Oppression is tough, isn’t it Colin Kaepernick and millionaire NFL friends? You brought these low ratings upon yourselves. AMERICA!
Were the low ratings from the opening days of the 2016 NFL season just a fluke? Thursday Night Football brought some eye-opening results.
Deadline.com reports:
With the final numbers in, the 8:27 – 11:37 PM ET simulcast game drew 15.4 million viewers on for the House of Moonves and the NFL. That’s a drop of 27% from the TNF viewership high of last year’s season opener on September 17. That 2015 game started off the second season CBS has had the franchise. This year’s game was the top show of the night on broadcast and cable.
Among the key 18-49 demo, the Jets vs. Bills game snared a 5.4/21rating. With adjustments, that’s a 42% rise from the fast affiliate demo numbers of early today. On the flipside, the CBS demo result of last night took a 29% hit in the ratings from the TNF season opener of last year. In fact, viewership of last night’s game is not just down from last year’s TNF opener but from the audience of 16.9 million that the second TNF on CBS of 2015 got.
UPDATE, 8:44 PM: The opener of the third season of Thursday Night Football on CBS was a win for the New York Jets as they beat the Buffalo Bills 37-31 but looks to be a loss for CBS.
On a night of virtual zero competition, TNF drew a 3.8/14 rating among adults 18-49 from 8:30 – 11 PM in fast affiliates. With adjustments expected later today, that’s down a hard 28% in the demo from the Denver Broncos win over the Kansas City Chiefs on September 17 last year.
Viewershipwise, the 11.44 million who watched last night’s Jets vs. Bills game was a drop of 29% from 2015 for CBS. Last year’s TNF opener on CBS and the NFL Network, who were showing the game last night too, went on to score a franchise high of 21.8 million viewers when the final numbers came in.
Last night’s 8PM NFL Thursday Night Kickoff (2.4/10) show declined 27% from last year…being down double digits year-to-year can’t feel like a small thing…
No doubt. In what universe can you say that double-digit losses compared with last year are good? Rob Lowe’s suggestion was right on the money. If players do not want to stand during the National Anthem, just let them stay in the locker room for a few extra minutes. It is an easy, reasonable fix, and with ratings down MORE THAN 25%, it is an inexpensive fix.
The NFL has a problem. For years, they have tried to cater to everyone, including the NAACP, and now, by default, movements like #BLM – Black Lives Matter.
You cannot please everyone. With the majority of Americans upset about the National Anthem issue, someone needs to make a bold, or even a “behind the scenes,” decision. The NFL Commissioner should fix or hide this problem and move on.
Of course, College Football appears to be as popular and exciting as ever. College coaches line up and teach their kids American values. Perhaps the NFL should pay attention and follow suit?
Americans have spoken. What do you plan to do about it, NFL?