Some facts on viewership of sports this year

[radecicco]

A long article. Scroll down to the section on Factors and read from there.

TV Ratings for Many Sports Are Down. Don’t Read Too Much Into It Yet. (Published 2020)

Incomplete data, a variety of new factors and an odd 2020 mean it’s way too early to know why Americans are watching less of some of the most popular leagues.

www.nytimes.com

 

[NYShoreGuy]

A long article. Scroll down to the section on Factors and read from there.

TV Ratings for Many Sports Are Down. Don’t Read Too Much Into It Yet. (Published 2020)

Incomplete data, a variety of new factors and an odd 2020 mean it’s way too early to know why Americans are watching less of some of the most popular leagues.

www.nytimes.com

This is a restricted wall article

 

[radecicco]

Didn’t realize that. Key to the article is that all sports suffered viewer declines due to a variety of factors. No one factor drove the NBA and NFL ratings down.

 

[mikewalsh]

Who on God's green earth trusts any poll at this point? I'm shocked that the WSJ finds little to no connection between the protests and declining viewership - LOL!!! When the NBA publicly announces that social messaging will be prohibited next season, logic tells me the decision was financial. Had ratings skyrocketed this year the WSJ would attribute it to social messaging.

 

[SHUSA]

Who on God's green earth trusts any poll at this point? I'm shocked that the WSJ finds little to no connection between the protests and declining viewership - LOL!!! When the NBA publicly announces that social messaging will be prohibited next season, logic tells me the decision was financial. Had ratings skyrocketed this year the WSJ would attribute it to social messaging.

logic says theyre going back to the same format they always had for 80 years. personal agenda is that protests caused decline in viewership in the face of a patchwork season, competition (this is the big one for any one with half a brain), no fans, no juice, bball and hockey in july, and standard decline of cord cutting and media shifts.

took all of 2 mins for someone on this board to throw a tantrum when their sworn narrative is again proven false. only viable explanation is that everything in the world suffered from a blm patch or a different name on the jersey. end of days!! its going to ruin shu too!! cant go a day without someone trying to shoe horn the narrative. the messages were a temporary thing from the start for this weird season but shhh cover your ears on that one.

ill make a list of people like mikewalsh. they better not have any comments on the shu games. theres no way they will allow themselves to tune in with blm patches. better not see it.

 

[radecicco]

Who on God's green earth trusts any poll at this point? I'm shocked that the WSJ finds little to no connection between the protests and declining viewership - LOL!!! When the NBA publicly announces that social messaging will be prohibited next season, logic tells me the decision was financial. Had ratings skyrocketed this year the WSJ would attribute it to social messaging.

C’mon. All sports were down— MLB, NHL, MLS. Did you read the article? BTW, the article was from the NYT. This fact will probably send you further off the deep end.

 

[SHUHoopsFan]

People were deprived with no sports for 4 months. Once sports came back I would think that would increase viewership as we all had experienced life without sports for the first time ever.

 

[NYShoreGuy]

People were deprived with no sports for 4 months. Once sports came back I would think that would increase viewership as we all had experienced life without sports for the first time ever.

This may not age well but i am sure a younger demo consumes content on devices vs cable and tv...it will be interesting how leagues and production folk pivot in the next decade etc...nfl plans to have a week 15 or 16 game on amazon exclusive although i believe by fcc mandate an over the air broadcaster in each teams home market has to carry the game....while viewership may have slid, these events still get signigicant consumption.

 

[The SHUttle]

Oh good, another thread on this.

 

[shu09]

Oh good, another thread on this.

Between this and the Giants/Jets threads, it's like groundhog day on this site lately.

 

[deheremike]

Exactly, it should have been the highest rated ever......instead the sports world allowed the outside world to destroy the oasis of the sporting arenas....

People were deprived with no sports for 4 months. Once sports came back I would think that would increase viewership as we all had experienced life without sports for the first time ever.

