Sports Viewership Rebounds Driven by Close NFL Games and High-Demand College Football - Episode Hero Image

Sports Viewership Rebounds Driven by Close NFL Games and High-Demand College Football

SBJ Morning Buzzcast · · Listen to Original Episode →
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TL;DR

  • Close NFL Wild Card games are projected to drive viewership over 30 million, potentially challenging 2014's 34.7 million, indicating a strong rebound after last season's dip below 30 million.
  • The College Football Playoff Championship ticket prices have doubled year-over-year, averaging $5,500, driven by pent-up demand from two fan bases seeking their first or a long-awaited title.
  • NASCAR's impending new championship format aims to simplify its system, moving away from the old points formula but likely avoiding a complete return to pre-2014 models.
  • The WNBA faces potential work stoppages as its CBA expired, risking momentum despite league assurances against lockouts and the clear viewership gap with emerging alternative leagues.
  • Amazon's Prime Video leveraged its Masters promo during a Wild Card game, capitalizing on high viewership to introduce its upcoming golf coverage to a broad audience.
  • League One Volleyball's audience record of 115,000 viewers on USA Network signifies continued growth for women's volleyball, despite being a smaller number compared to major sports.

Deep Dive

NFL Wild Card Weekend is poised for significant viewership gains, driven by a slate of exceptionally close games that have captivated audiences and are expected to push overall viewership toward 30 million, potentially challenging 2014 highs. This strong performance underscores the enduring appeal of the NFL's high-stakes playoff format, with specific matchups like 49ers-Eagles and Bears-Packers drawing substantial numbers, even boosting Amazon Prime Video's visibility for its upcoming Masters coverage. The format's success suggests continued demand for the Monday night Wild Card game, indicating a likely extension of the ESPN deal.

The College Football Playoff Championship between Miami and Indiana is generating immense fan enthusiasm, evidenced by ticket prices for the Miami-hosted game averaging over $5,500, more than double last year's figures. This pent-up demand highlights the significance of the championship for both fan bases, especially for Indiana, which has never won a title, and Miami, seeking its first since 2001. Despite a blowout in one semifinal, the championship game promises to draw considerable attention due to the high stakes and passionate fan engagement, contrasting with the lower viewership of leagues like Unrivaled.

NASCAR is set to announce a simplified championship format, moving away from recent complexities while avoiding a complete reversion to older, less decisive systems. This strategic adjustment aims to enhance fan engagement and fairness, reflecting an ongoing effort to refine the sport's competitive structure. Meanwhile, the WNBA faces potential disruption as its collective bargaining agreement has expired without a deal, raising the specter of a work stoppage. Despite assurances against a lockout, any interruption risks derailing the league's current momentum, which is significantly outperforming alternative leagues like Unrivaled in viewership and overall interest.

In other sports news, the Falcons' hiring of Matt Ryan as President of Football Operations signifies a strategic move to leverage his deep ties to the team and former MVP status to revitalize the front office. Germany's national soccer team choosing Wake Forest for its World Cup camp represents a significant coup for the university, bringing a high-caliber international team to campus. League One Volleyball's recent debut on USA Network set audience records, indicating continued growth in women's volleyball viewership. Finally, the Ice Hockey Arena for the Olympics is nearing completion, with test events suggesting a satisfactory ice surface despite ongoing construction, signaling progress toward the NHL's return to Olympic play.

Action Items

  • Audit NFL viewership data: Analyze 5-10 past Wild Card weekends to identify factors driving viewership spikes (e.g., close games, specific teams).
  • Track WNBA momentum indicators: Measure 3-5 key metrics (e.g., average viewership, social media engagement) weekly to identify potential dips post-CBA expiration.
  • Evaluate NASCAR format impact: Analyze 3-5 past championship seasons to assess the effect of format changes on fan engagement and competitive balance.
  • Measure CFP Championship ticket price correlation: Calculate the relationship between team popularity and ticket prices for 2-3 championship games to understand demand drivers.

