NFL Kickoff Ratings Down 16.1% From 2019

The NFL should probably consider this a win, considering how many of their main consumer base said would not watch

NFL ratings: Initial results show decline for K.C.-Houston kickoff game

The initial wave of NFL ratings for Thursday night’s season kickoff have arrived, and the preliminary numbers are down for the NFL. However, the event was the most-watched sporting event since the Super Bowl, and only the second show since the Super Bowl to exceed 20 million viewers. (The Academy Awards in February averaged 23.9 million.)

According to Deadline, the Kansas City-Houston game initially rated a 5.2 among adults 18-49, the key demographic for advertisers, and boasted a preliminary total of 16.4 million viewers. At the moment — ratings are adjusted upward as more reports roll in — that’s a 16.1 percent drop from last year’s kickoff between the Green Bay Packers and Chicago Bears.

As more numbers came in Friday afternoon, NBC reported a total audience of 20.3 million viewers, down from last year’s 22 million in the same timeslot. Overall, the game averaged a nationwide rating of 11.2/23, down from last year’s 12.8/26.

Remember, the Packers-Bears game itself was down, as were ratings last year.

Critics of the league will point to the NFL’s newfound social justice activism as the reason for the decline. While that may be true, ratings are an inexact science, capable of detecting action but not motivation. Possible reasons for the initial decline include:

Yeah, they offer Reasons, the first which is the social justice activism. And there being no preseason. Doubtful on that one. And competition from the NBA and Stanley Cup Finals. And a tennis match. Yeah, if you’re throwing a tennis match as a Reason, it’s BS. This is the NFL. It should do well, if they weren’t killing their brand and driving away their primary consumer base. Then we get

Sports fatigue: Ratings for all sports, not just politically active ones, are down across the board. The twin societal hurricanes of a pandemic and racial protests have forced sports into a secondary role. Ongoing wildfires on the West Coast are a far more pressing concern to millions than whether Patrick Mahomes has a good day passing. It’s tough to relax with football when the world is crushing down on you.

Could it be that ratings are down because of the virtue signaling, calling the majority of people who watch them racists?

Few outside-the-home options: Ratings as of this season will begin including outside-the-home viewing. But with most bars and restaurants still closed, the opportunities for watching outside the home are slim.

Oh, please, it was pretty much available to most people with a TV.

The matchup: Multiple television ratings experts contacted by Yahoo Sports noted that the most important factor controlling NFL ratings isn’t politics or competition, it’s matchups. A good matchup between marquee teams will carry the day, and from that standpoint, Thursday night wasn’t a powerhouse showdown. The Chiefs are now one of the league’s top draws, but the Texans have struggled to draw attention on the national stage. They struggled on the field, too, falling behind 31-7 before losing 34-20.

Again, oh, please. It’s not like it was the Redskins playing the Giants, two bad teams.

That’s an article from 2013, but, it still applies. The main viewership of the NFL was Republican voters. And ones who are more likely to turn out to vote. It wasn’t that big among Democrats, like the NBA. They’re driving away that viewership, and it will be interesting to see the results of the season. Advertisers haven’t moved on yet, but, if ratings are way down, why pay top dollar for ads?

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22 Responses to “NFL Kickoff Ratings Down 16.1% From 2019”

  1. formwiz says:

    Down is the operative word.

    You don’t diss the fans.

    Call it the Ditzy Twits Law.

  2. Joe says:

    “Ongoing wildfires on the West Coast”, Nice try. The largest fire in the states history is only 8 miles away from us. Nobody on my crew watched football. They were hard core NFL last year. I sat through a re run of Law and Order and the Larry the Cable Guy movie, Delta Farce.

  3. Elwood P. Dowd says:

    NFL Kickoff Ratings Down 16.1% From 2019

    But if you read the article it says 20.3 million/22 million x 100 = 92.3%

    100 – 92.3 = 7.7%

    So ratings were down 7.7%, not 16.1%.

    Also, the event was the most-watched sporting event since the Super Bowl, and only the second show since the Super Bowl to exceed 20 million viewers.

    Given the pandemic, unemployment, no advertising run-up to the game, a drop of 7.7% is not much is it, since according to TEACH nearly all the NFL fans are pissed that black Americans are demanding equal rights. Are you claiming that 92.3% of Republicans aren’t bothered by the protests?

    Full disclosure: Although the Chiefs are my favorite team, and Mahomes my favorite player, I didn’t watch because I was watching a movie and expected a blowout by the Chiefs.

    • Kye says:

      Elwood, do you really believe that black Americans don’t have equal rights? Did we not pass several Civil Rights Bills, an Equal Rights Amendment and who knows how many state and federal EEOC commissions? Then exactly which “equal rights” don’t Negroes have?

