NFL ratings take another steep drop

NFL games remain among the most watched programming on television, but ratings took another significant dip during the 2017 regular season.

The average audience was 14.9 million viewers per game, down 9.7% from 16.5 million viewers in the 2016 regular season, according to Nielsen. The 2016 viewership was down 8% from the previous year.

The decline in ratings meant the networks had to offer make-goods to advertisers in order to compensate for the smaller audiences, a network executive told the Los Angeles Times.

Despite the drop in viewership, 20 of the 30 highest-rated shows and 37 of 50 on television in 2017 were pro football games, and both NBC and ESPN had the most-watched shows every week of the season in terms of total audience and in all key male demographics.

The NFL's Red Zone cable channel, which takes viewers to different games whenever there is a scoring opportunity, drew an estimated 1 million weekly viewers, pulling fans away from their local games on CBS and Fox.

NBC's "NFL Sunday Night Football" was the most-watched program in prime time, with 18.2 million viewers this past season. That figure is down from 20.3 million viewers in 2016 and 22.5 million in 2015.

NBC, CBS, Fox and ESPN pay more than $1 billion a year apiece for NFL TV rights, with ESPN spending the most -- $1.9 billion for "Monday Night Football."

Changing viewing habits are frequently cited as a reason for the falling ratings. Others have pointed to anger over player protests during the national anthem, a string of injuries to high-profile players such as Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers, the anemic performances of large-market teams and a series of lackluster Thursday games.

--Field Level Media