What's new
Fantasy Football - Footballguys Forums

This is a sample guest message. Register a free account today to become a member! Once signed in, you'll be able to participate on this site by adding your own topics and posts, as well as connect with other members through your own private inbox!

NFL viewership off 11% YOY (1 Viewer)

We also have a skewed demographic at FBG.  Namely middle aged white males, probably with children.  Ten years ago many of didn't have children, nor the responsibilities that go along with being middle aged (sandwich generation, etc.).  One (probable) issue is that the NFL isn't attracting the same number of younger (18-25 y.o.) that the did a decade ago.  I'd like to see those numbers.  18-25 y.o. that move from casual (or non) viewers to die hard fans.  I bet that conversion rate has dropped a bunch.

 
The Z Machine said:
We also have a skewed demographic at FBG.  Namely middle aged white males, probably with children.  Ten years ago many of didn't have children, nor the responsibilities that go along with being middle aged (sandwich generation, etc.).  One (probable) issue is that the NFL isn't attracting the same number of younger (18-25 y.o.) that the did a decade ago.  I'd like to see those numbers.  18-25 y.o. that move from casual (or non) viewers to die hard fans.  I bet that conversion rate has dropped a bunch.
Click to expand...
That's a good point.  When I went from a casual to die hard fan it was prior to the internet - what else was there for a non-churchgoing person to do on Sundays?

 
Slapdash said:
"Now let's show you Mike Perierra's face to talk about his stupid opinion of that review"
Click to expand...
As useless as it is there's a worse one.  One of the networks has Jay Feeley there to bring in for any particular kicking things that might come up.  Really?????

 
I have no idea why its an 11% overall drop.  I'm sure most of us here are watching nearly the same amount, we are dedicated sports watchers for the most part.  I think there are several things driving casual fans away.

1.  The Kaep thing.  My mom, not really a sports fan but knows NFL teams and normally watches casually, has refused to watch this year because of this protest.

2.  Ray Rice, Ray Lewis, other thugs.  A few coworkers were really upset about the Rice thing and others with thug behavior.  This again turned off casual fans.

3.  Player Safety.  Player safety and all that goes with it means fewer moms are letting kids play and in turn they aren't watching.  This will have a long lasting impact and drive kids and families to other sports.

4.  Alternatives.  People are watching more streaming and don't care to watch NFL w/ commercials.

 
I don't enjoy the game as much now that defenses are not allowed to hit. I still watch at the same level as I always have, but I wouldn't be surprised if others have stopped because of this.

 
I don't understand not watching because of player safety. Did it really come as a surprise to some people that these guys are destroying their bodies/minds for our entertainment and for their bank accounts? 

 
Rick James said:
I don't enjoy the game as much now that defenses are not allowed to hit. I still watch at the same level as I always have, but I wouldn't be surprised if others have stopped because of this.
Click to expand...
Do defensive players even want to hit hard anymore?  I'm sure some do, but as a whole I imagine they would rather simply make tackles and keep playing to collect millions of dollars later.

 
cstu said:
Do defensive players even want to hit hard anymore?  I'm sure some do, but as a whole I imagine they would rather simply make tackles and keep playing to collect millions of dollars later.
Click to expand...
Opposite. Seems like tons of defensive players are looking for highlight hits to the extent their technique is so bad they're missing more tackles than they used to. I have no data to back that up, just an anecdotal observation.

 
Last edited by a moderator:
cstu said:
Do defensive players even want to hit hard anymore?  I'm sure some do, but as a whole I imagine they would rather simply make tackles and keep playing to collect millions of dollars later.
Click to expand...
It's not even that. I'm talking about plays that used to be routine. "Bang-bang" plays, to steal a baseball term, almost always reward the offense. A DE hits the QB a millisecond after the throws the ball = flag 85% of the time now. A DB creams a WR and breaks up a would-be first down = flag. It's frustrating to watch.

 
Last edited by a moderator:
Cliff Clavin said:
I don't understand not watching because of player safety. Did it really come as a surprise to some people that these guys are destroying their bodies/minds for our entertainment and for their bank accounts? 
Click to expand...
I've stopped watching not because of player safety, but because of the charade the NFL is putting on to make it look like they care about player safety when all they care about is their culpability. In doing so, they've turned to game into an over-officiated, unwatchable mess.

