https://finance.yahoo.com/news/tough-start-nfl-season-ratings-13-week-1-145729365.html

Nielsen had to delay its release of the television ratings for Week 1 of the new NFL season due to Hurricane Irma. Now the Week 1 ratings are out—and they aren’t good.

Sunday Night Football between the Dallas Cowboys and New York Giants was the only slot in which viewership rose compared to last year; every other slot was down double digits.

Overall, Week 1 ratings, excluding Monday Night Football, fell 13% from a year ago. (MNF ratings are still delayed, though initial reports expect them to be down vs last year.)

Sunday’s afternoon games did the worst: regional games on CBS fell 17%, regional games on Fox fell 28%, and the Sunday afternoon national game on Fox fell 17%.

It was a “tough start for the NFL,” UBS analysts wrote in a research note on Thursday.

UBS ascribes some of the decline to Hurricane Irma. Cable news networks saw an 8.5 million-person spike in viewership during the hurricane, more than double the decline NFL viewers. Many people that would have been watching football may have been watching news. The ‘cable news distraction’ was also the reasoning the NFL used last season for its ratings decline at that time, amidst the election.

It’s worth noting that on the same weekend, the Stephen King clown movie “It” was smashing box office records, which may call into question the notion that the NFL ratings dip is strictly from hurricane coverage.

UBS cautions that, “it will likely take several weeks of data to gauge the health of the NFL this season… Certainly, if this pace of decline continues, we would consider it quite bearish for media.”

Ljl at blaming a rain storm and some faggy clown movie

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=3731830&forum_id=2#34210394)

Feels weird cuz I'm still shackled to my Packer fandom but I'd kinda enjoy it if the NFL completely collapsed due to shitlibs

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=3731830&forum_id=2#34210413)

I'll still watch my team but I hope this faggot league fails

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=3731830&forum_id=2#34210522)

*ignores entirety of industry *

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=3731830&forum_id=2#34236154)

Plus, you know that (say) the University of TTTexas is not going to move to Los Angeles in search of a better media market.

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=3731830&forum_id=2#34236633)

-More people are cutting the cord or even doing without TV entirely; this depresses ratings even if people are still using streams and the like.

-The country is getting more Hispanic and Asian and they seem less interested in football overall compared to blacks/whites.

-Fantasy football's popularity has plateaued, and may be in decline now.

-The political shit

-Concussions making the whole sport seem morally dubious, and the league's poor treatment of ex-players making them look bad.

-High-profile off the field drama involving suspensions, player violence, etc.

-Moving teams and alienating fans in the process

-Excessive advertising

-Crackdowns on big hits

-Rule changes favoring the passing game have made offenses more powerful in general, but have also reduced parity, because teams without a top QB are hopeless and kinda miserable to watch.

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=3731830&forum_id=2#34236297)