The NFL kicked off its very unconventional season, in a very unconventional year worldwide, last weekend. Television viewership was down somewhat nationally over last year. But ratings in St. Louis tumbled sharply, dropping 23% over last year’s slate.
Nielsen, which measures viewership, reports that the seven games shown locally (one last Thursday, four on Sunday, two on Monday night) were seen in an average of 6.7% of the market. Last year, for the same schedule, the rating was 8.7.
Numerous factors could have contributed to the crash.
• Viewer unhappiness with social activism taking place at many games.