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Goodell Monitoring Drop In NFL TV Ratings, Defends Uptick In Unsportsmanlike Penalties

NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell yesterday said he did not think there was any one "single reason" for the NFL's drop in ratings this season. Goodell, addressing the media after the NFL's quarterly meeting in Houston, said, "We see tremendous strength in our numbers, but we also know that two primetime games where we're seeing the most dramatic decrease went straight up against two very significant debates." Goodell added a game like the Week 4 Dolphins-Bengals "TNF" matchup, which was exclusively on NFL Network as opposed to a network broadcast, "will always get a lower rating." Goodell: "We don't make excuses. We look at it and try to figure out what's changing." He added, "We recognize that network television is still dominant and we believe it's going to be dominant going forward and it's where the vast majority of our fans view our games. It's a great experience. The advertising market's incredibly strong." Goodell said National Anthem player protests are "not having any significant impact on our ratings" (ESPN, 10/19). Goodell: "When you look at ratings you have to go deeper than that. Its viewers, but also how long they're engaging for, and a lot of times, people will leave a game for whatever reason, whether it's to go to other programming or whether the game is not that competitive" (ESPN.com, 10/19). Goodell: "We don't think we've lost viewers" (USATODAY.com, 10/19). In N.Y., Keith Kelly notes CBS Chair, President & CEO Les Moonves yesterday "conceded he was surprised by the weakness in the NFL's prime-time ratings this season." Moonves of the decline in NFL TV numbers, "I don't know why. I'll probably know more in December" (N.Y. POST, 10/20).

CONFIDENT STANCE: ESPN's Joe Banner said the league "doesn't know enough yet and whether (it) should be worried." Banner: "When (the league) sees these trends, they don't overreact. They do definitely pay attention and they study it and keep an eye on, 'where do things go from here?'" ESPN's Ed Werder noted noted in Week 4, "TNF," "MNF" and Fox' national window game on Sunday all pitted 1-3 teams against each other. Werder: "They have (cross) flex scheduling as early as Week 8. Is there something that they could do earlier in that regard? ... That to me explains a ratings drop." Banner said the "easiest way" to address a decline "without overreacting" is to be "very sensitive when using the flex games to try to hopefully come up with some better matchups" ("NFL Insiders," ESPN, 10/19). YAHOO SPORTS' Frank Schwab wrote the NFL is a "prisoner of its own success in the television ratings debate." But Goodell "didn't sound freaked out" and had "valid reasons for the decline" (SPORTS.YAHOO.com, 10/19). 

WHERE ARE THE EYEBALLS? CNBC’s Julia Boorstin noted season-to-date NFL ratings are down 12% in the "key 18-49-year-old demographic." But Guggenheim analyst Michael Morris noted "certain baseball playoff games have fared far worse." Morris: "Both the MLB and NFL are suffering losses of their casual fans who are less interested in watching games without their home team in light of all their other entertainment options out there, including political coverage" ("Power Lunch," CNBC, 10/19). Pivotal Research Group Senior Analyst Brian Wieser noted the "reach of football actually hasn't changed year over year." Wiser: "About 150 million people watched NFL football in the first four weeks last year and about 150 million people watched NFL football this year over the same period of time. What this means is, the same people, essentially, are watching. It’s just that they're watching a little bit less" ("Fast Money," CNBC, 10/19). 

TOO MUCH OF A GOOD THING? NBC's Al Michaels said, "There’s so much media, there’s so much talk. It’s around the clock and there are a lot of things going on right now." Michaels said low ratings are a "temporary thing," but there are "some issues" there. He also said there was "no question" the presidential election has "taken viewers from NFL telecasts." HBO's Bill Simmons  said the NFL is "not really fan-friendly if you’re under 25” and the "celebration crackdowns to me are crazy." Michaels also noted there have "not been that many dramatic games in the NFL to this point." He also said the NFL is "just about to that point again" in terms of "oversaturation" on TV ("Any Given Wednesday With Bill Simmons," HBO, 10/19). FS1's Shannon Sharpe agreed that the NFL has "oversaturated the market." Sharpe: "You’ve got Thursday night, you’ve got Sunday night, you’ve got Monday night. How much is enough?” Sharpe said of "TNF" games, "The product that they are putting out there on Thursday night is atrocious." FS1's Skip Bayless said, "The NFL can't compete with Donald Trump. ... Right now, the NFL doesn't have a counterbalancing soap opera story. ... I do think there is a little cause for concern here, but not for alarm. I just think that going forward it will even out" ("Undisputed," FS1, 10/20). Cavaliers Owner Dan Gilbert said of the NFL, "I was actually a little bit surprised that the ... networks allowed that Red Zone thing. That Red Zone thing is huge" ("Squawk Box," CNBC, 10/20).

WHAT ABOUT THE CHILDREN? ESPN.com's Kevin Seifert noted Goodell addressed several other topics, including the "uptick in taunting and unsportsmanlike conduct penalties this season." Goodell said, "We do believe that our players are role models and others look at that at the youth level, so that's important for us. And it's part of being a professional. That's one element of it" (ESPN.com, 10/19). In DC, Mark Maske notes there have been 16 penalties through Week 6 for "excessive celebrations and illegal demonstrations, compared with 10 at this point last season." There have also been 21 taunting penalties, "up from 11 last season." Goodell said, "We have taunting, which is a significant issue, and taunting fouls are up this year. It's probably a combination of making that a point of emphasis." He added, "People may not like the rule. They may not like the line that's been drawn. But we believe it's part of being a professional league" (WASHINGTON POST, 10/20). 

CONTRACT TALK: Goodell said that owners spent much of yesterday morning discussing the league's CBA, which has "reached its halfway point and will expire" in '21 (ESPN.com, 10/19). Goodell: "We looked at the CBA to see how it's working from all perspectives. The players' perspectives we think it's working incredibly well and from the owners' standpoint it's working incredibly well, and from the fans' standpoint it's working incredibly well" ("NFL Insiders," ESPN, 10/19). ESPN.com's Dan Graziano wrote Goodell "shouldn't hold his breath" about the idea of "sitting down to talk" about a CBA extension with the NFLPA. While the union has "taken much grief over the current deal, it has seemed to be quite good for the players." Players "wouldn't mind seeing Goodell's power reduced a bit, and they wouldn't mind talking about eliminating testing for marijuana." However, they "don't seem to feel strongly enough about any one issue to make it worth their time to renegotiate a deal they like." Graziano noted what the owners want is not an extension of the current CBA, but "rather an early opening of negotiations so they can obtain things they want in the short term." Sources said that the owners have "used up all of the stadium credits they received" in the '11 CBA. The NFLPA "doesn't appear to be interested in discussing any of the issues driving the owners' desire for an extended CBA." Graziano: "Not expanded playoffs, and certainly not any givebacks on the reduced offseason workout programs" (ESPN.com, 10/19).

STAY IN TOUCH: The NFL will "require the athletic trainer in the press box to stay in contact with on-field doctors to help determine if a player has a concussion." Announced yesterday, the requirement is an "enhancement made to prevent confusion that occurred in the season opener," when Panthers QB Cam Newton was "allowed to return after getting hit in the head" (AP, 10/19).

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