Helmet to helmet hits, defenseless receivers, tapping the QB on the head penalties that are called are all to often awful interpretations of the rule's apparent intent, and those impact the outcome of the game so frequently it becomes maddening.

I want to watch the players determine that outcome, not the stripes. I don't always blame the officials for making the calls that they do because of the speed of the game. They are put in a near impossible position, but when these calls are so important to who's winning and who's losing each contest, they need to be reviewable.

And then the vicious circle begins because the last thing I want to do is watch an official look at a replay.

 
I have a really hard time watching live games.  I can watch redzone, but live games with so many commercials is just maddening. 

In fact, my kids (11,12) look at football the way I looked at baseball when I was their age.  It's too boring, not enough action always stopping and starting, too many commercials etc..

 
Rick James said:
It's not even that. I'm talking about plays that used to be routine. "Bang-bang" plays, to steal a baseball term, almost always reward the offense. A DE hits the QB a millisecond after the throws the ball = flag 85% of the time now. A DB creams a WR and breaks up a would-be first down = flag. It's frustrating to watch.
Click to expand...
That call is the 'steroids' of football now, making defensive players a little more hesitant going after the QB.

 
Watching a Soccer match is a breath of fresh air compared to NFL/CFB. You know that you're committed for 90 minutes, no commercials, no frills...just action. It's a really pleasant viewing experience.

 
Rick James said:
Watching a Soccer match is a breath of fresh air compared to NFL/CFB. You know that you're committed for 90 minutes, no commercials, no frills...just action. It's a really pleasant viewing experience.
Click to expand...
I have found myself watching a lot more soccer, hockey, and a few other sports over the last few years.  A lot more action and bang for your time than watching football. 

 
Cliff Clavin said:
I don't understand not watching because of player safety. Did it really come as a surprise to some people that these guys are destroying their bodies/minds for our entertainment and for their bank accounts? 
Click to expand...
I don't understand not watching because a  couple dudes kneel during a song. 

 
Brady Marino said:
- Fumble - review to see who recovered - commercial - verdict of review - commercial - next drive - INT - review of INT to see if it hit the ground - commercial - verdict on INT - accidentally start next drive before commercial - field goal - commercial - kickoff - commercial - next drive leads 3rd and 1 at the goal line - two-minute warning - commercial - running back fumbles at goal line - review of fumble - commercial - verdict of fumble - timeout - commercial - kicker getting ready for game-tying fieldgoal - timeout to ice kicker - commercial - another timeout to ice kicker - commercial - did kicker actually kick through uprights...review - commercial - verdict of review - going to OT - commercial.

:tfp:  
Click to expand...
EXACTLY 

 
Rick James said:
Watching a Soccer match is a breath of fresh air compared to NFL/CFB. You know that you're committed for 90 minutes, no commercials, no frills...just action. It's a really pleasant viewing experience.
Click to expand...
This is not why I first like watching soccer but as commercials interruptions begin to completely overwhelm some other sports, I am more than happy to have the players wear what ever sponsorship on the jersey's that is necessary to keep soccer games at exactly 2 hours including pregame and half time.

 
Thursday games every week killed it for me. Made fantasy a grind, there's poor play and seems like more injuries, would Watt have reinjured his back so soon if he hadn't had to play a Thursday night game and had a full week instead? Who knows. Then they went and added double header MNF, and international games on at the butt crack of dawn, oversaturated.

Aside from that, many of the same reasons others mentioned, too many commercials - I just DVR games and fast forward through the tons of commercials, half-time, etc. Saves me a ton of time instead of spending a full 3 hours watching a game.

 
One other thing that is interesting is the popularity of FIFA and the bland Madden reception.  Young kids play FIFA at a much higher rate.  FIFA has been exploding so much their sales were doubling every two years.  They outsold Madden by 3-1 in 2014, I would expect it to be closer to 5 or 6 to 1 this year.  The young people have soccer and basketball ahead of football in popularity and it's not close.  Both of those games offer things NFL does not.  Soccer has no commercial breaks and basketball is more fast paced. 

 
Rick James said:
Watching a Soccer match is a breath of fresh air compared to NFL/CFB. You know that you're committed for 90 minutes, no commercials, no frills...just action. It's a really pleasant viewing experience.
Click to expand...
I've found that what is really starting to get to me during NFL games isn't just the actual commercials, but the inbetween-plays-advertising. 

