The NFL is arguably the biggest name in sports media and rakes in billions of dollars per year, but the Wall Street Journal is reporting they are disappointed in the ratings of its own network's Thursday Night Football. According to their sources, they are so annoyed that they are in discussions with multiple outlets of adding a possible second Thursday night game to their season's lineup.
The bigger story is that not just cable and dish providers are being approached. The Journal claims that both Netflix and Google have been contacted on streaming rights. The NFL started a new schedule this year to air 13 games on its NFL Network on Thursday nights. Unfortunately, the newest addition to the NFL lineup has not obtained the powerhouse ratings of other prime-time games on Sunday and Monday nights.
The league feels that offering a doubleheader scenario, via two different outlets, could help fill the ratings void. Some of the Thursday night ratings drop could still be that the NFL Network is still not offered in every market, or with basic cable. Live NFL games on YouTube could be the venue to fill that gap in viewers. There also multiple reports that Google exec Larry Page and NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell had a sit down meeting back on August 20. Can you say game changer?
Source: Wall Street Journal
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