News: Sunday Night Football takes big hit in ratings

[robertfchew]

This isn't just the NFL; we'd like to think this is a result of an inferior product, but this is a result of the NFL wagon being hitched to a dying horse. The NFL can't even build out their own way to distribute their content because they aren't allowed to compete with the services that they've licensed their products to. Being down 9% on the year is because less people have a way to watch. Pittsburgh and Baltimore down 35%, two working class cities, people don't have the money for cable and Internet. Internet is a much better value and the NFL isn't enough to keep cable around. If the NFL offered a monthly plan like fight pass, I'd gladly pay for it but I want essentially want Sunday ticket, redzone, NFL network, and all-22 film rolled up in one, easy to use app and website.

Even with my waning interest this year I would pay for this cause I don't think I'm fully quitting the nfl or anything. The app would have to be flawless though any disruptions in service and I get an automatic refund.

 

[robertfchew]

This^^^^

two of the best teams in the nfl couldn't sell out the rose bowl, don't act like everything is fine and dandy. Aikman and buck spent 5 min spewing about how amazing philly fans are and how well they traveled,

 

[Tass]

i disagree. i like physical play, but i don’t want to watch guys being concussed or having their knees blown out.

compare: mma has taken off *after*they went from “anything goes” to having weight classes and eliminating certain strikes.

good, tough, skilled competition is exciting. not maiming.

It took off because things take a while to catch on.

I bet if the UFC put on an anything-goes PPV in 2018 it would break records for buys.

 

[DandyDon1722]

I know at least 2 dozen people who watch less (or quit altogether) due the anthem protests alone.
I also know some that it had no impact on.

It's at least part of the equation though

Many other factors too

Funny - I don't know one. I'm absolutely serious. I do not one single person who isn't watching because of that.

Totul_Makto hit it right on the nose.

Ratings for all of television are down across the board. Nielson just does not account for non-televised viewing while viewing is up all across other platforms. I'll tell you what else, I went to a large sports bar in a tourist section of Orlando last week where people from all over the country were and I could not find a seat and none of those people are being accounted for by ratings either.

I'm not saying the league doesn't have serious problems and I'm not saying some fans have been turned off, but it still dominates the sports landscape in the U.S. and there simply isn't a close second.

I don't know what the future holds.

 

[FuzzyLumpkins]

And yet the salary cap projection is showing over a 6% increase.

 

[Sarge]

This is a big part of it. Everything Goodell has touched has turned to rust. Nearly every single move he has made has been the wrong one and it's all coming to roost.

Rust?

 

[AmericanCowboy]

I can’t remember the last game I have watched that wasnt Cowboys this year.

And I play in fantasy football

This is me. Week 1, I watch all the games. Weeks 2 and 3 I’ll watch like 50 percent of the games.

By week 4 it’s oretty much just the cowboy games I’ll watch.

 

[DogFace]

The NFL will be fine despite Goodell’s incompetent leadership and extremely inconsistent officiating.

 

[Bullflop]

Anytime the TV ratings begin to suffer, the NFL can always count upon the Cowboys to boost the TV numbers count substantially. Sunday night should prove no exception. That's something special that Commissioner Goodell and the NFL's owners can put in their back pocket. Their well being is tied to us beyond a doubt. Hopefully, they'll take notice and just remember that in the days, weeks, months and years to come.

 

[risco]

I can’t remember the last game I have watched that wasnt Cowboys this year.

And I play in fantasy football

Damn!

 

[Longboysfan]

Here's an idea......just schedule ALL Cowboys games primetime LOL

http://money.cnn.com/2017/12/14/media/nfl-ratings-sunday-night-football/index.html

The NFL's premier game of the week took a big hit in TV ratings on Sunday night, despite it being a close game.
NBC's "Sunday Night Football" matchup between the Baltimore Ravens and the Pittsburgh Steelers brought in 17.2 million viewers on Sunday night. That number was down 35% from last year's Dallas Cowboys and New York Giants game, which was the most-watched prime time regular season since Thanksgiving 2015.


The drop for the NBC broadcast is troubling for a league that has been plagued by down ratings nearly all season. It's even more surprising since the Ravens and the Steelers are bitter rivals and the game ended with the Steelers beating the Ravens 39 to 38.

