DIRECTV unlikely to keep NFL Sunday Ticket

[SamCdbs]

It is a mystery as to why, but we are generations deep into "all the kids today play soccer, they are going to grow up and watch it". It just hasn't happened. Lots of kids played soccer, but are now grown ups and have sports viewing tastes that are indistinguishable from previous generations.

Another mystery is that soccer playing kids tend to be, in the USA/Canada unlike the parts of the world where soccer is popular, from wealthier backgrounds, but this, too, does not translate into the demographics of who watches it as an adult.

 

[navychop]

I suspect the NFL is pricing themselves under. Big recession: No NFL.

 

[Juan]

It is a mystery as to why, but we are generations deep into "all the kids today play soccer, they are going to grow up and watch it". It just hasn't happened. Lots of kids played soccer, but are now grown ups and have sports viewing tastes that are indistinguishable from previous generations.

Another mystery is that soccer playing kids tend to be, in the USA/Canada unlike the parts of the world where soccer is popular, from wealthier backgrounds, but this, too, does not translate into the demographics of who watches it as an adult.

The american version is boring on tv

 

[NashGuy]

It is a mystery as to why, but we are generations deep into "all the kids today play soccer, they are going to grow up and watch it". It just hasn't happened. Lots of kids played soccer, but are now grown ups and have sports viewing tastes that are indistinguishable from previous generations.

Another mystery is that soccer playing kids tend to be, in the USA/Canada unlike the parts of the world where soccer is popular, from wealthier backgrounds, but this, too, does not translate into the demographics of who watches it as an adult.

Incorrect. TV soccer viewing is rising in the US. And its popularity as a live sport is rising too. We just opened a new soccer stadium here in Nashville for our MLS team. Does it yet rank with the big 4 pro sports? No. But to say that all those years of youth soccer aren't producing at least somewhat more adult fans of soccer is, I think, false.

 

[Jimbo]

Incorrect. TV soccer viewing is rising in the US. And its popularity as a live sport is rising too. We just opened a new soccer stadium here in Nashville for our MLS team. Does it yet rank with the big 4 pro sports? No. But to say that all those years of youth soccer aren't producing at least somewhat more adult fans of soccer is, I think, false.

Incorrect ....
Kids have been playing soccer forever ... people talk like its gonna be the top sport in the country in a few years .... That ain't happening ...
Sure, there are teams in major cities and there are soccer fans, but they pale compared to any other sport. (In the US)

 

[Jimbo]

The american version is boring on tv

And in Person ...

 

[navychop]

We’re any schools in the US sponsoring soccer teams in the 1960s? 70s?

 

[slice1900]

All I know is that the local grade school (I think 5th and 6th grade) tackle football league that has been here since forever is in danger of shutting down. The last couple seasons didn't happen due to covid - in 2020 because they canceled it outright, in 2021 because there weren't enough kids willing to participate (or parents willing to let them)

They haven't got enough kids for this fall either, and I saw a few parents sharing out their pleas for kids to sign up which basically said if they don't have enough for this fall they'll close down permanently and kids won't be able to play until junior high.

And I'm in a pretty good sized city, can't imagine smaller places (outside of football crazy states like Texas etc.) could support leagues.

Maybe it will come back as flag football, assuming the reason is parents not wanting to risk head trauma. Yeah they are smaller and slower than the college/pro players getting CTE but their brains are still developing so no one can say for sure it is safe.

 

[AZ.]

Maybe it will come back as flag football, assuming the reason is parents not wanting to risk head trauma. Yeah they are smaller and slower than the college/pro players getting CTE but their brains are still developing so no one can say for sure it is safe.

Soccer has as many head injuries as hockey or football....Most youth leagues have banned head butting the ball at young ages.

 

[SamCdbs]

Incorrect. TV soccer viewing is rising in the US. And its popularity as a live sport is rising too. We just opened a new soccer stadium here in Nashville for our MLS team. Does it yet rank with the big 4 pro sports? No. But to say that all those years of youth soccer aren't producing at least somewhat more adult fans of soccer is, I think, false.

Correct.

