NFL: average TV audience down 9.7% (2017 vs 2016) for regular season games

NFL TV audiences in the 17 weeks of the regular season decreased 9.7% between 2016 and 2017, dropping from 16.5 million to 14.9 million viewers on average per game, according to figures from the Nielsen Institute, said the audiovisual group ESPN on 04/01/2018. Regular season TV audiences had already decreased by 8% between 2015 (17.9 million) and 2016, indicated ESPN on 05/01/2017 (see details below).

"Last year's slide was partly attributed to a lost audience due to the presidential election. This year, the NFL was challenged with fans upset at players protesting during the national anthem, an action that led to a league faceoff with President Donald Trump. Other factors cited include the dilution of the product through Thursday Night Football, which was broadcast on the NFL Network, CBS, NBC and Amazon Prime in 2017," stated ESPN.

"The NFL RedZone channel (multiplex in the US of the Sunday afternoon games) also might be a factor in taking fans away from watching the daytime games on CBS and FOX. The NFL isn't in a vacuum, as the viewership drop is indicative of the general…