 

[radecicco]

Outside world in MLB, NHL, MLS?

 

[dehere23]

C’mon. All sports were down— MLB, NHL, MLS. Did you read the article? BTW, the article was from the NYT. This fact will probably send you further off the deep end.

I heard Bill Simmons and Jackie MacMullan discussing this topic this week as it relates to the NBA specifically. Like him or not, Simmons is connected. And obviously MacMullan is as well. Both were supporters of what the NBA and players decided to do re: social justice. Both also said that it no doubt had a negative impact on ratings. There were other factors too - the time of year the games were held, especially the latter part running up against football. Also the election-season. But they said the NBA recognizes the negative impact the BLM and other stuff had on the audience, which is why you’ve already read stuff from Silver about toning it down or eliminating the visibility next year. You can support what the players/league did but also recognize it was one factor that hurt ratings.

 

[hallstorm]

I find it really funny that a few posters say that sports suck because there is no crowd and therefore the atmosphere watching games sucks. The same posters will then say since BLM patches came out it has to be that factor that is why everyone decided not to watch.

Agendas, agendas. Whatever supports a theory to make you look right. Cracks me up.

 

[HALL85]

I find it really funny that a few posters say that sports suck because there is no crowd and therefore the atmosphere watching games sucks. The same posters will then say since BLM patches came out it has to be that factor that is why everyone decided not to watch.

Agendas, agendas. Whatever supports a theory to make you look right. Cracks me up.

I think it’s realistic to say that there are a number of reasons why viewership is down across the board and for each specific sport. Stub seasons, no fans, BLM/virtue signaling, out of season, competing with other sports, etc. They have had a cumulative effect.

To be honest, I thought viewership for all sports would be up considering we went essentially five months without anything. And there has been very little competing content in terms of new shows or movies.

 

[deheremike]

Outside world in MLB, NHL, MLS?

Yes, The NHL didnt play one day and even had players kneel during the US anthem, but did not kneel during the Canadian Anthem. Total and utter crap. Sort of like the NFL players that didn't kneel during the Black National Anthem, but did during Star Spangled Banner. Just be equal in your kneeling and all will be well.

 

[SHUisNJsTeam]

Yes, The NHL didnt play one day and even had players kneel during the US anthem, but did not kneel during the Canadian Anthem. Total and utter crap. Sort of like the NFL players that didn't kneel during the Black National Anthem, but did during Star Spangled Banner. Just be equal in your kneeling and all will be well.

The United States of America has ONLY ONE National Anthem!

 

[dehere23]

I find it really funny that a few posters say that sports suck because there is no crowd and therefore the atmosphere watching games sucks. The same posters will then say since BLM patches came out it has to be that factor that is why everyone decided not to watch.

Agendas, agendas. Whatever supports a theory to make you look right. Cracks me up.

To be clear, I’ve watched all sports since they resumed. I actually watched more NBA than ever because of the pandemic, and I thought the playoffs were awesome. So if you’re referring to my post, you’re wrong. I have no agenda on this. I was just pointing out what two of the biggest and most informed NBA commentators said this week on a podcast that I heard. Two people who love the NBA as much as anyone, are clearly “in the know” and supported the social justice stuff.

 

[TheHall87]

Anybody who says BLM is the only reason NBA ratings were down doesn't know what they're talking about. Plain and simple.

Was it a factor? Absolutely. Was it the main factor? Maybe, but that's debatable. The NHL Stanley Cup Final ratings were down 61% year over year. It doesn't take a genius to know the television landscape is much different in early to mid June than it is in mid to late September and early October.

WWE saw the ratings for its Monday and Friday shows decline steeply in the spring which is typically the time of year they draw the most viewers. Monday ratings especially always dip between September and January because of Monday Night Football and they did again this year even with a diminished audience. For whatever reason wrestling fans turned away from the program in droves in the spring and the numbers haven't recovered.