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Home Front: Culture Wars
Super Bowl Ad Rates Decline
2018-01-13
Gee - I wonder how that could have happened?

Here we are barely three weeks out from the Super Bowl and NBC has yet to sell all its ads. Same for the ensuing Winter Olympics. The network is predicting a half-billion dollars revenue from the big game pitting who-knows-who against who-knows-who in who-cares-where.

And another $900 million from ad sales during the Winter Olympics in South Korea immediately after, assuming no war. It’s the first time these two major sports events occur so close to each other on the same network.

It’s an immense economic gamble for NBC, which has committed to live-sports programming but now finds live-sports ratings tumbling for events like the National Football League and Olympics. NBC is paying $12 billion to those old guys on the Olympic Committee through 2032.

While the kneeling crap has contributed to this mess, the big problem is the massive multi-year contracts NBC (and other networks) have signed with the sports leagues, which was all well and fine when viewership and ad rates were going up like gangbusters. When the shit started to hit the fan a few years back and accelerated this year, they're left holding the bag because the contracts are fixed and can't legally be renegotiated. I suppose they'll try, but the leagues can always say no. At least it's not my mess.
Posted by:Raj

#7  they're left holding the bag because the contracts are fixed and can't legally be renegotiated

Never stopped players from 'renegotiating' after a big season. I'd say the precedent has been set by their actions.
Posted by: Procopius2k   2018-01-13 21:30  

#6  Chief fan here. We love Rivers too.

Saw 2 games this year; opener vs. NE but only because person had the game on. To me, still baseball season. Second was the playoff loss, but not sure what happened because I kept falling asleep. Apparently the refs ate some bad sushi and didn't get out of bed in time.

Guess there were games on today. Dunno. Was putting shelves together, teaching the boy lefty-loosey and all that.
Posted by: swksvolFF   2018-01-13 20:41  

#5  #3 - LOVED the SD Chargers - since '67 (I was 8). My Dad was a big fan, watched them in Balboa Stadium. We won tickets at SD Stadium opening season and had Season tix til Dad died in '95 and when the cost got above $1500/yr/seat. I still love individual players (Rivers/Gates) but if the rest are dead to me. I root for their opponents
Posted by: Frank G   2018-01-13 20:14  

#4  I heard Bed Bath & Beyond was up 10% last year, attributed solely to NFL bed shitting.



Winter Olympics....gettattaherewidatshit. They have been soft-hyping it for a few weeks, with televised ice shuffleboard tournys and tryouts, some gay ice dancing competition, and profiles of attractive participants. I might catch hockey just to see if Jamir Jagr is still playing and if Costas gets over-botoxed again.
Posted by: swksvolFF   2018-01-13 18:39  

#3  Frank G - that Chargers move had to be the dumbest franchise move in history and 100% predictable. Anyone with familiarity about L.A. sports could have told you that there's never been any pro football support, and Spanos wants to flip the bird to you and the other Chargers fans (I'm assuming you at least follow them) while lowering the value of his own franchise at the same time. Amazing! How Goodell managed to get a massive 5 year extension as commissioner after so many dumb & destructive moves is simply astounding to me.
Posted by: Raj   2018-01-13 14:01  

#2  The NFL basically shit on San Diego by letting the Spanos family move the Chargers to LA. Now they aren't getting ratings in LA OR SD
Posted by: Frank G   2018-01-13 12:49  

#1  Bless their hearts.
Posted by: Roth LaDoad   2018-01-13 12:25  

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