NFL's Saturday Night Playoff game effectively pay-per-view

[uconnjack8]

In some ways, the NFL is a victim of its own success.   The NFL was founded by reasonably wealthy men who engaged in the business more out of competition than to make money.  Now, the value of teams is over a billion dollars, and only the obscenely wealthy can join the elite club. When you spend that sort of money, it's not for a hobby or to compete; it's to make yet more money (you don't become that wealthy without it being an obsession).

Well some are born into it, but point taken. 

This was a test for the NFL.  How much more money can they squeeze out of the networks in their contracts?

Have to admit I am a little surprised by the backlash in terms of the amount.  I mean when it comes right down to it, its capitalism.

[MightyGiants]

Well some are born into it, but point taken. 

This was a test for the NFL.  How much more money can they squeeze out of the networks in their contracts?

Have to admit I am a little surprised by the backlash in terms of the amount.  I mean when it comes right down to it, its capitalism.

The big picture is capitalism.  A more focused picture is about how you treat the customers you make your money off of in the form of viewership of your broadcast product, consumers of your merchandizing, and buyers of your tickets.

[uconnjack8]

The big picture is capitalism.  A more focused picture is about how you treat the customers you make your money off of in the form of viewership of your broadcast product, consumers of your merchandizing, and buyers of your tickets.

And when those people finally stop watching and spending money on it, they will rethink it.

Until then it's almost laughable to me that I am reading stuff like "I hate the NFL and Goodell" written by people who consume as much of it as they can.

I think it was a bad move to do this with a playoff game, but had more of an issue with the time slot of NCAA semi final games.

[MightyGiants]

And when those people finally stop watching and spending money on it, they will rethink it.

Until then it's almost laughable to me that I am reading stuff like "I hate the NFL and Goodell" written by people who consume as much of it as they can.

I think it was a bad move to do this with a playoff game, but had more of an issue with the time slot of NCAA semi final games.

If the NFL is smart they wouldn't see the anger and complaints over their pay-per-view playoff game, as it should be treated as a warning sign rather than a sign that people are foolish.

When people find a product they enjoy consuming and the provider of the product starts to raise prices and reduce the quality of the product there is an inevitable timeline:

1) the early attempts are often met with indifference

2) the consumers verbalize their dissatisfaction of the reduction in quality and the increase in cost

3) if it continues, the consumers finally give up the product they used to enjoy and likely will never go back to purchasing


Of course, while all this is occurring, you are not maximizing new customers as they don't have the need to change to avoid the mistreatment of increased cost combined by the reduction in product.

[uconnjack8]

If the NFL is smart they wouldn't see the anger and complaints over their pay-per-view playoff game, as it should be treated as a warning sign rather than a sign that people are foolish.

When people find a product they enjoy consuming and the provider of the product starts to raise prices and reduce the quality of the product there is an inevitable timeline:

1) the early attempts are often met with indifference

2) the consumers verbalize their dissatisfaction of the reduction in quality and the increase in cost

3) if it continues, the consumers finally give up the product they used to enjoy and likely will never go back to purchasing


Of course, while all this is occurring, you are not maximizing new customers as they don't have the need to change to avoid the mistreatment of increased cost combined by the reduction in product.

The NFL has increased its revenue almost every year for 20 years straight.  That seems smart to me.

[MightyGiants]

The NFL has increased its revenue almost every year for 20 years straight.  That seems smart to me.

In the short term, I agree they have maximized their income.  Long term things like this are serious causes for concern:

https://x.com/SportsTVRatings/status/1224811585438396418?s=20


American football fans, on the other hand, are older than any other sports fanbase. More than half (55%) of all NFL fans are over the age of 35.

https://www.colormatics.com/article/sports-fan-buyer-persona/#:~:text=American%20football%20fans%2C%20on%20the,subdivisions%20outside%20mid%2Dsized%20cities.



If you want to see the future of Football, look to baseball, which is no longer as popular and relevant as it was once people called it "America's pastime."

[Ed Vette]

I was able to watch the Miami- KC game on my phone via the NFL game day subscription that I have. It wasn't available on TV streaming.

[TDToomer]

Turns out the friends we has dinner with last night subscribe to Peacock because they are huge soccer fans and we watched the game after we got back to their house. 4th coldest game ever. Which were the other 3?

Ice Bowl 1967
AFC Championship 1981 Cincinati
????  My guess is New England vs The Titans in a divisional playoff game in the 2000's.

Our NFC Championship game in GB in 2007 was -2 or -3 so maybe the 5th coldest?

[coggs]

Get used to it.  As more and more people drop cable packages, this is what will happen.  I have had Peacock for some time as my wife watches several shows on the channel.  Saying it was available "free" is a bit misleading.  Most people no longer use antennas (I do) and need a cable subscription to get the local OTA channels.

