re: For all the griping about how much NFL has changed, when do ratings drop?

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The article explains why

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Not really, people were not that interested

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more people actually tuned in at its peak.

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congrats, more people watched the last few minutes

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I guess it was that difficult for you.

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Nope, but BOTH games were down and you continue to focus on only the "peak" of one game. I also linked where local viewership has dropped from the previous season. From 2013 to 2014 season viewership dropped by 0.9%, while ever so slight it was a drop. 4
Pro-Bowl viewership continues to drop, NFL draft viewership has dropped... Now is it a trend or a one year blip, we will find out this year. If the numbers dip again then it could be a trend happening.

If we can say MLB is on a downtrend due to ratings, despite local ratings and attendance numbers, then the same argument can be made for football.

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but the closer the game got to being catered to the fantasy football crowd, the less I cared.

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:rimshot:

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Not really, people were not that interested

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No, it literally did

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Nope, but BOTH games were down and you continue to focus on only the "peak" of one game. I also linked where local viewership has dropped from the previous season. From 2013 to 2014 season viewership dropped by 0.9%, while ever so slight it was a drop. 4
Pro-Bowl viewership continues to drop, NFL draft viewership has dropped... Now is it a trend or a one year blip, we will find out this year. If the numbers dip again then it could be a trend happening.

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And the local viewership was down the year before that too. From 27.8 to 27.4 then 28.5...

Also, NFL ratings haven't gone down chief. Super Bowl viewership was up, the regular season viewership was up to 17.6 million viewers per telecast, divisional rounds were up with the cowboys game being the most watched one ever (just 1 week before too)

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NFL games accounted for the top 20, and 45 of the 50 most-watched TV shows among all programming last fall (chart below).

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Five NFL game telecasts this season were watched by at least 29 million viewers, up from just one in the 2013 season.

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· FOX’s Thanksgiving Day Game (Eagles-Cowboys) was the most-watched show of the fall season with 32.0 million viewers, and the 2014 Thanksgiving Day average of 28.4 million viewers was the highest Thanksgiving Day average since 1998 (29.7 million for Steelers-Lions and Vikings-Cowboys).

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· The Week 8 Redskins-Cowboys game on ESPN averaged 18.8 million viewers, making it the most-watched Monday Night Football game since 2010 and the fourth most-watched Monday Night Football game on ESPN of all time.

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hmmm


LINK

LINK

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The NFL won't be the same in 20 years.

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No doubt. It wasn't the same 20 years ago, or 20 years before that. But today, the league is more popular than ever. And I see no reason not to expect that trend to continue. Yes, some rule changes may have a slight negative effect entertainment-wise, but they're in the interest of player safety. I think most people are willing to accept that trade-off.

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I agree with the waning talent pool.

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Not sure what league you're watching on Sundays. The athletes are bigger, faster, stronger, better trained, and better coached than ever. I mean, there are high school recruiting services now, and elite football camps for kids of all ages. There may or may not be fewer kids choosing to play football (I honestly don't know), but the quality of athletes making it to the NFL is only going up IMO.

First of all, good post.

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The 70's 80's and early 90s were the best of the NFL.

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I can't really argue. I didn't watch football in the 70s and 80s.

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The game is too structured.

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Personally, I love the structure and timing of NFL games.

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Too many commercials

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True. But I just change the channel to another game or another TV show during commercials. They're not so numerous as to make me dislike the games. The on-the-field product is excellent.

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QB play is horrendous after the top 12-15

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Has there ever been an era in the NFL when that wasn't the case? Genuine question. Doubtful. I mean, half of all NFL starting QBs are in the bottom 50% .

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No running game anymore... Its too pass happy.

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Granted, there is more passing today. Some think that's a good thing, some don't. I prefer the running game myself. But just because the league is more passing-oriented now doesn't diminish the importance of a good running game. A strong running game is vital to NFL success, regardless of how good your passing game is.

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The SB has lost its luster from days gone by

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I disagree. Last year's Super Bowl is one of the three most exciting SBs I've ever watched, and I've watched about 25.

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Guys switching teams at an alarming rate

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I agree with you there. Wish the league would do something to curb that.

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the players just don't care like they used too.

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I think you're way off base with that one. Just look at the emotion from some of last year's playoff games, including the Super Bowl. Grown men crying, screaming for joy, etc. Those guys are leaving it all out there. It means a lot to them. Sure, there are exceptions, but generally speaking it means a lot to them.

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This has more to do with the ESPN product being shitty IMO

I'm the same. After bountygate I was pretty much done with the NFL and ESPN. I will only follow the Saints. English Premier League Soccer is much more entertaining g to me. F the NFL.

It's not as good of a game as it once was but it's still better than any other professional sport by a wide margin.

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This has more to do with the ESPN product being shitty IMO

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Has more to do with 4 channel options vs. 400