NFL National Anthem Protests Sink TV Ratings To Five-Year Low.

NFL National Anthem Protests Sink TV Ratings To Five-Year Low



SANTA CLARA, CA – OCTOBER 06: (L-R) Eli Harold #58, Colin Kaepernick #7, and Eric Reid #35 of the San Francisco 49ers kneel in protest during the national anthem prior to their NFL game against the Arizona Cardinals (Photo by Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images)
The protests of the national anthem by NFL players continue to hammer the league’s TV ratings.
Mediaite reported yesterday that the “Colts-Texans game was down 38% from last year’s Week 6 Sunday Night Football match-up — according to the Sports TV Ratings industry tracking site. The game notched a 9.0 overnight rating for NBC….the lowest overnight rating for Sunday Night Football since Oct. 23, 2011. And Sunday Night Football has posted significant declines throughout the season.”
The NFL’s TV ratings plunge has been consistent throught the 2016 season. Even though a Rassmusen survey revealed that 32% of respondents were less likely to watch the NFL due to the players protesting the national anthem, the NFL brass is in denial.
An internal memo two weeks ago which said in part, “no evidence that concern over player protests during the national anthem is having any material impact on our ratings. In fact, our own data shows that perception of the NFL and its players is actually up in 2016.”
Although Sunday night’s Colts-Texans game competed against game two of the NLCS between the Los Angeles Dodgers and Chicago Cubs, it featured a marque quarterback (Andrew Luck) and a big-market team (Houston).

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