SHOCKING? NFL experienced viewership drop in 2024 regular season (Prediction for future)



The Baltimore Ravens just defeated the Pittsburgh Steelers in an AFC Playoff matchup on Amazon Prime. Perhaps that’s why the NFL experienced a slight dip in viewership during the 2024 regular season, despite maintaining its dominant position in the television landscape. Not everyone has subscriptions to Netflix or Amazon Prime network.

According to reports, the league averaged 17.5 million viewers per game across all networks, representing a 2.2% decrease from the previous year’s figures.

This decline comes after a strong 2023 season that saw a 7% increase in viewership, reaching 17.9 million viewers per game. While the 2024 numbers are still above those from 2022, the decrease was unexpected given the NFL’s usual upward trajectory. Several factors seem to have contributed to this viewership decline:

2024 was a presidential election year, which historically impacts NFL ratings. Political coverage and debates tend to draw viewers away from sports programming. Second, is the Shift to Streaming: While traditional TV viewership decreased, streaming platforms saw growth. Amazon’s Thursday Night Football coverage registered an 11% year-over-year increase, averaging 13.2 million viewers. Nevertheless, not everyone has subscriptions to networks like Amazon because the rising costs associated with NFL viewership, including cable subscriptions and streaming services, may have deterred some fans from watching as frequently.

Despite the overall decrease, some bright spots emerged. NBC’s Sunday Night Football averaged 21.6 million viewers, up 1% from 2023. And Netflix made its NFL broadcast debut on Christmas, averaging over 24 million viewers for its doubleheader.

The NFL continues to dominate television ratings, with 13 of the top 15 most-watched broadcasts in 2024 being NFL games.

The league also claimed 70 of the top 100 broadcasts in the United States for the year. While the slight decrease in viewership may be a cause for concern, it’s important to note that the NFL remains far ahead of other programming in terms of audience reach and engagement. The league’s ability to adapt to changing viewer habits and embrace new platforms like streaming services will be crucial in maintaining its position as America’s most-watched sport.

Prediction: The NFL is slowly becoming something similar to a pay-per-view platform. They are trying to get as much revenue as possible per viewer. Let’s face it, a lot of people – perhaps millions – have Amazon and Netflix subscriptions just for the NFL.

I purchased Netflix for the first time in November to watch Tyson vs Paul and have decided to keep it permanently. Sporting events is a great way to introduce people to network platforms. Although I knew about Netflix’s widespread popularity and solid reputation, I simply never felt the need to subscribe until the fight caught my interest and was exclusively available on their platform. After experiencing it firsthand, I’ve become a fan as well. Netflix is now written into my budget, and the NFL wants to be a line item of sorts in our budget whether directly or indirectly.

Consider the potential financial benefits if the NFL transitions from traditional free TV to a paid model. Currently, viewers enjoy games on FOX, NBC, and CBS without cost. However, by introducing an indirect nominal fee—say 50 cents or a dollar per game—the revenue possibilities are substantial. Even with a slight drop in viewership from 17.5 million to 14.5 million due to this shift, the financial gain is clear: if each viewer pays an average of $2 per week annually for unlimited access to NFL games, it would result in an impressive $29 million in additional revenue each week – or $522 million per year (18 regular season games and the playoffs), And that’s just at a mere $2 per week.

I don’t really know what the NFL’s revenue goals or future plans are, but given its popularity and the big salaries, it makes sense for them to move towards a pay-based service.

However, this shift is happening gradually because it’ll take some time for the league to change how fans expect to watch games.

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