      Other than they murder each other at ridiculous rates and the Democrats murder about 300,000 a year in abortion clinics they do have the same Right to Life as the rest of us do.

      Other than they commit 80% of all crime in America therefore having so many in jails and prisons, and we Republicans freed them as Democrat slaves, they do have the same Right to Liberty the rest of us have.

      And other than Democrats forcing them into shithole inner city ghettos to harvest their votes, thereby forcing them into crime, drugs and single parenthood as well as the Democrats refusing to allow vouchers to further black education whilst placing the worst teachers in inner city slum schools, they have the same Right to the Pursuit of Happiness as the rest of us.

      If there is a right they do not share Equally with YOU tell us what it is!!!!!

      Your imaginary persecution of Negroes comes from your deep down hatred of Negroes and the resulting guilt from that hate. You Democrats still believe you OWN them.

      Trump 2020 We need to Free the Negroes once again from the Democrat clutches. This time we must Free their minds!!!!

      https://i2.wp.com/www.powerlineblog.com/ed-assets/2020/09/Screen-Shot-2020-08-30-at-8.15.16-AM.png?resize=600%2C451&ssl=1

      • Elwood P. Dowd says:

        Perhaps you should ask Black Americans.

        Why do you think Black Americans prefer Democrats and hate Republicans?

        • Kye says:

          First of all, I asked you because you made the outrageous accusation. So answer the fukin question: exactly how are Negroes NOT equal to everybody else? We have laws passed by both parties to insure equality. And if you think Negroes prefer Democrats why are they burning down and looting Democrat cities? They aren’t doing that in Republican areas.

          You are a fraud and a bully just like your entire Party of soulless pigs. You prey on Negroes and treat them like they’re still you slaves. It is amazing that Negroes are so conditioned that any vote Democrat. Your party has told Negroes that you are on their side for the last 80 years. Hows that working out for the Negroes? Crime ridden Democrat cities filled with poverty, drugs and shithole living conditions. Liquor and drugs on ever corner and abortion mills killing baby blacks as fast as their spawned.

          You may fool Negroes but you don’t fool me. Now answer the fukin question.

          Trump 2020 Let’s finally get the blacks out from under the boot of the left.

          https://i2.wp.com/www.powerlineblog.com/ed-assets/2020/09/IMG_0012.jpeg?resize=487%2C600&ssl=1

        • formwiz says:

          Apparently, they don’t. About a third love Trump.

    • Jl says:

      Too funny-please inform us on what rights black Americans don’t have that whites do. Good luck

      • Elwood P. Dowd says:

        You should ask one of your Black friends.

        They might tell you that the Bill of Rights was written for white people not Black slaves. White guys can walk around carrying all kinds of guns openly. The white Kenosha killer of two people walked right past the police. Would a Black man have the same luxury? That’s a second amendment right isn’t it?

        Stop and frisk and arbitrary traffic stops and searches of cars violate rights.

        Tell me, if the Bill of Rights and Amendments 13, 14, 15 assured equal rights, why did we need Civil Rights Acts and Voting Rights Acts some 100 years later? Did those Acts finally get rid of discrimination? Why do Black neighborhoods have fewer polling places than white neighborhoods?

        • formwiz says:

          They might tell you that the Bill of Rights was written for white people not black slaves. White guys can walk around carrying all kinds of guns openly. The white Kenosha killer of two people walked right past the police. Would a black man have the same luxury? That’s a second amendment right isn’t it?

          It was written for citizens, moron.

          And young Mr Rittenhouse reported what happened to the cops.

          Stop and frisk and arbitrary traffic stops and searches of cars violate rights.

          It does? According to whom?

          Tell me, if the Bill of Rights and Amendments 13, 14, 15 assured equal rights, why did we need Civil Rights Acts and Voting Rights Acts some 100 years later?

          Because your party refused to accept the result of the Civil War, much the same as it refuses to accept the results of the ’16 election.

          Did those Acts finally get rid of discrimination? Why do Black neighborhoods have fewer polling places than white neighborhoods?

          You tell us. I thought the Voting Rights Act set aside all-black voting districts.

          Where they have 140% turnout.

          • formwiz says:

            PS The scum he shot were also white. Maybe that’s the difference.

            Of course, blacks murder blacks all the time and nobody cares.

            You certainly don’t

        • Jl says:

          So in other words you still haven’t answered the question-what rights don’t blacks have that whites have?

          • Kye says:

            That’s because he can’t. He’s stuck on the same stupid every other leftist is: blacks have the same rights everybody else has they just don’t have the same outcome in life. IOW, Elwood wants all blacks to have equal results as non- blacks and that’s impossible.

