Ratings Report : NFL ratings down 8% in 2016

[TJL]

NFL TV Ratings Reportedly Down 8 Percent for 2016 Season

The NNFL reportedly experienced an 8 percent dip in television ratings during the 2016 regular season in comparison to 2015, according to newly released data.

Per ESPN's Darren Rovell an average NFL game dropped in viewership from 17.9 million in 2015 to 16.5 million in 2016.

As seen in the following breakdown, viewership decreased regardless of the day of the week and the broadcasting network:
NFL 2016-17 Regular-Season TV Ratings
Game % Decrease
ESPN Monday Night Football -12%
NBC Sunday Night Football -10%
CBS Daytime -7%
Fox Daytime -6%
ESPN.com



Per A.J. Perez of USA Today, the 8 percent decline represented a rebound from a 14 percent drop during the season's first nine weeks, which Brian Rolapp, the NFL's executive vice president of media, attributed to the presidential election:

"Presidential elections have always had an impact on our ratings, so we were prepared for a dip this season. ... We're pleased at how our viewership rebounded after the election and are looking forward to what should be a very competitive and exciting postseason."

When asked about ways to boost ratings at the New York Times' DealBook conference in November, NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell brought up the idea of potentially trying to shorten games, according to Ahiza Garcia of CNN.com:

Should the games be shorter? ... We obviously want to take as much, what we call 'dead time,' non-action out of the game so that we can make the game more exciting [so] it's all action.

Can we do instant replay quicker than we've done it in the past? Should we look at ways to maybe take some commercialization out of the game? Either in less ads or maybe have the ads come in different ways than the traditional, what we call 'pods' which are two minutes and 20 seconds.

One factor that helped the NFL significantly was the success of the Dallas Cowboys, as they played in five of the league's six top-rated games of 2016 and averaged 23.7 million viewers in the second half of the season, per Gerry Smith and Christopher Palmeri of Bloomberg.com.

The Cowboys are the No. 1 seed in the NFC and are favored to reach the Super Bowl, which means the NFL could be in store for three highly rated playoff games.

While the league may need more than just the Cowboys to get its overall ratings back to where they were in 2015, Dallas appears built to be good for a long time, and the numbers suggest that is a boon for the NFL.

 

[Sharkonabicycle]

Election year with two of the goofiest candidates... ever? Not surprised.

 

[TJL]

Election year with two of the goofiest candidates... ever? Not surprised.

MNF, SNF, and TNF were all down even after the election.

 

[TP76]

I have... product is getting crappier by the year

• Rules committee is slowly killing the game
• Overly complicated rule book
• Refs buckling under the current rulebook
• After almost a century of the forward pass, they still can't define a catch
• The total ineptitude at 345 Park Ave
• Over-saturated primetime/weak games in primetime
• Snippy, backbiting ownership

 

[cdumler7]

MNF, SNF, and TNF were all down even after the election.

It happens. A product outgrows its market or pushes too hard to expand. We have seen businesses like Starbucks and others do the very same thing. NFL will need to have a long talk over the off season of changes they can make to get viewership back up. I don't think it would take much.

 

[TJL]

It happens. A product outgrows its market or pushes too hard to expand. We have seen businesses like Starbucks and others do the very same thing. NFL will need to have a long talk over the off season of changes they can make to get viewership back up. I don't think it would take much.

I'm going to be honest, it's gotten harder for me to sit through a game if I'm not drinking lol

 

[cdumler7]

I'm going to be honest, it's gotten harder for me to sit through a game if I'm not drinking lol

This was definitely a tough year. Again I think some changes could make things much better for the viewer and for the players. Such as working to simplify the rule book. You do that and I think the officiating vastly improves. Hiring the officials as full time employees could make a bit of a difference.

They could change up the number of commercials allowed per game to help keep viewership interest.

Thursday night games could be switched to only follow a bye week to help improve the product on the field. Or they could just get rid of the game entirely.

 

[TJL]

This was definitely a tough year. Again I think some changes could make things much better for the viewer and for the players. Such as working to simplify the rule book. You do that and I think the officiating vastly improves. Hiring the officials as full time employees could make a bit of a difference.

They could change up the number of commercials allowed per game to help keep viewership interest.

Thursday night games could be switched to only follow a bye week to help improve the product on the field. Or they could just get rid of the game entirely.

I actually love TNF, I don't care how bad the game is, there's nothing to watch on Thursdays and gives me a reason to crab a 12 pack and not just look like an alcoholic.

 

[Fountain City Blues]

Definitely can't sit through a game between two bad teams anymore. Will just go to Hulu/Netflix and wait for the Chiefs game.

 

[cdumler7]

I actually love TNF, I don't care how bad the game is, there's nothing to watch on Thursdays and gives me a reason to crab a 12 pack and not just look like an alcoholic.

I actually don't mind Thursday night games either. Not a fan of the jerseys they are usually wearing making it hard to watch but hey got to love the chance to watch football. And honestly it is funny I have listened to a lot of ex-players talk about the Thursday games and they said they loved them. The entire week of practice coaches won't hardly make the guys physically do much so they get to rest up a bit. Then you get a few extra days off after the game is over to do whatever. I do think the whole player safety thing is overblown.

 

[sonnyblack65]

NFL TV Ratings Reportedly Down 8 Percent for 2016 Season

I know your very new and a virgin here and in real life but you have to have potato salad as one of your options. Now already 140 post since yesterday, your on track to have between 25k and 35k posts for your first year

 

[TJL]

I know your very new and a virgin here and in real life but you have to have potato salad as one of your options. Now already 140 post since yesterday, your on track to have between 25k and 35k posts for your first year

Got a desk job, boss is out of town.

I won't post on weekends or after 6 pm when I get off.

But yes, I will be very active, and thanks for the heads up.

 

[sonnyblack65]

Got a desk job, boss is out of town.

I won't post on weekends or after 6 pm when I get off.

But yes, I will be very active, and thanks for the heads up.

Send me $1000 paypal or I will give your boss a heads up too

 

[TJL]

Send me $1000 paypal or I will give your boss a heads up too

Meh, go ahead, I'm about fed up with this job, not worth $1000.

But no matter what, even if I hit 25k in a year, know that I got paid for probably 90% of my posts.

 

[NinerSickness]

Election year with two of the goofiest candidates... ever? Not surprised.

Ratings in 2012 & 2008 didn't go down.

 

[sonnyblack65]

Meh, go ahead, I'm about fed up with this job, not worth $1000.

But no matter what, even if I hit 25k in a year, know that I got paid for probably 90% of my posts.

I would never do that to you, your suffering enough being a Phins fan. But with Gase, your team in on the rise and playoffs woohoooo

 

[TJL]

I would never do that to you, your suffering enough being a Phins fan. But with Gase, your team in on the rise and playoffs woohoooo

I would say I appreciate it, but I just saw your little "puberty and acne" comment in the other thread.

Shame on you, buddeh

 

[sonnyblack65]

I would say I appreciate it, but I just saw your little "puberty and acne" comment in the other thread.

Shame on, buddeh

That was sooo long ago, people were rocking bellbottoms and Kiss was a new act

 

[TJL]

That was sooo long ago, people were rocking bellbottoms and Kiss was a new act

I changed my alert notifications, can't be bothered with notifications just to know someone replied to a thread was posted in.

 

[boogiewithstu2007]

I think so many cutting the cord with cable is a big reason... ESPN is grabbing some of these big games and people are just saying @#^ it....