MLS gets a 0.2 on "cable" and just last weekend got a 0.35 on broadcast TV. That is horrid.

Fans of niche sports like to talk about percentage increases. 0.2. So it is "rising". Maybe it goes up 50% in 10 years. That is still last. It is like having $5 to your name and finding another $5 in the sofa. You could say your wealth doubled. Or you could admit you still more or less broke.

And, as to stadiums, remember that in the parts of the world where people watch soccer. the idea of building a soccer stadium because the regular stadium is too big would be foreign. Again, so unpopular it has to build a small stadium.

 

[SamCdbs]

We’re any schools in the US sponsoring soccer teams in the 1960s? 70s?

First NCAA college soccer championship was in 1959.

 

[navychop]

I should have specified “elementary” schools.

 

[Bruce]

Correct.

MLS gets a 0.2 on "cable" and just last weekend got a 0.35 on broadcast TV. That is horrid.

Fans of niche sports like to talk about percentage increases. 0.2. So it is "rising". Maybe it goes up 50% in 10 years. That is still last. It is like having $5 to your name and finding another $5 in the sofa. You could say your wealth doubled. Or you could admit you still more or less broke.

And, as to stadiums, remember that in the parts of the world where people watch soccer. the idea of building a soccer stadium because the regular stadium is too big would be foreign. Again, so unpopular it has to build a small stadium.

That is actually pretty good for a sport most do not care about.

Ratings for regular season sports sucks in general, for example-

The New York Yankees are averaging about 400,000 a game on Yes Network, the metro area (all that can get Yes) of NYC is 20 million, those that still get paid Live TV is about 68% of the population, so we will say 13 million roughly get Yes, so 400,000 out of that 13 Million is only .031, that is a awful rating .

From Here-

Now, visions of what might be, and winning on almost a nightly basis, is enough to help fuel viewership numbers. YES’ average total viewership this season is up over 11% from 2021. And the network, in nine games this season, averaged over 400,000 total viewers through 50 games. It took the Yankees the entire 2021 season to record nine such 400,000 total-viewers-games on YES.

Bob Raissman: Too much winning can hurt ratings, but not with this Yankees team

Even in the best of times the Yankees, as a TV product, have been taken for granted. The organization’s mission statement was “World Series or bust.” The high expectations often d…

www.nydailynews.com

 

[slice1900]

That is actually pretty good for a sport most do not care about.

Ratings for regular season sports sucks in general, for example-

The New York Yankees are averaging about 400,000 a game on Yes Network, the metro area (all that can get Yes) of NYC is 20 million, those that still get paid Live TV is about 68% of the population, so we will say 13 million roughly get Yes, so 400,000 out of that 13 Million is only .031, that is a awful rating .

From Here-

Now, visions of what might be, and winning on almost a nightly basis, is enough to help fuel viewership numbers. YES’ average total viewership this season is up over 11% from 2021. And the network, in nine games this season, averaged over 400,000 total viewers through 50 games. It took the Yankees the entire 2021 season to record nine such 400,000 total-viewers-games on YES.

Bob Raissman: Too much winning can hurt ratings, but not with this Yankees team

Even in the best of times the Yankees, as a TV product, have been taken for granted. The organization’s mission statement was “World Series or bust.” The high expectations often d…

www.nydailynews.com

A 0.2 rating means 0.2%, so if 400,000 people out of a potential audience of 13 million watch one Yankees game that would be a 3.1 rating not .031.

 

[Bruce]

A 0.2 rating means 0.2%, so if 400,000 people out of a potential audience of 13 million watch one Yankees game that would be a 3.1 rating not .031.

Even if your numbers are correct, I think it is pretty sad that only .031% of the New York Metro Area watch the Yankees, imagine what the ratings are for the real bad teams.

Once again, sports do not attract the viewership as much as they think and should not get the high price tag they demand.

DirecTV has the most sports out of all the Live TV Providers, yet they still have lost at least 11 million subscribers in the last 7 years, Dish got rid of the RSNs, yet their losses are not as bad, Hulu and YTTV also do not have them, yet they are gaining subs.

