NFL ratings are down in '17, but in-game ad revenue "continues to grow year-over-year this season," according to Standard Media Index data cited by Jason Lynch of ADWEEK. This season’s NFL revenue, from September to the end of November, "is up" 2% among all networks. But the percentage of makegoods has "fallen slightly year over year," to 21% in '17, compared to 22% in '16. In November, ad revenue from national NFL games was up 5% over last November, "though that increase was "mostly because of an extra 'Thursday Night Football' game that fell in November this year." The average 30-second spot for NFL games in November "jumped from $502,809 last year to $513,293, while makegoods declined slightly during the month," from 23% to 22%. During that time frame, the "biggest increases in category spend for in-game advertising" was insurance at 41%. Beyond football, the national TV market ad spend "was up" 2% year-over-year in November. Cable revenue "increased" 3%, while broadcast "jumped" 1%. As for cable networks, ESPN had a 3% "increase in November" (ADWEEK.com, 12/20). In N.Y., Richard Morgan notes the "disappointing" TV audience for Week 15’s eight NFL game windows, including two on Saturday, left the NFL’s average TV viewership 9% below last season’s total for the same period. Each of the NFL’s 96 national game telecast windows this season has averaged 15.1 million viewers, compared with 16.6 million for 95 telecasts through Week 15 last year (N.Y. POST, 12/21).
