There’s been a lot of talk about NFL television ratings being down this season. Some of this could have to do with the a product that just hasn’t been too great. Others conclude that the National Anthem protests have played a role in this.
Though, there’s certainly some truth in the fact that television ratings as a whole are down due to the prevalence of cord-cutting.
Regardless of the reasons, the NFL Playoff ratings for Wildcard Weekend were down considerably from last year.
Tough weekend for NFL ratings: 14.7 Nielsen national overnight for Titans-Chiefs on ABC/ESPN, down from 16.6 for Texans-Raiders last year. 17.2 on CBS for Bills-Jaguars, down from 19.2 for Dolphins-Steelers last year.
— David Barron (@dfbarron) January 8, 2018
Fox led with 20.4 fro Panthers-Saints, but that was down from 24.0 for Giants-Packers. Falcons-Rams at 14.9 on NBC trailed Lions-Seahawks at 16.5.
— David Barron (@dfbarron) January 8, 2018
That’s pretty darn alarming right there. Though, it’s not too surprising in the least. The four games that took place this past weekend left a lot to be desired. What might have been the sexiest matchup took place on a Saturday night, when television ratings themselves lag big time.
That impacted those who tuned in for the Los Angeles Rams’ first home playoff game since 1989. Meanwhile, the Tennessee Titans-Kansas City Chiefs and Jacksonville Jaguars-Buffalo Bills games featured AFC teams in small markets.
It will be interesting to see how ratings compare in the divisional round with popular teams such as the Steelers and Patriots playing.