"Second and 10, McCoy up the middle for 4 yards, and it'll be 3rd and 6.  This Wednesday, check out Wednesday's hottest new show, Kevin Can Wait, starring Kevin James!  9 PM, only on CBS.  3rd and 6 for the Bills upcoming..."

 
Cliff Clavin said:
I don't understand not watching because of player safety. Did it really come as a surprise to some people that these guys are destroying their bodies/minds for our entertainment and for their bank accounts? 
Click to expand...
It's only recently that the research has come out (or been publicized) to such a degree that you can't stick your head in the sand about it anymore. I certainly had a general sense that playing wasn't good for you, but the effects seem much more concrete now. To illustrate the point, my parents weren't thrilled about me playing football 20 years ago but left that choice up to me- knowing what we know now, there's no way my kids will be playing. 

That said, not sure how much that is affecting viewership in the short run. Seems like people watch a lot more overtly violent sports like boxing and MMA, but maybe concussions are turning people off at the margins. 

 
dschuler said:
One other thing that is interesting is the popularity of FIFA and the bland Madden reception.  Young kids play FIFA at a much higher rate.  FIFA has been exploding so much their sales were doubling every two years.  They outsold Madden by 3-1 in 2014, I would expect it to be closer to 5 or 6 to 1 this year.  The young people have soccer and basketball ahead of football in popularity and it's not close.  Both of those games offer things NFL does not.  Soccer has no commercial breaks and basketball is more fast paced. 
Click to expand...
I bought Madden 16 after several years of not buying any football game.  You have to endure about five minutes of Beckham Jr. dancing on the screen before it lets you select any mode.  Not worth my time, that sucks

 
There are ten commercial breaks per half.  Never more, never less.   There is always a commercial at the end of the quarter and the two minute warning.  If there is a sequence with a lot of commercial breaks, you will get commerical free football for the end of the half.  If they use up the 10 and a team calls timeout, then they will make it a 30 second timeout.  

Its been like this for several years so I don't see why this by itself would cause viewership to be down this year.

 
Last edited by a moderator:
Thorpe said:
There are ten commercial breaks per half.  Never more, never less.   There is always a commercial at the end of the quarter and the two minute warning.  If there is a sequence with a lot of commercial breaks, you will get commerical free football for the end of the half.  If they use up the 10 and a team calls timeout, then they will make it a 30 second timeout.  

Its been like this for several years so I don't see why this by itself would cause viewership to be down this year.
Click to expand...
Dude, I've seen close to ten commercial breaks in the last few minutes of a half, let alone a quarter, let alone a half.  

 
Thorpe said:
There are ten commercial breaks per half.  Never more, never less.   There is always a commercial at the end of the quarter and the two minute warning.  If there is a sequence with a lot of commercial breaks, you will get commerical free football for the end of the half.  If they use up the 10 and a team calls timeout, then they will make it a 30 second timeout.  

Its been like this for several years so I don't see why this by itself would cause viewership to be down this year.
Click to expand...
I think when you start watching other sports, even the amount of commercials that NFL has is horrible by comparison.  I really interrupts the flow of the game.  Also, how long are the breaks, 3mins or so?  That is 30 mins of commercials for a 1/2 of football.  That is 1/3 of the viewing there.  Plus, as others have said, it's not just the breaks - you have the commentators mentioning shows, etc.. 

Also, is that mandatory commercial breaks are 10, but they will still take more with injuries, TOs, etc..?

 
Has there been a single kickoff return TD all season?

Gonna need more of those, they should count as like 12 points since they're basically becoming extinct.

 
Last edited by a moderator:
Andy Dufresne said:
Stop flexing after every routine play.

Defenders are SUPPOSED to make tackles.

Receivers are SUPPOSED to catch balls. D-backs are SUPPOSED to prevent them.

Running backs are SUPPOSED to gain yards.

I get it, bro. You worked out. Now get back to the huddle.
Click to expand...
Don't forget laying on the ground banging your fists after you miss the impossible to catch ball, or the looking for a flag after every missed catch or any time you get hit.  They are making soccer stars jealous of the level of flopping and acting going on.  ;)

 
I thought this was a mind blowing stat (in bold) from a couple of years ago.