            People are individuals and they’re all different and have different attributes, abilities and defects. All whites aren’t the same either, Elwood.

            Blacks all have the same rights to achieve their potential as anybody else. Now whether or not Democrats allow them to achieve that potential is another story. As long as they are kept herded in ghettos so their votes can be harvested and they can be bought off by the soft racism of low expectations that provides generational welfare and food clothing and shelter and lousy healthcare and substandard education by their Democrat masters blacks will be no more than second class citizens. Play low class games, win low class prizes.

            When Elwood asks ” Why do Black neighborhoods have fewer polling places than white neighborhoods?” he is transferring what occurs in all black/all Democrat neighborhoods run by Democrats for 80 years to us. What do we Republicans have to do with the number of polling places the Democrats provide their constituents? Besides, most of their votes are dead or phony anyway.

            To put it succinctly, if there’s a problem with blacks voting, achieving, living, thriving or sharing in the American Dream the Democrats OWN IT since the Democrats have controlled the black inner city since before we were born.

            Frankly, as a Republican and a member of the party that freed the Democrats slaves, finally got them equal rights when the Democrats tried their best to deny them with Jim Crow, Segregation and Separate but Equal (which is now coming back this time among racist Negroes), I am tired of hearing about the non-existent plight of the American Negro that was brought on by the policies and prejudices of the Democrat Party for 200 years.

            The American Negro is the freest, fattest, luckiest Africans on the earth just by being here. I’m sick of their constant complaining especially about conditions few living Negroes experienced and if they did it was at the hands of Democrats not Republicans.

            It’s way past time Negroes got off their asses and started pitchin’ instead of bitchin’. And for all those multimillionaires kneeling “in protest” of America I say fuk you, move to Somalia if you don’t like it here. You’re spoiled black bastards and anybody that patronizes you is guilty of sedition.

            Trump 2020 Let’s make a rule: if you hate America FUKIN LEAVE!!!!

            What Elwood and his racist Party have created: the California Queen:

            https://twitter.com/i/status/1304229846638239744

  4. rodney stanton says:

    Roger went woke and got broke!

    But fear not; the taxpayers will bail out NFL and its owners!https://www.thepiratescove.us/wp-content/plugins/wp-monalisa/icons/wpml_yahoo.gif

  5. formwiz says:

    But if you read the article it says 20.3 million/22 million x 100 = 92.3%

    100 – 92.3 = 7.7%

    So ratings were down 7.7%, not 16.1%.

    Times 100? Where did you learn to do math? division gives you the number. Multiplying moves the decimal. Unless you’re too dumb to know.

    From Peacock PR (can’t understand why Teach did that). NY Post has the real number. Thursday night’s season-opening matchup between the Chiefs and Texans attracted 19.3 million viewers between 8 and 11 p.m. That marks a 12.3% drop from last year’s ratings, which ended with an audience of 22 million. Deadline noted that the key 18-49 demographic pulled in a 5.2 rating, falling from last year’s 12.8 mark.

    IOW they got that number from all platforms, not just broadcast.

    Given the pandemic, unemployment, no advertising run-up to the game, a drop of 7.7% is not much is it, since according to TEACH nearly all the NFL fans are pissed that black Americans are demanding equal rights. Are you claiming that 92.3% of Republicans aren’t bothered by the protests?

    since your math is drivel, so is your conclusion.

    • Elwood P. Dowd says:

      20.3/22 = 0.923

      0.923 x 100 = 92.3 = 92.3%

      You see, multiplying by 100 moves the decimal point 2 places to the right! 6th Grade arithmetic.

      Let’s try another way. 20.3 is 92.3% of 22, isn’t it? Or another: 22 – 20.3 = 1.7, right?

      1.7/22 = 0.077. Now let’s move the decimal two places to the right to make it a percentage. 0.077 becomes 7.7%! It’s like magic, only real!

      Is there anything you know? Since your arithmetic is drivel, so are your conclusions.

      You’re as dumb as your hero, Donnie “Einstein” Trump.

      Please, you’re embarrassing yourself.

      • formwiz says:

        No, you are. Most people conversant with mathematics don’t need to move the decimal to know the percent.

        Never heard anything so stupid in my life.

        • Elwood P. Dowd says:

          So your stupid argument isn’t with the numbers themselves but with the method to reach them?

          Excuse me if I was underestimating your genius.

          Nice distraction, “Donnie”.

  6. JGlanton says:

    Now do the announcers and show hosts

  7. formwiz says:

    And I’m astounded by YOUR stupidity and malevolence.

    By all means, dumbo, correct my arithmetic.

    I guess I have to. It’s as bad as your chemistry, physics, history, and political science.

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