Superbowl viewership was down sharply

[rajncajn]

I have my thoughts as to why, but I think the biggest factors were it was a boring match-up (yay, Brady again) and regardless of whether anyone wanted to admit it or not, they knew how the outcome would turn out. I'm really curious as to what the ratings difference was from the start of the game to the second half. I know I quit watching just before the half to go take a shower. I left it on so the wife could watch the halftime show and then switched the channel after that. I imagine a lot of other people that started watching ended up turning it off as well.

 

Super Bowl viewership drops sharply from last year - ProFootballTalk (nbcsports.com)

[Gopher]

I don't know.  I actually thought the matchup was pretty intriguing, and would argue that under "normal" circumstances, we would have had "normal" ratings as well.  Between politics and the pandemic, a lot of people who would normally watch decided not to, for one reason or another.  I've heard many people from both ends of the political spectrum say they're "done with sports" or "done with the "NFL."  One side thinks sports have gotten too political, while the other feels they haven't done enough. 

 

Meanwhile, I think you have some people who have just cut the cord, to some extent, whether it be the cord to live TV or sports specifically.  Some realized that they didn't miss sports all that much (when nothing was going on last spring/summer), and have found other ways to spend their time.  Others maybe simply cut it for the cost savings of not having a cable bill, etc.  And still others have discovered so many other ways to find TV/streaming content that live TV isn't really a must-have these days.

 

Personally, I've done a little of all of the above.  Cut DirecTV/cable, not watching nearly as much golf and basketball as I used to (and literally zero MLB or NBA), and have found other things to do.  Playing more golf than ever in my life (including a lot with my 8YO son), more outdoor activities (hiking, etc.), board games and other things with my kids (when I have them), and I'm binge-watching TV shows like nobody's business when I don't have them. 

 

The one constant for me is the NFL.  Still watch (although I no longer have the NFL ticket), still play FF (but a lot less leagues than 5 years ago), and really don't care about the "political" side of it.  I don't watch it because they're heroes or role models (I don't really care all that much what they do off the field)... I watch because I enjoy watching those who are the best at their craft, and frankly, the NFL still blows away the other major sports in terms of making it a must-watch product.  

[purplemonster]

I thought viewership would be higher but that 1st half was a real dud. The combination of a lot of dumb penalties and refs throwing plenty of flags, and badly overmatched OL, the Chiefs were close to out of it at the first half and in one of the more frustrating ways possible. And people respect Tawmy but likely a little bit bored, esp when he started running away with it. 

 

I can't speak to the political side of things bc I dont pay attention to it much but some people report that bothers them. How much that is a factor idk. 

 

The biggest thing to me was likely how much of a blowout it was and how inevitable it appeared Tawmy was going to get his 7th ring, much earlier in the game than we are used to seeing. 

Edited February 10, 2021 by purplemonster

[rajncajn]

44 minutes ago, Gopher said:

I don't know.  I actually thought the matchup was pretty intriguing, and would argue that under "normal" circumstances, we would have had "normal" ratings as well.  Between politics and the pandemic, a lot of people who would normally watch decided not to, for one reason or another.  I've heard many people from both ends of the political spectrum say they're "done with sports" or "done with the "NFL."  One side thinks sports have gotten too political, while the other feels they haven't done enough. 

 

Meanwhile, I think you have some people who have just cut the cord, to some extent, whether it be the cord to live TV or sports specifically.  Some realized that they didn't miss sports all that much (when nothing was going on last spring/summer), and have found other ways to spend their time.  Others maybe simply cut it for the cost savings of not having a cable bill, etc.  And still others have discovered so many other ways to find TV/streaming content that live TV isn't really a must-have these days.

 

Personally, I've done a little of all of the above.  Cut DirecTV/cable, not watching nearly as much golf and basketball as I used to (and literally zero MLB or NBA), and have found other things to do.  Playing more golf than ever in my life (including a lot with my 8YO son), more outdoor activities (hiking, etc.), board games and other things with my kids (when I have them), and I'm binge-watching TV shows like nobody's business when I don't have them. 

 

The one constant for me is the NFL.  Still watch (although I no longer have the NFL ticket), still play FF (but a lot less leagues than 5 years ago), and really don't care about the "political" side of it.  I don't watch it because they're heroes or role models (I don't really care all that much what they do off the field)... I watch because I enjoy watching those who are the best at their craft, and frankly, the NFL still blows away the other major sports in terms of making it a must-watch product.  

Tampa doesn't really have that strong of a fan base. They're almost as bad as Atlanta & Jacksonville in being able to fill their stadium. And, and as great as he is, I really think people are tired of seeing Tom Brady win championships.

 

As for the politics and social justice stuff, that's kinda what I think is an underlying issue. I just think that things like this are really starting to turn people off from the NFL. It's not necessarily that they don't support or agree with the causes, just that they (we) are really getting sick & tired of feeling like we're being preached to all the time. That, along with the poor officiating that everyone knows is going to happen & did. Blaming it on the pandemic doesn't really make sense to me though, because it seems like you would have more people staying home to watch rather than going to bars or big gatherings, ie. more TVs with the game on.

