So I keep hearing how pretty much every sport has been dropping in viewers. (Everyone but the NFL)
So I went through. From 1995 - today. Looking at the biggest even from each sport
(Superbowl, Daytona 500, MLB/NHL/NBA finals, NCAA FB championship, NCAA MBB Championship, and the Masters)
And looked at the Household percentage (how many households had that even on) not viewers because the USA population in the usa has gone up a lot.
And all sports have gone down (again other than NFL)
So then i even ADJUSTED them. By adding 0.5% per year since 1994. Because while more people are watching, a smaller percentage of the TOTAL are watching And they are still all down.
I averaged 5 year periods to make it more clean. And removed Covid and lockouts.
I think aside from a bad product in some of the sports (Nascar and NBA)
The problem is trying to watch the event.
I mean the NBA/NHL playoffs bouncing around from ABC, ESPN, TBS and TNT or even NBA networks. But if your local you have to watch on FanDuel network or whatever. And its blacked out on TNT/TBS/ESPN/.
Like these TV/Streaming deals are HORRIBLE for a series. Like I think it would be OK if the whole series was on one network. But some NBA series have been on 5 different channels! Its horrible.
But i think these sports need to figure this out ASAP!
Oh and if your wondering about the Super Bowl?
Its been at 75%+ since 1995.
Yes 75% of all USA households have the super bowl on year over year. In fact the last 2 years have been over 80%
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The truth is, people don’t want to pay for 85 different streaming platforms. And I’ll be honest, in my late 30s, I don’t know a single friend around my age who pays for a legitimate service that any data would track their sports viewership. People are much more cost conscious right now and the amount of people using IPTV services and streaming sites to take in their sports is through the roof.
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I’m 65 and only know one person that pays for NFL Network/YouTube.
I’m not paying over $100 a month for the privilege.
Pro sports are for the upper crust.
All sports are in trouble. It just hasn’t been realized, yet.
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I agree. I cut the cord a long time ago.
Only now have YouTube TV and HULU live because of my parents and Inlaws.
But if I didnt have access to that. I would be … sailing the high seas
But absolutely agree. And i wonder if there will be a change with the next TV deals. But who knows. These networks will probably just overpay to have those events.
College football championship needs to go back to Saturday, Thats what is killing it.
NHL needs a better TV deal but its doing ok.
PGA is doing fine because its always on tv.
But the other sports? Not only bad TV deals but also horrible products. New rules no one likes or not implementing rules people want.
The NFL is fine. Im ok with 1-2 game a week on streaming. Or even 1-2 playoff games. Because its the horrible wild card rounds.
Divisional round and beyond will always be on free TV.
Because every week no matter what,
Local games will still be local.
And you still have 4 games on Sunday on free TV and a MNF game on either ABC or ESPN.
The steaming games is just a bonus.
Thats what the other sports dont get. You need a large amount of games on free TV and have EXTRA games streaming or cable packages
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I pay for the MLB and NFL packages(Kids annual gift for me) every year.
MLB is pretty cheap for all the minor league games and MLB games, under $200 a year. At the same time, I live out of the Detroit market and realize, to your point on local free games, that my options in some ways may be better than those in the local market.
Only time my games are blacked out on the ticket is when the game is broadcast in my local market, whereever I may be on that Sunday.
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For the blackouts i was referring to the NHL/ NBA playoffs.
If you’re in the local market (50 miles?) the game WONT be available on TNT or TBS or ESPN and only on whatever sport channel the team has (FanDuel Detroit) they are even blacked out on the streaming services (MAX And ESPN+)
Which is ass backwards. Most basic cable packages have TNT or TBS and ESPN. And FDS is a premium package.
Thats only for the First 2 rounds but still. Completely backwards.
The other sports need to modernize CORRECTLY not only their TV deals but also the game.
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Ah, missed that you were referring to those two sports.
Then again, i don’t watch the NHL at all and didn’t watch much regular season NBA games either.
Plenty of other “options” out there to find any event you are looking for.
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I still believe the ncaa bball tournament is the biggest sporting event I like because it gives the smallest programs a chance. This is just my opinion.
If you are not at the game, GO TO THE BAR.
I think that is going to be outdated thinking soon, if not already, due to the changes in transfer rules and NIL in the NCAA.
Those players that excel at smaller or midsize schools will transfer to a power five program for their last year. We have started to see that already and just look at how many small school upsets there was/wasn’t in the recently concluded tourny.
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You can kiss that goodbye in the current climate. Already we’ve had a tourney where the four #1 seeds made it, most rife with players who would have been leading smaller schools to upsets.
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Yeah the small programs are essentially minor league systems for the bigger programs
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Yea smaller programs are dead in the tournament now.
The first 2 rounds were virtually all chalk.
Its only getting worse.
Those lines for college sports are just gonna keep going down and down and down
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College Football i think will stay up. Lower than the peak but definitely stay up.
Basketball absolutely will keep falling especially since it basically mirrors the NBA and it is also down.
I think the NBA could benefit from what MLB and NHL do. Sure draft a 19 YO freshman. But allow them to stay in college and develop vs shipping them off to the G League.
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Even Arizona basketball has to pass on guys bc of money. One of the highest grossing programs in terms of revenue from the basketball program but without a mega wealthy benefactor. A kid named Dame Sarr who may be the best college bound European player had long been connected bc of Tommy Lloyd’s Euro connections. Almost came over last year. But this year Duke and Oregon are on him and the price is expected to end up above $3m. Not bad for a few months of work.
It’s ■■■■■■. It’s all ■■■■■■.
I think it will keep fading too, though it will be a slower death. Unless they step in and do something which seems highly unlikely.
People don’t want to pay for these extra streaming services, as has been touched on already in this thread, and quite frankly there’s plenty of sites of the not so legal variety that are easy to find. It’s how I’ve lived watching Lions football for decades.
With that said, other sports are doing fine as well. Revenues are still high and salary caps are exploding, even the much maligned NHL with their new TV deals are set to have a big salary cap rise in the coming years. Hell, there’s even talk of expansion much to my chagrin but I digress.
Longer term might be the bigger issue but, for now, all major pro sports seem to be pretty healthy.
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■■■■, i sincerely can’t remmeber the last time i paid for cable tv. Netflix, NFL+, NFL sunday ticket, share a disney + w brother’s family.
