NFL football, one of America’s most popular past times, is currently in a crisis. Viewership ratings are down across the board. Many are wondering whether football can sustain its place as a lucrative asset for television companies at a time when increasing amounts of Americans are abandoning traditional television.
Brian Hughes, a senior Vice President at Magna Global, said that football’s traditional TV audience “is never going to be what it was again.” This has become worrisome for network executives as viewership for the NFL’s live games has remained strong over the years against trends of “cord-cutting” (getting rid of cable TV altogether) and on-demand streaming. Football was supposed to be the one thing that held strong against the aforementioned trends, but evidently it hasn’t.
Many “analysts” and “experts” proposed many different theories as to why fewer people are watching the NFL. They pointed to the presidential election and concussions making football less attractive as potential culprits. However neither of these …show more content…
Why waste four hours of your Sunday when you could spend a minute of that time watching the highlights and the rest doing something productive?
This year in particular, the NFL has lost lots of star power. Viewers want a story they can follow as it gives entertainment that goes beyond the game itself. The few games that have surpassed last year’s numbers have featured the league’s most familiar faces and rivalries. For example, this Thanksgiving’s game between the Washington Redskins and Dallas Cowboys was the most-watched regular season game since the 1990s.
The NFL doesn’t currently have many players who offer the appeal viewers want. For example, this year the league lost the beloved Peyton Manning to retirement. Also, the New England Patriots started the first four games of the season without star quarterback Tom Brady because of
Brian Hughes, a senior Vice President at Magna Global, said that football’s traditional TV audience “is never going to be what it was again.” This has become worrisome for network executives as viewership for the NFL’s live games has remained strong over the years against trends of “cord-cutting” (getting rid of cable TV altogether) and on-demand streaming. Football was supposed to be the one thing that held strong against the aforementioned trends, but evidently it hasn’t.
Many “analysts” and “experts” proposed many different theories as to why fewer people are watching the NFL. They pointed to the presidential election and concussions making football less attractive as potential culprits. However neither of these …show more content…
Why waste four hours of your Sunday when you could spend a minute of that time watching the highlights and the rest doing something productive?
This year in particular, the NFL has lost lots of star power. Viewers want a story they can follow as it gives entertainment that goes beyond the game itself. The few games that have surpassed last year’s numbers have featured the league’s most familiar faces and rivalries. For example, this Thanksgiving’s game between the Washington Redskins and Dallas Cowboys was the most-watched regular season game since the 1990s.
The NFL doesn’t currently have many players who offer the appeal viewers want. For example, this year the league lost the beloved Peyton Manning to retirement. Also, the New England Patriots started the first four games of the season without star quarterback Tom Brady because of