 

Maybe you're right too about cord-cutters. Of what I watched, I watched over the air broadcast. Maybe that is having a much bigger impact on viewership numbers.

[Gopher]

5 minutes ago, purplemonster said:

I thought viewership would be higher but that 1st half was a real dud. The combination of a lot of dumb penalties and refs throwing plenty of flags, and badly overmatched OL, the Chiefs were close to out of it at the first half and in one of the more frustrating ways possible. And people respect Tawmy but likely a little bit bored, esp when he started running away with it. 

 

I can't speak to the political side of things bc I dont pay attention to it much but some people report that bothers them. How much that is a factor idk. 

 

I am sure theres more but the biggest thing is it became a blowout game early with someone going for their yawn 7th ring. 

 

Yeah, I wasn't thinking about it in the sense of viewership dropping DURING the game.  That makes total sense.  Sometimes it's hard for me to view things from the "average" fans perspective, as opposed to someone like me (a football fanatic).  I could see where a lot of people would lose interest in that first half, I suppose.  

[Gopher]

1 minute ago, rajncajn said:

Tampa doesn't really have that strong of a fan base. They're almost as bad as Atlanta & Jacksonville in being able to fill their stadium. And, and as great as he is, I really think people are tired of seeing Tom Brady win championships.

 

As for the politics and social justice stuff, that's kinda what I think is an underlying issue. I just think that things like this are really starting to turn people off from the NFL. It's not necessarily that they don't support or agree with the causes, just that they (we) are really getting sick & tired of feeling like we're being preached to all the time. That, along with the poor officiating that everyone knows is going to happen & did. Blaming it on the pandemic doesn't really make sense to me though, because it seems like you would have more people staying home to watch rather than going to bars or big gatherings, ie. more TVs with the game on.

 

Maybe you're right too about cord-cutters. Of what I watched, I watched over the air broadcast. Maybe that is having a much bigger impact on viewership numbers.

 

I only mention the pandemic because I have heard people say that, once they stopped watching sports (because they were all cancelled/postponed, etc.), they realized that they didn't really miss it as much as they thought they would.  I could relate to that, to some extent.  A part of me really missed it, but another part of me realized how much time I spent on sports viewing (not to mention the FF side of it), and how much time I had available for other things when there were no sports on.  I think some people just left (sports viewing) and never came back.  I do think, however, that the political part plays an even bigger role.  I know people personally who still love sports, but for one reason or another, are simply boycotting watching the NFL, NBA, etc.  

[Bobby Brown]

31 minutes ago, rajncajn said:

As for the politics and social justice stuff, that's kinda what I think is an underlying issue. I just think that things like this are really starting to turn people off from the NFL. It's not necessarily that they don't support or agree with the causes, just that they (we) are really getting sick & tired of feeling like we're being preached to all the time.

Snowflakes need their safe spaces. 

[purplemonster]

7 hours ago, Gopher said:

 

Yeah, I wasn't thinking about it in the sense of viewership dropping DURING the game.  That makes total sense.  Sometimes it's hard for me to view things from the "average" fans perspective, as opposed to someone like me (a football fanatic).  I could see where a lot of people would lose interest in that first half, I suppose.  

Well it actually is pretty interesting how they measure. For TV viewers they measure the average # of people watching during any 60 sec segment of the game.  As far as I know they don't release detailed breakdowns of what the # of viewers were at the beginning vs the end, or how that compares to other Super Bowls or other more closely contested games. Neilsen sells these ratings so I assume they reserve these detailed breakdowns for their paying customers. 

 

The matchup was compelling enough, although NFL viewership was down overall 7% this year and the SB was 9%, so pretty close to in line. 

 

There were also more streamers now, for some of those who cut the cord. 

 

Videos track viewership differently, I think You tube counts who is watching at 30 seconds only.  Not sure.  Either way videos tend to have higher numbers than TV shows because they measure a lot of people who click on a video and then click away soon after.  

 

https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.insidehook.com/daily_brief/sports/tom-brady-super-bowl-nielsen-rating-boston-tampa/amp

 

Edited February 11, 2021 by purplemonster

[BillyBalata]

I find it hard to believe viewership went down because of the score, It was Pat Mahomes. I think most casual fans even realize he could make one of the greatest comebacks...again.  If anything they left at halftime cuz of the lame halftime show when they didn't get to see Lenny Kravitz.

 

Viewership was down because bars weren't having huge super bowl parties, homes weren't having super bowl parties. sure there were some people that tuned out for political reasons or cry about the unfair refereing, but those people probably only watch for the commercials anyway.

Edited February 10, 2021 by BillyBalata

[purplemonster]

 

[League_Champion]

26 minutes ago, BillyBalata said:

Viewership was down because bars weren't having huge super bowl parties, homes weren't having super bowl parties

 

I'm not really sure how the whole ratings thing works but I would think the opposite. More people at home = more TVs on?? Not sure 

[BillyBalata]

that's a good observation. I think the bar point still stands but you're right. but to that point, i could see where people that would go to home super bowl parties that werent that interested in the game just wanted a party,  might not watch or still watch but tune out after the halftime score.