Related Episodes

Key Quotes

"Out on the course, the PGA Tour's best play, but in the arena, they're primetime. And Season 2 of TGL presented by SoFi is back with lights, cameras, action. We're talking big moments, big personalities, big names in the stands, all on the big screen. Big-time matchups with shot clocks, hammer drops, timeouts, overtime, and playoffs. It's city versus city, squad versus squad. This sport just hits different under the lights. It's TGL presented by SoFi. Keep up, it's golf. Tune in to every match only on ESPN."

Austin Karp highlights the unique appeal of TGL, emphasizing its transformation of golf into a primetime, competitive spectacle. Karp explains that the format features city-versus-city team play with elements like shot clocks and overtime, designed to create excitement beyond traditional golf tournaments. This presentation aims to attract a broader audience by framing golf as an arena sport with high stakes and engaging personalities.

"Four of the five games on Saturday and Sunday were thrillers. The four coming into Sunday night were all decided by four or less points. The Chargers and the Patriots in that NBC Sunday Night slot ended up being probably the weakest of the games, but a number of these Wild Card matchups are going to clear 30 million viewers."

Austin Karp notes the high quality of recent NFL Wild Card games, with many decided by narrow margins. Karp points out that this trend of close contests is expected to drive significant viewership, with several matchups likely to surpass 30 million viewers. This indicates that compelling game outcomes are a key factor in attracting a large audience for playoff football.

"The NFL is likely eyeing a really big viewership increase across all the games. Remember, the league was down last season and averaged dipping under 30 million viewers, but now with your big data, with your full out-of-home measurement, I think we're looking at maybe even something challenging that 34.7 million viewers that the league saw back in January of 2014."

Austin Karp suggests that the NFL is poised for a substantial increase in viewership this season, contrasting it with a decline in the previous year. Karp attributes this potential rise to improved data collection, including out-of-home measurement, and anticipates numbers that could rival those from 2014. This indicates that the league is optimistic about regaining and potentially exceeding previous viewership highs.

"Ticket prices for the National Championship game, the cheapest ticket right now, or as of Saturday on GameTime, was over $3,500. The average price there, $5,500, more than double the average price of last year's game. Lots of pent-up demand here from two fan bases."

Austin Karp reports on the exceptionally high ticket prices for the College Football Playoff Championship game. Karp states that the cheapest tickets were over $3,500, with an average price of $5,500, significantly higher than the previous year. Karp attributes this surge in cost to strong demand from the fan bases of both participating teams.

"The WNBA's collective bargaining agreement expired on Friday night without an extension, without a deal. That means a player strike or even a lockout could be coming in the weeks or months ahead if negotiations over revenue sharing continue to stall."

Austin Karp explains the critical situation regarding the WNBA's collective bargaining agreement, noting its expiration without a new deal. Karp warns that this could lead to a player strike or lockout if revenue-sharing negotiations remain unresolved. This highlights the potential for disruption in the league if an agreement is not reached soon.

"Now you get a home game in Miami for the Hurricanes in Monday's CFP title game, that's next week. But let's be honest, there are still going to be a ton of Indiana fans taking over South Beach. Ticket prices for the National Championship game, the cheapest ticket right now, or as of Saturday on GameTime, was over $3,500."

Austin Karp discusses the upcoming College Football Playoff Championship game in Miami, acknowledging the home-field advantage for the Hurricanes. Karp anticipates a significant presence of Indiana fans in Miami as well, contributing to the high demand for tickets. Karp specifically mentions that the lowest ticket prices were exceeding $3,500 as of Saturday.

Resources

External Resources

Videos & Documentaries

  • TGL presented by Sofi - Mentioned as a new championship format for golf.

Articles & Papers

  • "SBJ reported last week" - Referenced for information regarding ESPN's preference for the Monday night wild card window.

People

  • Haley Steinfeld - Mentioned as a presenter at the Golden Globes and wife of Josh Allen.
  • Marty Supreme - Mentioned as a film the speaker intended to see.
  • Greg Olsen - Referenced for his performance as a game analyst.
  • Adam Stern - Mentioned as a colleague who reported on NASCAR's new championship format.
  • Steve Phelps - Mentioned as the former commissioner of NASCAR who resigned.
  • Nneka Ogwumike - Mentioned as a co-founder of League One Volleyball and a player advocating for alternatives to the WNBA.
  • Adam Silver - Mentioned as the NBA commissioner.
  • Cathy Engelbert - Mentioned as the WNBA commissioner.
  • Matt Ryan - Mentioned as the new president of football operations for the Falcons.
  • Arthur Blank - Mentioned as the owner of the Falcons, who was introduced by Matt Ryan at the Sports Business Awards.
  • Ben Portnoy - Mentioned as a colleague who will be present at the CFP title game in Miami.

