Fewer NFL Viewers Force TV Networks to Give Away Ads
- NFL ratings fall 14 percent among 18-to-49-year old viewers
- Presidential debate, weak matchups blamed for rating declines
Captains of the San Francisco 49ers and the Dallas Cowboys stand at midfield for the coin flip prior to a game in Santa Clara, California, on Oct. 2, 2016
Photographer: Michael Zagaris/Getty ImagesTV networks are giving away more commercial time this NFL season than a year ago to make up for one of the worst ratings declines in a decade, a rare sign of weakness for the biggest draw on television.
In September, as the presidential election diverted viewers to cable news outlets, viewership of the NFL’s prime-time games dropped 14 percent from a year earlier among the coveted 18-to-49-year-old demographic, according to a Bloomberg Intelligence analysis of Nielsen data. Ratings for CBS’s Thursday night games fell 15 percent, NBC’s Sunday night games slid 12 percent and ESPN’s “Monday Night Football” plunged 16 percent.