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ESPN's ratings down 32% in primetime and 20% in total day average viewership

RollWave35

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Looks like people are turning to other sources for their sports information. I've found myself mostly watching NFL Network and NBA TV recently for my sports fixes (since college football season hasn't started yet).

ESPN's ratings have been a significant topic of discussion this summer. With NBC Sports Network strengthening their position and Fox Sports 1 looking to challenge Bristol directly, not to mention several league networks drawing fans, ESPN is facing more competition than ever before. Although the network was coming off of rating highs in the early parts of 2011 and 2012, 2013 brought multi-year lows in the ratings department. In the second quarter of 2013 ESPN was down 32% in primetime and 20% in total day average viewership compared to the year before. On the other hand, NBCSN, Golf Channel, MLB Network, NFL Network, and Fox Soccer all saw increases in year-to-year viewership.
What's the truth about ESPN's ratings? Is it indeed a rare aberration or a sign that ESPN may be vulnerable to competitors? AA has learned more detailed information about ESPN's ratings that may provide some answers.

* Through the first 2 quarters of 2013, ESPN is averaging 824,000 viewers for its Total Day 6A-6A. This is the lowest since the first half of 2008 and down 14% from last year.

* SportsCenter ratings are down across the board.

- The early evening edition of SportsCenter at 6 PM ET averaged 665,000 viewers through 6/30, an 8% decline from last year.

- Perhaps most surprisingly, the primetime 11 PM ET SportsCenter averaged 870,000 viewers through 6/30, down 21% from last year.
http://www.awfulannouncing.com/2013/july/a-closer-look-at-espn-s-ratings.html
 
I only watch ATH and PTI from 5 to 6 every day. Other than that, ESPN is meh. And even those get "meh-ish" during the summer when it's just boring ass baseball, free agency moves, and SEC athletes getting arrested.
 
I only watch ATH and PTI from 5 to 6 every day. Other than that, ESPN is meh. And even those get "meh-ish" during the summer when it's just boring ass baseball, free agency moves, and SEC athletes getting arrested.

I agree
 
They're dealing with the Internet age, just like ever other facet of media. People don't need SportsCenter anymore. That's why ESPN has been very smart about pushing so much content online. They see the writing on the wall. Kudos to them for embracing that before being blindsided by reality.

The thing that matters most for sports television at the moment is ... sports. The money being paid by networks for the rights to broadcast sports is skyrocketing, and for good reason. It's one of the few things left on television that will captivate an audience in real time. Advertisers love it.

I'm sure they're dealing with some folks tiring of their march toward infotainment, but I don't think that's a big reason for the ratings drop. Truth is, that infotainment crap sells. Fox 1 is going to infotain the hell out of their coverage, and I'm sure some people will prefer that voice over ESPN's. But I don't think ESPN's recent ratings problems have any major reason specific to ESPN's shortcomings. Diffusion of media (e.g., people watching Golf Network or MLB Network) + Internet age = lower ratings for things that aren't live sports.
 
In the process of cutting the "cable wire"...if I don't get a password for watch espn for the apple tv...no more espn in my house...
 
I shy away from SC more and more due simply to the never-ending circle jerk over their favorite athletes or scandals.

If they actually just covered yesterday's sports and breaking news instead of wandering into Sport Science with John Brenkus or 7-part LeBron James career retrospectives or the latest on Manti Teo's fake girlfriend or, well, name your tangent, then I'd be more into it.
 
Has anyone even considered the possibility that a growing disgust among the public regarding things like the greed, use of PEDs, and criminal behavior of many professional athletes (and team owners) has contributed to an overall lower public interest in following professional sports today?

Not to mention sending lewd photos wearing orange crocs. It's really disgusting.
 
People are cutting the cable cord, and since there's no good way to get ESPN stuff without cable, they're losing viewers. My default to put on the TV when I'm not actively watching is ESPN, if I didn't have cable, it'd probably be something on Netflix.
 
I get five ESPN channels, and outside of live game broadcasts, I watch very little.

As has previously been discussed, their anchors are simply annoying.
 
Between WatchESPN and the video content available directly from ESPN.com, I'm not surprised that as viewers move away from cable/satellite that a dominant provider like ESPN would see a dip in TV ratings, even as smaller sports channels gain viewers.

How many websites challenge ESPN.com? Who is anywhere close to providing what WatchESPN does across computers, gaming consoles, AppleTV, etc.? I don't really see much danger here. ATM usage dropped when mobile banking caught on as well.
 
Other than Top Plays, SportsCenter is a waste of time
 
Has anyone even considered the possibility that a growing disgust among the public regarding things like the greed, use of PEDs, and criminal behavior of many professional athletes (and team owners) has contributed to an overall lower public interest in following professional sports today?

Um, not at all? Sports has more interest and is making more money than ever before. There are more consumers. There are just more outlets in sports media to capture those consumers' attention.

But good try.
 
I shy away from SC more and more due simply to the never-ending circle jerk over their favorite athletes or scandals.

If they actually just covered yesterday's sports and breaking news instead of wandering into Sport Science with John Brenkus or 7-part LeBron James career retrospectives or the latest on Manti Teo's fake girlfriend or, well, name your tangent, then I'd be more into it.

This, its never highlights anymore. Its the sports version of TMZ
 
Between WatchESPN and the video content available directly from ESPN.com, I'm not surprised that as viewers move away from cable/satellite that a dominant provider like ESPN would see a dip in TV ratings, even as smaller sports channels gain viewers.

How many websites challenge ESPN.com? Who is anywhere close to providing what WatchESPN does across computers, gaming consoles, AppleTV, etc.? I don't really see much danger here. ATM usage dropped when mobile banking caught on as well.

Yahoo sports has to have pretty good traffic through news and fantasy. I get my sports news through Twitter mostly.
 
I also like going straight to my leagues/teams media outlets if possible.
 
There is certainly disgust among fans and viewers of sports over controversies. It can pass year to year (see baseball 1994) and people may come back but there is anecdotal and research indicating people are and do become ambivalent about sports they otherwise used to follow because of scandal. The thing is, as older generations move on and say "the hell with it," younger generations embrace what the sport has become, warts and all. So it's a push when you look at overall, long-term numbers.
 
There is certainly disgust among fans and viewers of sports over controversies. It can pass year to year (see baseball 1994) and people may come back but there is anecdotal and research indicating people are and do become ambivalent about sports they otherwise used to follow because of scandal. The thing is, as older generations move on and say "the hell with it," younger generations embrace what the sport has become, warts and all. So it's a push when you look at overall, long-term numbers.

Is this not the way it has always been?
 
It's a push when you look at overall, long-term numbers.

This is correct, at the very least. The general trend of sports fandom has only increased in the Internet age. It's never been easier to be a sports fan.
 
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