find this so funny now. It was made such a huge deal and now nobody talks about it. So pointless.

 

[badnews]

What a load of crap the "boycott the NFL" nonsense was.

What ever happened to not liking somebody's opinion, (be it political, religious, sports, etc.) and then just getting over it and going about your day?

 

[bluecoconuts]

What a load of crap the "boycott the NFL" nonsense was.

What ever happened to not liking somebody's opinion, (be it political, religious, sports, etc.) and then just getting over it and going about your day?

It's the age of the internet. When you can see everyone has an opinion the only way to stand out is to be louder and less rational about it than someone else. Doesn't matter how stupid or wrong someone may be, as long as they're loud about it, they feel validated about it. 0 or 10, there's no in-between anymore.

 

[Karate61]

What about ticket sales? Anyone know if they dropped as well? Maybe people bought tickets and went to the game instead of watching it. I've been streaming most games on my smart tv, such as fox sports go. Do games watched through streaming count towards ratings? Obviously, I'm not well versed with this new age stuff...

 

[bubbaramfan]

I'm sure the crappy officiating had nothing to do with the drop off since they don't mention it, or the repetitive and endless commercials after every play.

Ask the Chargers how their ticket prices and parking fees led to no sell-outs in a 27,000 seat stadium.

The NFL front office and the Players Union better wise up. Mark Cuban told it like it is and the cash cow is standing on thin ice.

 

[Ellard80]

All television is down.. its because of Netflix.. Hulu ect ect.

It's an entire different TV age...

 

[dolphinlover123]

So what you are telling me is that the Rams will win the last NFL superbowl ever?!

But yeah I think probably mostly due to the cord cutting trend + find stream on reddit trend.

 

[bubbaramfan]

When the next TV contract comes up, the networks are going to say "Viewership is down 15%, so we're cutting your contract 15%.

15% less money for owners to pay huge stupid contracts.

Going to be a lot of finger pointing and crying by players and owners.

The cracks are starting to show.

 

[OC--LeftCoast]

Doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out why

It is what it is boys, honestly I’m surprised the ratings drop wasn’t higher

 

[tomas]

The league also dealt with controversial player protests during the national anthem this season and a subsequent spat with President Donald Trump, which turned off some fans

Bingo - Memo to militant (useful idiots)NFL players - #1 Rule-Keep politics out of sports

 

[OldSchool]

What about ticket sales? Anyone know if they dropped as well? Maybe people bought tickets and went to the game instead of watching it. I've been streaming most games on my smart tv, such as fox sports go. Do games watched through streaming count towards ratings? Obviously, I'm not well versed with this new age stuff...

2017 total attendance was 17,253,425 and 2016 it was 17,788,671 a drop of 3% or 535, 246. But lets keep in mind the Chargers stadium difference. They dropped 253,510 just from the stadium change so that's almost half the drop. In the end ticket change wasn't a huge deal. But it's hard to track how many people actually went to games, though the NFL doesn't care about that. Because the NFL about a decade or more ago changed how they track attendance. It used to count butts in seats now they just count tickets sold they don't care if people don't show up.

https://www.pro-football-reference.com/years/2017/attendance.htm

https://www.pro-football-reference.com/years/2016/attendance.htm

 

[OC_Ram]

IDK but disrespecting the flag of the country you reside can’t be a good thing.

 

[shovelpass]

A growing rumor is that Vince McMahon is trying to bring back the XFL. I wonder if his former business partner tried to incite controversy to help his chances.

 

[Merlin]

What a load of crap the "boycott the NFL" nonsense was.

What ever happened to not liking somebody's opinion, (be it political, religious, sports, etc.) and then just getting over it and going about your day?

 

[Angry Ram]

I'm sure the crappy officiating had nothing to do with the drop off since they don't mention it, or the repetitive and endless commercials after every play.

Ask the Chargers how their ticket prices and parking fees led to no sell-outs in a 27,000 seat stadium.

The NFL front office and the Players Union better wise up. Mark Cuban told it like it is and the cash cow is standing on thin ice.

No, it doesn't. Only fans of teams that lose complain about refs (like I did when the Steelers lost to NE, then later told myself I was just salty the Steelers lost).

The commercials aren't any more or less than they were previouis. And ads are everywhere, not just exclusive to NFL. Even facebook vids that are 1 minute long has an ads.

The Chargers???? Bad example. They aren't popular in LA. Period. When the Raiders and Eagles played at Stub Hub it was packed with those fans.

 

[HE WITH HORNS]

Krapperdick is almost single-knee-edly responsible for the ratings drop.

 

[Ram65]

I stream and got to see a few different games every week.. They put games on TV people don't want to watch.

 

[OC_Ram]

Krappadick - that’s hilarious

 

[Corbin]

I stream and got to see a few different games every week.. They put games on TV people don't want to watch.

I stream every week we aren't on national TV. They need to figure out how to give a choice of 2-3 games every given time to watch. It will raise their ratings instead of trying to censor/ force a certain geography to be captured to a certain team.