NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell shrugged off declining television ratings, saying the league’s games resulted in some of the highest-rated shows in 2017.
“We always want ratings to go up, but we’re 37 of the top 50 shows, which is higher than ever,” Goodell told a small group of reporters shortly before the Jacksonville Jaguars’ playoff game versus the Buffalo Bills on Sunday, according to ESPN Opens a New Window.. “We’re likely to be the No. 1 show on Fox—excuse me on all of television, the Fox Sunday afternoon game. Sunday night, prime time is for the seventh year in a row the No. 1 show. Thursday night football is No. 2.”
Television viewership declined nearly 10% across all networks during the 2016-2017 regular season, according to data from Nielsen, while an average NFL game was watched by 1.6 million fewer people in 2017 versus the prior year— an overall decline from 16.5 million to 14.9 million, according to ESPN. Ratings saw a similar decline last season, falling 8%, the sports network reported. Still, 20 of the 30 top-rated shows on television last year were NFL games, according to Nielsen data. (FOX BUSINESS)
[divider][/divider]NFL players’ National Anthem protests and domestic abuse scandals, and injuries from concussions, appear to explain the drop in U.S. football viewership popularity, Gallup reported Thursday.
In its latest survey of U.S. adults, Gallup finds that the percent of Americans calling football their favorite sport to watch has fallen to 37%, down from its last reading of 39% in 2013.
Football’s viewer popularity is also down from its peak of 43% of Americans in 2006 and 2007 who cited football as their favorite viewer sport. (CNS NEWS)
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