=================

http://qz.com/150577/an-average-nfl-game-more-than-100-commercials-and-just-11-minutes-of-play/

An average professional football game lasts 3 hours and 12 minutes, but if you tally up the time when the ball is actually in play, the action amounts to a mere 11 minutes.  The 11 minutes of action was famously calculated a few years ago by the Wall Street Journal. Its analysis found that an average NFL broadcast spent more time on replays (17 minutes) than live play. 

 
fantasycurse42 said:
Has there been a single kickoff return TD all season?

Gonna need more of those, they should count as like 12 points since they're basically becoming extinct.
Click to expand...
They said during the Bills game this past Sunday that there hadn't been one yet this year.

 
Slapdash said:
I bought Madden 16 after several years of not buying any football game.  You have to endure about five minutes of Beckham Jr. dancing on the screen before it lets you select any mode.  Not worth my time, that sucks
Click to expand...
Almost the same experience I had this past week with Madden 17 only with the Gronk intro. JFC there are hoops to jump through to play that game. I think it's a ploy to get kids off of gaming; make it unbearable to get to the actual game play.

 
NewlyRetired said:
I thought this was a mind blowing stat (in bold) from a couple of years ago.

=================

http://qz.com/150577/an-average-nfl-game-more-than-100-commercials-and-just-11-minutes-of-play/

An average professional football game lasts 3 hours and 12 minutes, but if you tally up the time when the ball is actually in play, the action amounts to a mere 11 minutes.  The 11 minutes of action was famously calculated a few years ago by the Wall Street Journal. Its analysis found that an average NFL broadcast spent more time on replays (17 minutes) than live play. 
Click to expand...
Neat "sport"

 
NewlyRetired said:
I thought this was a mind blowing stat (in bold) from a couple of years ago.

=================

http://qz.com/150577/an-average-nfl-game-more-than-100-commercials-and-just-11-minutes-of-play/

An average professional football game lasts 3 hours and 12 minutes, but if you tally up the time when the ball is actually in play, the action amounts to a mere 11 minutes.  The 11 minutes of action was famously calculated a few years ago by the Wall Street Journal. Its analysis found that an average NFL broadcast spent more time on replays (17 minutes) than live play. 
Click to expand...
Yeah, that's pretty nuts   

I remember seeing a video of a recent Super Bowl that just had the football plays, and I think it was less than 15mins.  Really struck home how much down time there is in football. 

But if we didn't get all the replays, I would miss out on the exiting pylon-cam shots!!

 
The Gator said:
Slapdash said:
I bought Madden 16 after several years of not buying any football game.  You have to endure about five minutes of Beckham Jr. dancing on the screen before it lets you select any mode.  Not worth my time, that sucks
Click to expand...
Almost the same experience I had this past week with Madden 17 only with the Gronk intro. JFC there are hoops to jump through to play that game. I think it's a ploy to get kids off of gaming; make it unbearable to get to the actual game play.
Click to expand...
Thanks for letting me know I shouldn't buy this version either.  Don't get it at all

Of course Gronk > OBJ

 
Slapdash said:
Thanks for letting me know I shouldn't buy this version either.  Don't get it at all

Of course Gronk > OBJ
Click to expand...
Because every business associated with the NFL has to be greedy as all ####, the continued ramming of Ultimate Team (where you spend real money to buy packs of cards with limited use...seriously, people fall for this ####) down your throat is still there, too.

 
I enjoy Madden 17, but it was the first version I've paid for in a few years.  The into screen doesn't bug me because I rarely close the app, just put my PS4 into rest mode.  

I haven't really messed w/ MUT.  I just play franchise.

 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

Big League Chew
  • Locked
*** OFFICIAL *** COVID-19 CoronaVirus Thread. Fresh epidemic fears as child pneumonia cases surge in Europe after China outbreak. NOW in USA
1399 1400 1401
Replies
70K
Views
3M
Joe Bryant
Joe Bryant
Jobber
Foxconn Considering $7BN Factory in US
2
Replies
90
Views
4K
Fantasy_Freak
F
T
Juicero, or Silicon Valley is Beyond Parody
Replies
21
Views
1K
rockaction
rockaction

Users who are viewing this thread

Total: 1 (members: 0, guests: 1)
Back
Top