Organizations & Institutions

  • PGA Tour - Mentioned in relation to TGL.
  • Sofi - Mentioned as a presenter of TGL.
  • ESPN - Mentioned for its broadcast of TGL and its deal with the NFL for Monday night wild card games.
  • Golden Globes - Mentioned in relation to awards received by "Hamnet" and Haley Steinfeld's presentation.
  • Bills - Mentioned in relation to Haley Steinfeld's presentation at the Golden Globes.
  • Oscars - Mentioned in relation to films the speaker intended to see.
  • Texans - Mentioned as a team playing in an NFL wild card game.
  • Steelers - Mentioned as a team playing in an NFL wild card game.
  • Chargers - Mentioned as a team playing in an NFL wild card game.
  • Patriots - Mentioned as a team playing in an NFL wild card game.
  • 49ers - Mentioned as a team playing in an NFL wild card game.
  • Eagles - Mentioned as a team playing in an NFL wild card game.
  • Rams - Mentioned as a team playing in an NFL wild card game.
  • Panthers - Mentioned as a team playing in an NFL wild card game.
  • Bears - Mentioned as a team playing in an NFL wild card game.
  • Packers - Mentioned as a team playing in an NFL wild card game.
  • Amazon - Mentioned as a platform that will provide coverage of the Masters.
  • Miami - Mentioned as a team in the CFP championship game.
  • Indiana - Mentioned as a team in the CFP championship game.
  • Oregon - Mentioned as a team that played in the Peach Bowl.
  • Ole Miss - Mentioned as a team that played in a CFP semifinal game.
  • Hurricanes - Mentioned as the team representing Miami in the CFP title game.
  • NASCAR - Mentioned in relation to a new championship format.
  • Formula 1 - Mentioned as an example of a racing league with an old-school points formula.
  • IndyCar - Mentioned as an example of a racing league with an old-school points formula.
  • WNBA - Mentioned in relation to its collective bargaining agreement and potential work stoppage.
  • NBA - Mentioned in relation to its commissioner, Adam Silver.
  • League One Volleyball - Mentioned as an alternative to the WNBA, co-founded by Nneka Ogwumike.
  • Falcons - Mentioned in relation to the hire of Matt Ryan as president of football operations.
  • FIFA World Cup - Mentioned in relation to Germany's training camp.
  • Demon Deacons - Mentioned as the team representing Wake Forest.
  • IOC - Mentioned in relation to the status of the ice hockey arena for the Olympics.
  • NHL - Mentioned in relation to its players potentially returning to Olympic action.

Tools & Software

  • Game Time - Mentioned as a source for ticket prices for the CFP national championship game.

Websites & Online Resources

  • Prime Video - Mentioned for its coverage of NFL wild card games and its upcoming coverage of the Masters.
  • TNT - Mentioned as a platform where League One Volleyball viewership numbers were reported.
  • True TV - Mentioned as a platform where League One Volleyball viewership numbers were reported.
  • CBS - Mentioned as a network that will need to fill Matt Ryan's spot as an analyst.
  • USA Network - Mentioned as the network that aired League One Volleyball's opening.

Podcasts & Audio

  • SBJ Morning Buzzcast - Mentioned as the source of the episode.

Other Resources

  • Wild Card Weekend - Mentioned as a period of NFL playoff games with strong viewership.
  • CFP Championship - Mentioned as a college football championship game.
  • Peach Bowl - Mentioned as a college football bowl game.
  • Revenue Sharing - Mentioned as a point of negotiation in the WNBA collective bargaining agreement.
  • Sports Business Awards - Mentioned as an event where Matt Ryan introduced Arthur Blank.
  • Ice Hockey Arena - Mentioned in relation to test events held there for the Olympics.

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