NFL audience numbers continue to decline

[CF DolFan]

It's only getting worse for them since people on both sides are saying to boycott.

-----average TV audience (including Sunday afternoon, Sunday night, Monday night and Thursday night games) slid to 15.156 million viewers through Week 5 of the 2017 season. That’s down 7.42 percent from an average of 16.371 million viewers through the same period of the 2016 season, and 18 percent down from the average of 18.438 million viewers through the first five weeks of the 2015 season.[/i]

http://www.sportingnews.com/nfl/news/nfl-tv-television-ratings-down-numbers-national-anthem-protests/l2x7dhlkuubk1tbeftag9ttis

So they are down 18 percent over the last two years? That is a hell of a drop in any business. When your worth billions that is a ton of money.  I couldn't find any information on the amount of cancelled and refunded Sunday Tickets but that has to hurt as well.

[Phishfan]

I can't speak for everyone but I really think there is over saturation in the market right now. There are three nights of NFL games and an entire day on Sunday (especially if there is a London game) and when you tack on college football, MLB playoffs, and other sports (hockey just kicked off, soccer is in full swing, NASCAR, etc.). It is impossible for multi-sports fans to spend time watching all of that and still do productive things like clean the house, be with the family, enjoy your own activities, etc.

I love being able to watch my teams play but that will mean some of the other games I'm not vested in paying the price of not having my viewership, regardless of the matchup.

[Dave Gray]

I'm not boycotting anything, but my general interest in making sure I am in front of a TV for the games has declined.  It's a combo of all kinds of things.

[Sunstroke]

It's only getting worse for them since people on both sides are saying to boycott.

Both sides? Are you referring to the right...and the far right?

The whole "ratings are down" nonsense is so far out of whack that my first thought is that it must be a Presidential tweet. Ratings are certainly down a little bit because of these protests. After all, Conservative Trumpians watched football too, and if Trump says "shit," you say "on whose lap?"

The real reason for such a dramatic turn in the numbers is due to online streaming. It's why small companies like Yahoo and Amazon are paying out the ass for streaming rights. A healthy chunk of people who used to watch the NFL on TV are now streaming games instead (like me).

But yeah, if it makes you feel good to misrepresent a situation in the hopes of pissing on American citizens' civil rights, then go for it. It actually makes you seem more...Presidential?

[pondwater]

But yeah, if it makes you feel good to misrepresent a situation in the hopes of pissing on American citizens' civil rights

What civil right are you referring to?

[CF DolFan]

Both sides? Are you referring to the right...and the far right?

Hahaha have another toke and maybe things will clear up for you. Jamele Hill was suspended by ESPN for calling for a boycott of the NFL and their sponsors.  As far as I can tell she is about as far from the far right as you are with a passing drug test.

[CF DolFan]

What civil right are you referring to?

The make believe civil right that you can say or do anything at work without consequences.  In fact, having consequences for any bad decision you've made goes directly against some people civil rights. The government is supposed to rectify them. 

[Sunstroke]

Hahaha have another toke and maybe things will clear up for you.

I better hurry up...if Sessions has his way (he won't), smoking pot will be punishable by life in prison.

What civil right are you referring to?

I'm pretty sure the only "rights" you recognize are the alt.rights, so it would probably be a waste of my time to explain. If you hurry though, you might be able to catch up on the 400 tweets from your Idiot-in-chief today about how anything that disagrees with him is fake news.

[Spider-Dan]

I would like to see the ratings numbers for 2014 vs. 2015 so people can stop projecting their political causes on to the cord cutting phenomenon.

[pondwater]

I'm pretty sure the only "rights" you recognize are the alt.rights, so it would probably be a waste of my time to explain. If you hurry though, you might be able to catch up on the 400 tweets from your Idiot-in-chief today about how anything that disagrees with him is fake news.

No need for you to enter a discussion if you aren't mentally equipped to discuss the topic at hand. Move along sir, you lose!

[Sunstroke]

No need for you to enter a discussion if you aren't mentally equipped to discuss the topic at hand. Move along sir, you lose!

Very Trumpian of you...would you like to quote the yuge crowd size for your post?

[Phishfan]

Jamele Hill was suspended by ESPN for calling for a boycott of the NFL and their sponsors. 

That isn't even close. She was suspended for suggestion people boycott Dallas Cowboys sponsors if Jerry Jones followed through with plans on benching players who protested.

She is siding with the right to protest.

[pondwater]

Very Trumpian of you...would you like to quote the yuge crowd size for your post?

Why do you continue to discuss ME? This thread is about NFL audience numbers. If you can't control your emotions when people disagree with you maybe you should get your estrogen levels checked or something.

[Baba Booey]

the whole ratings thing is silly. NFL ratings peaked, they were so high a few years back they only could go down. They weren't going to continue to go up as it would have almost been impossible to get climbing. Even with ratings down what 7% its still the highest rated thing on TV today by a mile. It's why every network fights to get games on them, it's why Verizon pays a boatload of money to stream a crappy Jags game in London to get exclusive rights to that. This whole thing of "ratings are down" is stupid. Yeah they are down but still by far the highest rated thing going today.

[CF DolFan]

the whole ratings thing is silly. NFL ratings peaked, they were so high a few years back they only could go down. They weren't going to continue to go up as it would have almost been impossible to get climbing. Even with ratings down what 7% its still the highest rated thing on TV today by a mile. It's why every network fights to get games on them, it's why Verizon pays a boatload of money to stream a crappy Jags game in London to get exclusive rights to that. This whole thing of "ratings are down" is stupid. Yeah they are down but still by far the highest rated thing going today.

MNF went down another 6% last night so it's steadily declining. Baseball is declining as well so there is that ... but it seems pretty obvious that the NFL going political has hurt them just as it has ESPN. People want a distraction with sports and not have to deal with politics of the day.