[uconnjack8]

In the short term, I agree they have maximized their income.  Long term things like this are serious causes for concern:

https://x.com/SportsTVRatings/status/1224811585438396418?s=20


American football fans, on the other hand, are older than any other sports fanbase. More than half (55%) of all NFL fans are over the age of 35.

https://www.colormatics.com/article/sports-fan-buyer-persona/#:~:text=American%20football%20fans%2C%20on%20the,subdivisions%20outside%20mid%2Dsized%20cities.



If you want to see the future of Football, look to baseball, which is no longer as popular and relevant as it was once people called it "America's pastime."

From this data, I think the NFL is looking long term because streaming is the future. 

I think their long-term thinking speaks for itself as of now with what they have done in those last 20 years.

If you have the oldest fan base of any sport its a good idea to look at how younger people are consuming tv.  Not that it will matter if what I read about younger generations interest in sports is true, and it's much lower than previous groups.  But streaming, a show on Nickelodeon and some other campaigns say to me the NFL is very much focused on the future.

As for the baseball part, every sport has hits peak and eventually plays 2nd fiddle to something.  The NFL will not be king forever.

Do we have median ages for the Super Bowl for the last 3 years?  Not sure if that matters for this debate or not.

[MightyGiants]

From this data, I think the NFL is looking long term because streaming is the future. 

I think their long-term thinking speaks for itself as of now with what they have done in those last 20 years.

If you have the oldest fan base of any sport its a good idea to look at how younger people are consuming tv.  Not that it will matter if what I read about younger generations interest in sports is true, and it's much lower than previous groups.  But streaming, a show on Nickelodeon and some other campaigns say to me the NFL is very much focused on the future.

As for the baseball part, every sport has hits peak and eventually plays 2nd fiddle to something.  The NFL will not be king forever.

Do we have median ages for the Super Bowl for the last 3 years?  Not sure if that matters for this debate or not.

I find the NFL's streaming efforts to be rather interesting.  Young people don't stream their video content because they are young.  They do so because it's the convenience generation.  They want what they want when they want it and with minimal effort.   They want to view content on their schedule and where they want to view it. They want their food delivered to their homes rather than takeout or even eat-in.   They don't want to shop for goods; they want to shop online and have them delivered. 

The NFL is the ultimate content for broadcast TV because people need to view it live and are forced to the strongest degree of any content to view commercials.  It also helps boost shows that follow football.  That is what makes the NFL so valuable to broadcast TV.   Streaming services want the NFL because it's the sort of offering that, if made exclusive, entices more people to sign up for the service.  Beyond that, it's just very expensive content that has one-and-done value.  So fundamentally, football is more valuable to broadcast television than to streaming services.

As for Nickelodeon, that is a smart move.  Still, if you don't treat your customers well and you are nickel and diming them you will ultimately lose them or never get them

[uconnjack8]

I find the NFL's streaming efforts to be rather interesting.  Young people don't stream their video content because they are young.  They do so because it's the convenience generation.  They want what they want when they want it and with minimal effort.   They want to view content on their schedule and where they want to view it. They want their food delivered to their homes rather than takeout or even eat-in.   They don't want to shop for goods; they want to shop online and have them delivered. 

The NFL is the ultimate content for broadcast TV because people need to view it live and are forced to the strongest degree of any content to view commercials.  It also helps boost shows that follow football.  That is what makes the NFL so valuable to broadcast TV.   Streaming services want the NFL because it's the sort of offering that, if made exclusive, entices more people to sign up for the service.  Beyond that, it's just very expensive content that has one-and-done value.  So fundamentally, football is more valuable to broadcast television than to streaming services.

As for Nickelodeon, that is a smart move.  Still, if you don't treat your customers well and you are nickel and diming them you will ultimately lose them or never get them

Save money and time, sounds smart.  As for being a convenience generation, they are much more likely to be vegetarian or vegan than older groups.  Personally I find that inconvenient.   We were the fast food generation,  all about food convenience. As for tv convenience,  what generation invented tivo?

It's nice to view what you want when you want rather than have to do it on some else's schedule. 

[TDToomer]

Save money and time, sounds smart.  As for being a convenience generation, they are much more likely to be vegetarian or vegan than older groups.  Personally I find that inconvenient.   We were the fast food generation,  all about food convenience. As for tv convenience,  what generation invented tivo?

It's nice to view what you want when you want rather than have to do it on some else's schedule. 

Speak for yourself. I am not part of any fast food generation.

[uconnjack8]

Speak for yourself. I am not part of any fast food generation.

What's the problem?

How am I speaking for anyone else?

  If you are of a certain age you grew up during  a huge expansion of the fast food industry.  Whether you are at them or not.

 

[DaveBrown74]

Yup. What generation you are in is 100% about the range of your birth year. It has nothing to do with what habits you personally have as an individual. Everyone born between certain years is a "baby boomer" a "gen X'er", a "millennial", and so on. Has nothing to do with your own individual behavior.

I was just a young kid when cable first came out, but I'm sure there was a lot of bitching when that first happened and some content moved from regular network TV to cable. Things just evolve. It is what it is.