[League_Champion]

All of us here are pretty much hardcore fans and will watch regardless but there are people out there who are just done with the NFL. The product is nowhere near as good as it once was. It's over produced, gimmicky and sometimes corny. There's also a segment of the population who doesn't want the NFL's  political agenda mixed in with their Football. So I think there's many reason why the ratings were down. It certainly wasn't the matchup. 

[League_Champion]

2 minutes ago, BillyBalata said:

that's a good observation. I think the bar point still stands but you're right. but to that point, i could see where people that would go to home super bowl parties that werent that interested in the game just wanted a party,  might not watch or still watch but tune out after the halftime score.

 

But that wouldn't help the ratings, it would hurt the ratings. They don't know if someone has 50 guests or 2. 

[BillyBalata]

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited February 10, 2021 by BillyBalata

[rajncajn]

2 hours ago, purplemonster said:

 

I loved the one where all the refs are trying to tackle him & then throw flags when they can't 

[Shaft]

I think all the variables people mention are valid and they all contribute to decline. If I was not a hardcore fan, I wouldn't give two sh^%s about the Superbowl, there are too many pressing issues happening. But I think all of the following contribute and not one reason is really dominating:

 

• low morale in the country
• pandemic
• people can't gather together, friends or family (Superbowl parties have always been tradition)
• bars and restaurants aren't open
• social justice tone from the first commercial
• limited fans allowed in the stadium
• small market teams
• awful game

[purplemonster]

3 hours ago, rajncajn said:

I loved the one where all the refs are trying to tackle him & then throw flags when they can't 

I didn't even catch the flags 

[Shaft]

7 hours ago, purplemonster said:

 

This is perfect! I was in awe of his throws and accuracy. If a few of those were caught, we would have more appreciation for those throws.

[loaf]

I turned it off at the half 

[League_Champion]

16 hours ago, Shaft said:

• low morale in the country
• pandemic
• people can't gather together, friends or family (Superbowl parties have always been tradition)
• bars and restaurants aren't open
• social justice tone from the first commercial
• limited fans allowed in the stadium
• small market teams
• awful game

 

Good points. I think that all has something to do with it. But also, the product just isn't that compelling. Most games are just unwatchable. If not for Fantasy they'd have hardly any fans. 

 

 

 

Edited February 11, 2021 by League_Champion

[stevegrab]

22 hours ago, League_Champion said:

 

I'm not really sure how the whole ratings thing works but I would think the opposite. More people at home = more TVs on?? Not sure 

 

22 hours ago, League_Champion said:

 

But that wouldn't help the ratings, it would hurt the ratings. They don't know if someone has 50 guests or 2. 

 

Wait didn't you say you don't know how ratings work? Yet here you are saying stuff like this.   just busting your balls, read on for some explanation and commentary on what has been discussed. 

 

I'm on a sports broadcasting forum (506.com) that I've mentioned before. People there know about ratings, some work in the business, and they cover a lot of this in a lot more detail. A few things I learned

- they do know about guests in a Nielsen measured home - the people report this stuff in some fashion

- they also try to measure people who are viewing outside their home - they carry a device that monitors audio and reports what program was on that TV

  - that is referred to as as Out Of Home (OOH) viewing and was reported in some numbers provided in a CBS press release

 

I'd be happy to provide a link to their NFL ratings thread where this is discussed, pretty sure only members can read the forums though and doubt most of you care enough to join. 

 

As to the points here in your posts, yes more people watching at home means more TVs on, but not more viewers (both are measured somehow). 

All the factors mentioned here impacted the ratings, boring game that looked over at half, people who lost interest in sports during the pandemic, social justice issues (too much or not enough). But one big factor is the lack of large gatherings at bars and homes to watch the game. Some only watch when they get pulled into that kind of atmosphere. A casual fan who isn't going to gather with more passionate fans probably didn't bother watching. 

 

I'm like most hardcore fans here, I watch most games I can. I may turn them off early (even easier when DVRed and I can skip to the end to see result) if they're bad or I have something better to do. And I did that sometime early in Q4, watched something else, and checked back in later to see the final score. It was a really crappy SB, especially if you're tired of Tom Brady and were hoping for a Chiefs win. 

not having large gatherings at 

[stevegrab]

15 hours ago, Shaft said:

This is perfect! I was in awe of his throws and accuracy. If a few of those were caught, we would have more appreciation for those throws.

 

Yep I was reading some news blurb here on The Huddle about how long it took for him to pass compared to the regular season (something like 3.5 seconds vs. 2.8) and it said "that could lead one to believe Mahomes was indecisive but it really shows how much effort he put in to get a way and try to make a play, often getting the ball to the receiver who dropped it."   All those drops on the spectacular throws didn't help, with them the game could have still been interesting in the second half. 

[League_Champion]

17 minutes ago, stevegrab said:

(both are measured somehow).

 

So you don't know like I don't know? 

[purplemonster]

A good point I missed was the lack of large gatherings. That really brings in the casual fan who won't watch on their own.  Now that I think about it kind of surprising the decrease wasn't larger.