Two analysts explain why advertisers won't abandon the NFL despite recent controversies. Live sports reach massive audiences that advertisers can't get elsewhere, and the data shows viewers stick around even when ratings dip.
Questions this video answers
January 30, 2018
14 rating
Male adults and female adults
Do you think we're at that point where advertisers are going to start pulling out? Obviously, we've heard from a handful of them and of course, the behavior has just been striking this conversation.
Right. I mean, the fact is the NFL is a force in this country and nowhere else on television can an advertiser replicate the scale and live television television viewing power that the NFL brings to the table. So there's really nowhere for the advertisers to go. So although they can certainly express their disapproval, I think it's highly unlikely you're going to see any advertisement advertiser back out.
So. So you don't think an advertiser is going to back out then?
No, I don't think you're going to see advertiser back out. And the NFL has a long memory. So, you know, if a beverage company backs out, there's two competitors waiting to fill their slot and there's, you know, there's no telling when they're going to be able to actually get back in again. I mean, these companies still need to sell products and to sell their products, they need to create scale and get millions and millions of eyeballs. And most of television is timeshift and watched over TiVo and the commercials are skipped. The NFL has its viewers glued to the television. Wednesday night NFL football this past weekend got a 14 rating and obviously it was the highest rated show amongst males, male adults, but it was also the highest rated show amongst female adults. This after the week of everything that happened with Ray Rice and Adrienne Peterson. So if it's not going to cause a drop in viewership now amongst female viewers, it probably never will.
