Media execs are "rallying around" the possibility that "too much football available in too many places" is an explanation for the NFL’s declining TV ratings, according to Flint, Bruell & Sharma of the WALL STREET JOURNAL. Ratings through Week 7 have "declined 5% compared with last year and about 15% versus the same stretch" in '15. The league’s "aggressive media strategy" in recent years has "led to a flurry of new offerings: an increase of Thursday night games; games available on Verizon mobile phones and Amazon’s streaming service; highlights on the NFL-owned cable channel RedZone and social-media platforms; and full-game replays on an NFL subscription service called GamePass." The fear among TV execs is that this has "backfired, devaluing the programming." But the declines "haven’t hurt all networks equally." Sunday afternoons on Fox and CBS are "taking the biggest hit while NBC’s Sunday night package is down slightly." "MNF" and "TNF" are "both up." CBS Sports Chair Sean McManus said, “Adding 10 games to the Thursday night package and two additional Sunday morning London games has clearly diluted the Sunday afternoon packages and affected the ratings. It’s just simple mathematics." NBC Broadcasting & Sports Chair Mark Lazarus said that the NFL’s "rush to get highlights online is equivalent to providing 'Cliffs Notes' to the games." Lazarus: “We’re enabling fans to keep up and follow the game without watching the telecast." But NFL Chief Media & Business Officer Brian Rolapp "disputed the notion that the NFL was hurting its TV partners by putting more highlights online and through its RedZone channel." Rolapp: "We try not to let the conventional way of thinking limit the innovation we need for the long term." The NFL also "counters that while ratings are down, the sports still is the strongest program" on TV (WSJ.com, 11/2).
DRAWING POWER: AD AGE's Anthony Crupi noted while Cowboys' ratings are down 5% in the Dallas-Ft. Worth market, the franchise has "plenty of opportunities to catch up over the balance of the season." The Cowboys are "slated to appear in no fewer than eight upcoming nationally-televised games, including the team's traditional Thanksgiving Day Game (CBS has the honors this year) and a Christmas Eve slot against Seattle in Fox's big Sunday afternoon showcase." Meanwhile, the Packers are "trailing" the Cowboys in the ratings. Packers fans and ad sales execs alike were "pained to see" QB Aaron Rodgers go down with a fractured right collarbone. The team is "scheduled to appear in just three more national windows, but NBC has the right to flex out two of them for other games if it chooses" (ADAGE.com, 11/1).
CAN'T BLAME MILLENNIALS? MULTICHANNEL NEWS' Gary Arlen cited a report from consulting firm McKinsey & Co. noting that sports "are 'holding up better than TV viewership overall,' including their attraction to millennial-aged viewers." The analysis also "cites viewing out-of-home and on digital platforms as offering valuable opportunities to reach the elusive young audience." The report said the number of millennials watching the NFL "actually increased from the prior season (from 65% to 67% of all millennials)." The ratings decline was "caused by an 8% drop in the number of games watched and a 6% decline in the minutes watched per game (down to 1 hour 12 minutes per game)." The report added, "As sports executives seek to build new direct-to-consumer channels, we find that age is an ineffective way to segment and target digital sports fans. Older generations (Gen Xers in particular) are adopting digital technology almost as fast as millennials, and fans’ online behaviors are far better signals of purchase intent" (MULTICHANNEL.com, 10/31).
