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Here’s the fun thing about the NFL’s suddenly wobbly television
ratings: they can say whatever you want them to.
Believe the NFL’s newfound activism has turned the country against it?
Sure, that might be true.
Wondering whether anyone can focus on football with (waving hands
wildly) all this going on? Hey, that’s valid too.
Think that maybe people want to get outside these past few weekends of
warm weather? That’s entirely a possibility.
Disenchanted with matchups of winless teams? You are most definitely
not alone.
Here’s what is indisputable: ratings for the NFL are down, in some
cases to an ugly degree.
Why? Well, that’s a trickier question, one we can’t answer with
certainty until we’re past this election and the COVID-19 pandemic. For
now, here’s your Week 4 update. Television executives may wish to avert
your eyes:
Thursday Night Football (NFL Network) was down an astounding 70 percent
from last year, but that comes with a huge caveat: last year’s game
aired on NFL Network and Fox. Broadcast TV always jacks up ratings, and
it’ll do the same thing when TNF returns to Fox later this season.
Still: only 5.41 million watched the Denver Broncos and the New York
Jets play last Thursday. (If you’re not a fan of either of those teams,
or if you don’t have money riding on the outcome ... why would you?)
Sunday Night Football (NBC) took a steep dive, falling 37 percent in
viewership from last year. The matchup was substandard — a winless
Philadelphia versus an injury-ravaged San Francisco — even if the game
ended up being fairly decent. If there’s a worrying sign for the NFL,
it’s Sunday night.
The CBS doubleheader also saw sharp declines due in large part to the
shifting of Patriots-Chiefs to Monday night. A primo matchup vanished
from the slate, and that sent the early game (primarily Chargers-Bucs)
tumbling 32 percent to 9.95 million viewers, and the late game
(Buffalo-Las Vegas) down 6 percent to 18.61 million viewers.
Fox’s singleheader, which comprised Cleveland-Dallas or Giants-Rams for
the majority of the country, was the lone bright spot of the week,
ticking up 2 percent to 16.85 million viewers.
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NFL ratings, Week 4: The slide continues
Jay BusbeeYahoo SportsOct 6, 2020, 4:38 PM
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Here’s the fun thing about the NFL’s suddenly wobbly television
ratings: they can say whatever you want them to.
Believe the NFL’s newfound activism has turned the country against it?
Sure, that might be true.
Wondering whether anyone can focus on football with (waving hands
wildly) all this going on? Hey, that’s valid too.
Think that maybe people want to get outside these past few weekends of
warm weather? That’s entirely a possibility.
Disenchanted with matchups of winless teams? You are most definitely
not alone.
Here’s what is indisputable: ratings for the NFL are down, in some
cases to an ugly degree.
Patrick Mahomes remains a draw even in a ratings-challenged season.
(Photo by Jamie Squire/Getty Images)
Patrick Mahomes remains a draw even in a ratings-challenged season.
(Photo by Jamie Squire/Getty Images)
More
Why? Well, that’s a trickier question, one we can’t answer with
certainty until we’re past this election and the COVID-19 pandemic. For
now, here’s your Week 4 update. Television executives may wish to avert
your eyes:
Thursday Night Football (NFL Network) was down an astounding 70 percent
from last year, but that comes with a huge caveat: last year’s game
aired on NFL Network and Fox. Broadcast TV always jacks up ratings, and
it’ll do the same thing when TNF returns to Fox later this season.
Still: only 5.41 million watched the Denver Broncos and the New York
Jets play last Thursday. (If you’re not a fan of either of those teams,
or if you don’t have money riding on the outcome ... why would you?)
Sunday Night Football (NBC) took a steep dive, falling 37 percent in
viewership from last year. The matchup was substandard — a winless
Philadelphia versus an injury-ravaged San Francisco — even if the game
ended up being fairly decent. If there’s a worrying sign for the NFL,
it’s Sunday night.
The CBS doubleheader also saw sharp declines due in large part to the
shifting of Patriots-Chiefs to Monday night. A primo matchup vanished
from the slate, and that sent the early game (primarily Chargers-Bucs)
tumbling 32 percent to 9.95 million viewers, and the late game
(Buffalo-Las Vegas) down 6 percent to 18.61 million viewers.
Fox’s singleheader, which comprised Cleveland-Dallas or Giants-Rams for
the majority of the country, was the lone bright spot of the week,
ticking up 2 percent to 16.85 million viewers.
Monday night had the distinction of having two separate games running
somewhat concurrently. Chiefs-Patriots drew 14.60 million viewers, more
than the 14.02 million who’d watched last Monday’s Chiefs-Ravens game.
(Again, a caveat: broadcast vs. cable.) On the other hand, the partially-cannibalized, partially-terrible Falcons-Packers game drew
8.65 million viewers, down 17 percent from last year.
It’s worth noting that the NFL continues to win days in which it airs.
The league still has the largest slice of a smaller pie. But it’s also
clear that many of the people who once watched the league are, for
whatever reason, finding something else to do with their Sundays.
--
Democrats and the liberal media hate President Trump more than they
love this country.
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