N.F.L. Considers Reducing Ads and Length of Games

[Stinger]

As Ratings Plummet, N.F.L. Considers Reducing Ads and Length of Games

By KEN BELSONNOV. 10, 2016


N.F.L. Commissioner Roger Goodell said on Thursday that the league was looking at a variety of ways to shorten game broadcasts, including trimming some advertising, to keep the action moving.

The league has seen its television ratings plunge this season, something that Goodell has said is related to a number of factors, including the intense interest in the presidential election, as well as shifts in the way fans have been watching games.

Though television ratings are down by double digits so far this season, Goodell said that N.F.L. ratings had risen 27 percent in the past decade even as ratings for prime-time television had fallen 36 percent. Speaking on Thursday at the annual DealBook conference hosted by The New York Times, he called this year’s decline “cyclical.”

Goodell noted, though, that the pace of games could also be a factor in the ratings decline. Fans have complained for years that games are too long, and they frequently express annoyance at the number of commercial breaks and video reviews. Last season, the average length of regular-season games, from kickoff to final whistle, was 3 hours 8 minutes, six minutes longer than in 2008.

Get the big sports news, highlights and analysis from Times journalists, with distinctive takes on games and some behind-the-scenes surprises, delivered to your inbox every week.

Goodell said the league was considering a number of potential solutions to improve the pace of games, including running fewer advertisements and changing when they run. The league is also looking at ways to speed up video reviews by its officials as well as the time it takes referees to announce penalties on the field.

“We want to take as much what we call dead time, non-action out of the game, so that we can make the game more exciting,” Goodell said.

The league has expanded the number of games it plays on Thursday nights and overseas, leading some to speculate that the N.F.L. may be reducing interest in the game. Goodell said he was mindful of that possibility.

“Every game counts, so that makes our inventory incredibly valuable,” he said, adding that the league has to be careful not to saturate the market.

Goodell said he was aware of a surge of complaints that officials were botching calls on the field. He said the league was looking at how best to use technology to improve officiating without slowing down the game. “I was at Giants Stadium in the parking lot last weekend, and I got a lot of feedback from fans,” he said.

Goodell was uncertain how the election of Donald J. Trump — who brought a lawsuit against the league three decades ago — would affect the N.F.L. He noted that Trump favored less regulation, but he said that the primary concern for the league was its ability to reach fans through the media and technology. It was unclear what changes, if any, a Trump administration might make that would affect those industries.



http://www.nytimes.com/2016/11/11/sp...mmercials.html

[cosmo20002]

The hatred of Thursday and London games is completely irrational. Don't want to watch...don't ****ing watch.
I just solved your problem. You're welcome.

[PAChiefsGuy]

-- too many penalties
-- stupid nerdy rules on what is a catch or isn't a catch
-- too many reviews
-- they took away one of the most exciting plays in the game with kickoff returns
-- they are changing the rules too much from year-to-year. It's hard to keep up.
-- Owners are starting to turn it into business that is all about profits instead of treating football as a sport
-- the fines these guys are getting are ridiculous and they aren't consistent. One week a guy might get fined $10k the next a guy might get fined $20k or not at all for basically the exact same thing. Same with penalties
-- hard hits get penalized too much.. Let the guys play...

That's my list.

[chiefzilla1501]

Originally Posted by cosmo20002

The hatred of Thursday and London games is completely irrational. Don't want to watch...don't ****ing watch.
I just solved your problem. You're welcome.

Um... What?
People hate London games because in a short 16 game season where every game matters, you force two teams to give up homefield advantage, you dick over a city that relies on tourism and entertainment dollars by taking away 17% of home games, and you force two teams to travel and adjust to a 6 hour time zone.

People hate Thursday night football because at a time of player injuries, we're nonsensically playing players on three days of rest. Teams don't have time to gameplan for each other and it often results in shitty football.

I ****ing hate the two ideas. They put ratings over the integrity of the game. Stop ****ing with the game.

[chiefzilla1501]

NFL is trying to reduce length. I know that feeling.

[notorious]

Originally Posted by splatbass

A friend of mine has a 60 inch TV (I forget the brand) with a 'sports' mode - it amplifies the crowd noise and brings down the announcers. They are still there, but the crowd noise is higher.

If you have surround sound, simply set the center channel to it's lowest level.


On my Marantz 7009 it's perfect, I can not hear the announcers at all, but it's funny to hear some of the things that come from the crowd.