Buffalo Bills’ fans could possibly see less commercial breaks next season, along with the rest of the NFL, in an attempt to fix TV ratings.
The Buffalo Bills, along with the rest of the NFL, saw a dip in TV ratings this past season. Roger Goodell seems poised to fix the issue before the next season begins.
It didn’t matter if it was the regular season or the playoffs, the NFL simply wasn’t producing the same ratings as they’ve seen in the recent past. Even the Super Bowl saw its own dip in viewership.
At the end of the Super Bowl, it was announced that it had drawn a 48.8 overnight rating. That number is actually lower than the past two Super Bowls. Last year’s matchup between the Broncos and Panthers brought a 49.0 rating, while the Patriots-Seahawks matchup in 2015 had a 49.7 overnight rating.
NFL fans and analysts have contributed the dip in TV ratings to a variety of things. Some believe it was due to the presidential election, some believe it’s due to the declining approval rating of Roger Goodell and others believe it’s from all of the rule changes that have “taken the fun out of the game.”
As far as Goodell is concerned, it’s not a matter of WHY the ratings are dipping, but HOW the NFL can fix it — and it’s something he’s prepared to do this offseason.
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According to Goodell, taking fewer commercial breaks seems to be one way of fixing the issue, noting that making the game flow quicker would keep fans interested. Here’s what Goodell had to say about it:
"“What we’re trying to do is to make our product as exciting and our games as exciting and as action-packed as possible,” Goodell said. “So it comes on various different levels for us and we have not dismissed any theories about how we can continue to engage our fans more extensively either on television or in the stadium. That’s what we do and that’s what we work towards all the time. From a commercial standpoint, we did test in Week 16 and we did test in the Yahoo! game last year, we want to look at should we have the same number of breaks?”"
Goodell continued to explain his theory, also explaining how the commercial breaks are set up as of right now. He reiterates that this will most likely be action taken right away.
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"“We have five breaks per quarter. We think we can do it in four breaks per quarter. That is something that we’re leaning very heavily into. That’s not a competition committee issue but it’s an issue with our membership and our broadcast partners. We see opportunities to do that and maybe we remove some of the stoppages as well as some of the commercialized aspects of the game. We think less is more in this area and we can do it with the right balance that will improve the quality of the experience in the stadium or also on television. That’s what we’re focusing on so I expect to see a lot of those changes this offseason.”"
There are a number of other things being considered by Roger Goodell and the NFL. Some of those included are speeding up the replay process and a play clock from the moment an extra point is kicked to the ensuing kickoff is kicked.
Stay tuned as we wait for more information from Roger Goodell on the status of these changes. Although nothing’s official, the NFL is ready to make this game easier and more exciting to watch.
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What are some changes you think need to be made in order to keep fans interested when watching live on television? Leave your comments below!