How Many Viewers Does the NFL Get?
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How Many Viewers Does the NFL Get?
The answer may surprise you.
How many people watched the NFL in 2019?
TV ratings for NFL games have been declining in recent years. In 2019, the average NFL game was watched by 14.9 million viewers, down from 15.8 million in 2018, according to Nielsen.
That marks a decline of about 7% from the start of the decade, when an average of 16.6 million people watched each NFL game on television.
The 2019 NFL season was the least-watched since 2008, when an average of 14.6 million people tuned in to each game. But it’s worth noting that there are now many more ways to watch NFL games than there were a decade ago, including live streaming on phones and tablets.
Still, the decline in TV ratings is concerning for a league that has long been considered one of America’s most popular sports leagues.
How does this compare to other years?
The NFL is always one of the most-watched television networks in the United States. In recent years, however, its viewership has begun to decline.
In 2016, the NFL averaged 17.9 million viewers per game. This was a 10% decline from the year before, and the lowest average viewership since 2013.
The decline in NFL viewership has been attributed to a variety of factors, including:
-The 2016 presidential election: Many viewers were distracted by the election campaign and did not watch as much football as usual.
– cord-cutting: A growing number of people are cancelling their cable TV subscriptions and watching TV online instead. This means that they are not counted in the Nielsen ratings, which are used to calculate TV ratings.
– protests by NFL players: Some viewers were turned off by players who chose to kneel during the national anthem to protest police brutality and racial inequality.
Despite the decline in viewership, the NFL is still one of the most popular television networks in the US. In 2017, it was the fifth most-watched network, averaging 16.5 million viewers per game.
How does this compare to other sports?
While the NFL typically sits atop the ratings heap, it doesn’t always have the highest viewership. In fact, there are some other sports that regularly outdraw the NFL.
The most-watched sporting event in the U.S. is actually the Super Bowl. But that’s not really fair to compare to other sports, since it’s a one-time event and not a regular season game or tournament.
In terms of regular season games, the NFL’s average viewership per game is about 16 million viewers. That’s impressive, but it’s not the most-watched sport in the country. That honor goes to Major League Baseball, which averaged about 18 million viewers per game in 2017, according to Nielsen.
The NBA isn’t too far behind the NFL, averaging about 10 million viewers per game. And NASCAR, which some people might not consider a “mainstream” sport, averaged about 6 million viewers per race in 2017.
What factors could affect the NFL’s viewership?
There are a variety of factors that could affect the NFL’s viewership. Some of these factors include:
-The overall popularity of the sport of football
-The performance of specific teams or players
-Outcomes of key games or events
-Changes in the broadcast schedule
-Competition from other programming
What does this mean for the future of the NFL?
The NFL is facing a decline in viewership. In the 2017 season, the average game was watched by 14.9 million viewers, a decline of 8% from the 2016 season. This decline has continued into the 2018 season, with an average of 14.6 million viewers per game through week 5, a decline of 9% from the same period in 2017.
There are a number of reasons for the decline in NFL viewership. One is the increase in cord-cutting, as consumers cancel their cable TV subscriptions and migrate to streaming services like Netflix and Hulu. This has had a particularly pronounced effect on younger viewers, who are more likely to be cord-cutters. Another reason for the decline in NFL viewership is the league’s handling of player protests during the national anthem, which has turned off some fans.
The decline in NFL viewership is likely to have a negative impact on the league’s bottom line. Television rights are one of the NFL’s major sources of revenue, and lower ratings could lead to lower rates when these contracts come up for renewal. The decline in viewership also has implications for the future of football as a whole. If the NFL continues to lose viewers, it could lead to fewer people playing football at all levels, from Pop Warner to high school to college.
