What Are The NFL Ratings This Year?

The NFL season is in full swing and we want to know what are the NFL ratings this year.

Introduction

National Football League (NFL) ratings have been on the decline in recent years. In 2017, the average NFL game was watched by 1.6 million fewer people than it was in 2016 This is a significant drop when you compare it to the overall television viewership trend, which has only seen a slight decline since 2010. There are many reasons for the NFL’s declining ratings, but the two most commonly cited are the ongoing national anthem protests and increased competition from other entertainment options.

What Caused the NFL’s Ratings to Drop This Year?

There are many reasons why the NFL’s ratings may have dropped this year. One reason could be the presidential election. Another reason could be that many people are tired of the same teams winning all the time. Whatever the reason, the NFL needs to find a way to get its ratings back up.

Lack of Star Power

One potential reason for the ratings decline is that many of the league’s biggest stars have missed significant time due to injury. Tom Brady, Aaron Rodgers, Odell Beckham Jr., and J.J. Watt are just a few of the marquee names who have spent time on the sidelines this season. This has deprived fans of seeing some of the league’s most electrifying players in action, which may have contributed to the lower ratings.

Another reason for the ratings drop could be that there is more competition for viewers’ attention than there was in previous years. With streaming services like Netflix and Hulu gaining popularity, people are increasingly cutting cable cords and spending their leisure time watching shows and movies on Demand. This leaves less time for traditional live television viewing, which could be why NFL ratings are down this year.

Poor Prime-Time Matchups

One of the reasons for the NFL’s ratings decline this season has been the poor performance of quality teams in important prime-time matchups. In 2016, there were plenty of marquee games featuring two good teams that helped bring in big ratings. This season, there have been several duds.

Increased Competition

With the rise in popularity of other sports and entertainment options, the NFL is facing more competition than ever before. This increased competition is one of the main reasons why the NFL’s ratings have dropped this year. Other factors that have contributed to the decline in ratings include:

-The retirement of some of the league’s most popular players, such as Peyton Manning and Calvin Johnson.
-The ongoing national anthem protests, which has caused some fans to boycot the league.
-The increasing number of viewers who are choosing to stream games online instead of watching them on traditional television.

How Have the NFL’s Ratings Affected TV Partners?

The NFL’s television ratings have been in decline since the 2016 season. This past season, the league saw a 9.7% decline in viewership from the 2017 season. The NFL’s ratings have been a hot topic of discussion recently, particularly among the league’s TV partners. CBS, NBC, and Fox have all seen a decline in viewership of their NFL broadcasts.

NBC

Through the first seven weeks of the season, NBC is averaging 18.2 million viewers for “Sunday Night Football” — up 2% from last year. The game telecasts are also up 2% in the key 18-49 demographic to a 7.1 rating. In addition, NBC’s “Thursday Night Football” package is averaging 18.6 million viewers and a 6.8 rating in adults 18-49 — both flat with last year.

ESPN

ESPN is a sports television network that is owned by The Walt Disney Company. The network has been a partner of the National Football League (NFL) since 1987, when it obtained the broadcast rights to Monday Night Football, which it aired until 2006. In 2011, ESPN renewed its contract with the NFL through 2021.

In recent years, ESPN has been one of the networks that have seen a decline in ratings for NFL games. In the 2016-2017 season, ESPN’s regular season ratings for Monday Night Football were down 9% from the previous season. In addition, the 2017 NFL Draft was the least-watched draft on ESPN in 10 years.

However, it is worth noting that ESPN is still averaging more than 10 million viewers for its NFL broadcasts. And, while ratings for Monday Night Football are down, ratings for Sunday Night Football on NBC are up 5% from last year. So, it appears that the overall decline in NFL ratings has not had a significant impact on ESPN’s TV partners.

CBS

This year, CBS’s NFL ratings are down about 10% from last year.

One reason for the decline could be that the NFL schedule this year has not been as exciting as in past years. Another reason could be that more viewers are choosing to stream games online rather than watch them on traditional television.

Whatever the reasons for the decline, it is likely that CBS’s partners are feeling some effects. For example, advertisers who have paid for commercial time during NFL games may be concerned about reaching as many viewers as they did in previous years.

It is also possible that CBS’s partners are starting to worry about the long-term effects of declining NFL ratings. If fewer people are watching NFL games on television, that could mean less interest in the sport overall. This could lead to even lower ratings in future years, which would be bad news for all of the networks that televise NFL games.

What Does the Future Hold for the NFL’s Ratings?

The NFL’s ratings have been in decline for the past few years. This year, they are down again. What does the future hold for the NFL’s ratings? Let’s take a look.

More Prime-Time Games

The NFL has seen a decline in its ratings over the past few years. This is due to many factors, including more competition from other programming, the increase in cord-cutting, and the politics surrounding the league. However, there are some things that the NFL can do to try to increase its ratings. One of these is to add more prime-time games to its schedule.

Prime-time games tend to draw in larger audiences than games that are played during the day. This is because people are more likely to be home in the evening and able to watch them. Additionally, prime-time games are often more exciting than day games, as they tend to feature better teams playing each other.

The NFL has already started to add more prime-time games to its schedule. In 2018, there were 17 Thursday night games, up from 16 in 2017. There were also 11 Sunday night games, up from 10 in 2017. The NFL is also considering adding a Saturday night game to its schedule. This would likely be very popular with fans, as it would give them another night of football to watch.

Adding more prime-time games is one way that the NFL can try to increase its ratings. However, it remains to be seen whether this will be enough to bring viewers back to the league en masse.

Increased Competition from Other Sports

The NFL has been the most popular sport in the United States for many years, but that doesn’t mean its ratings are safe from decline. In recent years, the league has seen a decrease in ratings, and there are a number of factors that could continue to contribute to a decline in the future.

One of the biggest challenges facing the NFL is increased competition from other sports. In particular, the rise of cord-cutting and streaming services has made it easier for people to watch other sports instead of or in addition to the NFL. For example, this past year saw a significant increase in ratings for the NBA Finals, while the NFL’s ratings declined.

Another challenge facing the NFL is its own internal strife. This past year saw a number of high-profile controversies, including player protests during the national anthem, domestic violence allegations against players, and questions about the long-term health effects of playing football. These controversies have led some viewers to turn away from the NFL.

Finally, there is also a demographic challenge facing the NFL. The league’s core audience is aging, and younger viewers are not as interested in watching football as their parents or grandparents were. This could lead to further declines in ratings in the future.

Despite these challenges, the NFL remains America’s most popular sport. However, it is clear that the league faces some serious headwinds that could impact its ratings in the years to come.

Conclusion

It is clear that the NFL ratings are down this year. Some people attribute this to the protests during the National Anthem, while others say that it is because of poor on-field play. Whatever the reason, it is clear that something has changed this year and the NFL needs to figure out what it is.