NBC wasn't the only one to see its NFL ratings take a dip. CBS' slate of games over the weekend were down 27% from last year, while ESPN was down 9%. Fox was the only network to see its ratings go up from last year with its numbers up 6%.

Overall, the ratings for the NFL's season are down 9% from last year.

Good thing Rogers contract is tied to NFL earnings.

Interesting thing . Roger is not or does not know how to sell the NFL like Jerry.
Roger got on board the NFL while Jerry pumped up it's popularity.
Roger is the main reason for fans protesting.
Lots of bad judgement calls on the league's part.

So Roger may jump ship if the coin is not there in a few years.

 

[NoLuv4Jerry]

This is so much bigger than the national anthem "issue". My waning interest is based on how Jerry has treated this organization. And more importantly, how the NFL has treated this organization. The Dez catch no catch in Green Bay was a gut punch and still is. The Terrance Williams joining the huddle/leaving the huddle against Green Bay was another. The leagues own investigators looking into the Zeke incident and making a recommendation not to pursue suspension is another. You see....I get that with Dallas there is no middle ground. There are Cowboys fans....and then there is everyone else. No NFL fan is indifferent towards the Cowboys. So I know the NFL understands how Anybody But the Cowboys fans relish our demise. But here is what has happened in the process...the constant screwing us over leaves Cowboys fans feeling as if we have no chance of ever returning to glory. And Cowboys fans make up a LARGE portion of NFL fans. So when you combine an owner/GM who is challenged to field a winner....with a league office that puts as many roadblocks to success in our way....I feel hopeless at times. I don't want the league to GIVE us anything...but whenever something good happens...and the first thing I am looking for is a flag or some obscure ruling....that has led to my waning interest and disdain. There is not a person that has watched or played football there whole life...that can tell you with a straight face that Dez did not catch the ball....I don't care about their stupid rule book!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[Longboysfan]

I think the NFL is hiding the really dirty little secret and that's the number of empty seats in stadiums.

I think it's a huge number.

For tonights game in Oakland.
If they show a stadium shot.
Look in the upper deck.
The Raiders do not even open that area for ticket sales.

If there are fans there it's because Cowboy fans created a ticket demand.

 

[Typhus]

wouldn't it be great if they just designated Sunday Night Football as the Dallas Cowboys game. GIve up Thanksgiving for it. Play every Sunday night the whole season.

Never would/could

Do you know how many NFL season ticket payers/ Cowboys fans that would bail from DTV.. I know I would.

 

[JackOfNoTrades]

For tonights game in Oakland.
If they show a stadium shot.
Look in the upper deck.
The Raiders do not even open that area for ticket sales.

If there are fans there it's because Cowboy fans created a ticket demand.

I've come to realize that ratings numbers, although could indicate trends, are terribly flawed and do not represent actual viewership. To your point, ticket sales may give a better indication of fan interest but I don't believe teams clearly publish that info. I would even venture to say ticket secondary market values could give a better indication of fan interest.

But until the NFL and media are able to accurately calculate streaming numbers, publishing viewership statistics is pretty much as useless as political polling. It's a headscratcher that in this day and age, streaming numbers are not in the equation.

 

[Ring6]

age 10 to 25 is a powerful sector and will eventually drive the economics of sports entertainment. Cognitive, Cloud9, Epsilon, Envy, Luminosity, Fnatic. If you recognize these, you know what I'm saying.

 

[Section446]

Going to be low again this week.

 

[Hawkeye0202]

To me, it's real simple.......until the networks offer the NFL LESS TV contract money, all the talk of league decline it just that, talk. Look what Verizon just paid
http://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/...agree-new-5-year-deal-worth-nearly-25-billion

From my understand the league has several similar interested parties on the sideline ( Apple, Comcast, HBO etc ).

 

[JoeKing]

Thank God the owners kept Goodell around. He'll save the NFL.....

Sarcasm?

 

[JoeKing]

IMO, it's mostly about who's playing. Yes, there are other factors like how hot a team is at the time. Listen up folks, I'm just going to be blunt about it... The Dallas Cowboys are "America's Team" period, point blank, end of discussion.

The Bengals/Steelers game Sunday night ratings is proof that the Steelers can't handle that moniker that they claim sometimes. It's all about the Cowboys. It's not Sunday night but the Pats/Steelers game should do well for the NFL... if not then the NFL needs to kiss Jerry Jones's butt. That Roger the Clown act needs to be axed ASAP.