 

[Juan]

Even if your numbers are correct, I think it is pretty sad that only .031% of the New York Metro Area watch the Yankees, imagine what the ratings are for the real bad teams.

Once again, sports do not attract the viewership as much as they think and should not get the high price tag they demand.

DirecTV has the most sports out of all the Live TV Providers, yet they still have lost at least 11 million subscribers in the last 7 years, Dish got rid of the RSNs, yet their losses are not as bad, Hulu and YTTV also do not have them, yet they are gaining subs.

The Yankees haven't won anything for a long time..so yes..nobody watches them until they hit the playoffs..then the numbers climb into the millions

 

[Bruce]

The Yankees haven't won anything for a long time..so yes..nobody watches them until they hit the playoffs..then the numbers climb into the millions

And you made my point for me, why do these channels get so much in per subscriber fees if nobody watches them, plus they get high ad rates and the subscriber has to pay that high monthly bill because the channel demands to be put on the packages that have the most eyes watching.

Then the subscribers get the privilege of paying extra ( RSN fees) for a channel that most do not watch.

And people wonder why Live TV Providers are slowly dying.

 

[Juan]

And you made my point for me, why do these channels get so much in per subscriber fees if nobody watches them, plus they get high ad rates and the subscriber has to pay that high monthly bill because the channel demands to be put on the packages that have the most eyes watching.

Then the subscribers get the privilege of paying extra ( RSN fees) for a channel that most do not watch.

And people wonder why Live TV Providers are slowly dying.

Because they can...its really that simple...anytime a cable system drops YES..all hell breaks loose...Dish never carried YES but everyone else does

 

[NashGuy]

Correct.

MLS gets a 0.2 on "cable" and just last weekend got a 0.35 on broadcast TV. That is horrid.

Fans of niche sports like to talk about percentage increases. 0.2. So it is "rising". Maybe it goes up 50% in 10 years. That is still last. It is like having $5 to your name and finding another $5 in the sofa. You could say your wealth doubled. Or you could admit you still more or less broke.

And, as to stadiums, remember that in the parts of the world where people watch soccer. the idea of building a soccer stadium because the regular stadium is too big would be foreign. Again, so unpopular it has to build a small stadium.

Let's examine what you're doing here, Sam. You're moving the goalposts. Your original statement which I called out as incorrect was:

"Lots of kids played soccer, but are now grown ups and have sports viewing tastes that are indistinguishable from previous generations."

So you're saying that soccer viewership in the US is no more popular now than it was a generation ago. And I call BS on that.

In response to that, you're now switching the argument to say that soccer viewership in the US right now is far lower than football, baseball, basketball or hockey. No $hit, sherlock. But again, that's not what we were debating. It's whether there's been a material increase in soccer viewership as increasing numbers of young Americans play soccer as kids and then grow up.

And taking viewership of just MLS into consideration isn't an accurate measure of total soccer viewership. Only now is MLS starting to draw the kind of money and talent it needs to be taken seriously alongside professional soccer leagues in the UK and continental Europe. American soccer fans watch those leagues as well on NBC, Fox Sports, Peacock, Paramount+, and other sources.

Note that I'm not predicting that soccer will ever become as popular a spectator sport as the big 4 I listed above. Maybe it'll eventually surpass the NHL, maybe it won't. But it IS becoming more popular among Americans and I see every reason to think that trend will continue.

 

[NashGuy]

Maybe it will come back as flag football, assuming the reason is parents not wanting to risk head trauma. Yeah they are smaller and slower than the college/pro players getting CTE but their brains are still developing so no one can say for sure it is safe.

Fast forward this trend 15 years and think about what that portends for the available talent pool for the NFL in 2037. I'm not saying there won't still be quite a lot of talented young men willing to risk permanent brain damage. But those guys will increasingly be men of color coming from economically disadvantaged backgrounds (kind of like the lower ranks of the US military, for similar reasons).

Think about the coming social discussion around old rich white dudes paying for luxury boxes at NFL stadia so they can watch broke young black guys knock their brains out trying to get their piece of the American dream.