NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell on Thursday said that the league was "looking at a variety of ways to shorten game broadcasts, including trimming some advertising, to keep the action moving," according to Ken Belson of the N.Y. TIMES. Though TV ratings are "down by double digits so far this season," Goodell noted that NFL ratings had risen 27% in the past decade amid falling ratings for primetime TV. Speaking at the DealBook conference hosted by the N.Y. Times, Goodell "called this year’s decline 'cyclical.'" However, he noted that the pace of games "could also be a factor in the ratings decline." Belson notes fans have "complained for years that games are too long, and they frequently express annoyance at the number of commercial breaks and video reviews." Goodell said that the league was "considering a number of potential solutions to improve the pace of games, including running fewer advertisements and changing when they run." The league is also "looking at ways to speed up video reviews by its officials as well as the time it takes referees to announce penalties on the field." Goodell: "We 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." Belson notes the league has "expanded the number of games it plays on Thursday nights and overseas, leading some to speculate that the NFL may be reducing interest in the game." Goodell said that he was "mindful of that possibility." Goodell: "Every game counts, so that makes our inventory incredibly valuable." He added that the league "has to be careful not to saturate the market" (N.Y. TIMES, 11/11).
AFTER A WORD FROM OUR SPONSORS: THE DAILY's John Ourand said the NFL could take a look at the number of commercial breaks during games in a way to make games shorter. He said, "Everybody talks about you score a touchdown, there's a commercial. You do a kickoff, there's a commercial, so they're looking at taking away that." However, he added ESPN "pays $2 billion a year for NFL rights," and it needs to "make that money up by commercials." Ourand: "That's going to be a very tough negotiation for the NFL to have with ESPN and with NBC, Fox and CBS, all of which pay more than a billion dollars a year." Ourand also noted one idea at “speeding up the game is taking halftime and making it shorter." While that "sounds great," networks "make a lot of money off of those halftime ad spots” (“OTL,” ESPN, 11/10). ESPN's Mike Golic said when the topic of reducing ad breaks comes up,the "first thing you think of (is) are they choosing to make less money?" Golic: "When you say that normally, you say, ‘Okay, less advertisements mean less money’ (“Mike & Mike,” ESPN Radio, 11/11). FS1's Jason Whitlock said, "That’s all been baked into the puzzle and the pie for 30, 40 years. We expect that. Hell, when we get to the Super Bowl, we enjoy the commercials." He added, "This is a distraction from the NFL acknowledging too many yellow flags” (“Speak for Yourself,” FS1, 11/10). ESPN's Michael Wilbon: "This is like biting off around the edges. Just stop. There're fundamental issues with pro football now, and that doesn't address anything." He said the on-field product is "what's plaguing the NFL" as it is "awful" right now ("PTI," ESPN, 11/10).
INSURANCE PLAN: In DC, Jake Russell noted Goodell "defended" the job the league’s officials have done this season, "even going so far as to say there isn’t a need for them to be employed full-time." Goodell said, "There are officiating mistakes in other leagues and they’re full-time officials. ... Our officials work incredibly hard and the reality is they do a great job. But they’re going to miss calls” (WASHINGTONPOST.com, 11/10). In Orlando, George Diaz writes it would "make sense" to hire referees on a full-time basis, "provide continuing education in terms of how to do their jobs more efficiently and eliminate some of the unnecessary chaos." There is "no 100 percent fail-proof system," but just like players and coaches, refs "need practice to hone their craft." Diaz: "No one needs to be selling insurance Monday through Friday" (ORLANDO SENTINEL, 11/11).
LIGHTEN UP: Former Raiders CEO Amy Trask said that the NFL "needs to lighten up when it comes to displays of on the field emotion." Trask, on Twitter on Thursday, said the league is “disingenuous to promote/capitalize on emotion of game but penalize the men who play for showing it.” She said that "even in the board room, there are times when shows of emotion make sense." Trask: "So why is football any different?" (SAN JOSE MERCURY NEWS, 11/11).
