Learning from the NFL's Success with Viewers
Posted on Tue, Jan 31, 2012 @ 11:15 AM
From CJ&N President John Altenbern:
Did you know that all 10 of this television season’s top-rated shows have been NFL games? As everyone makes plans for the Super Bowl, I’ve been thinking. What is it about NFL football that commands such viewer attention?
Sure, it’s a great spectator sport if you’re home on the couch, but it’s more than an excuse for inviting friends over for a beer. Here’s what I’ve come up with. There are three things that NFL football has that the audience finds enticing.
There’s Passion. It’s obvious among the players and fans.
People. Football is a game of skill and toughness, but also personalities. Think Tom Brady, or Tim Tebow or Clay Matthews. Viewers find them – and their personal stories – fascinating.
Unpredictability. You simply never know the outcome of the games. Anything is possible. It’s a live spectacle you simply have to see. (Drew Brees actually tried to drop-kick a field goal? Really?)
So what’s the lesson for us? When I watch local television news around the country, it is amazing to me how few of these three traits show up. We wonder where viewers have gone – but I think we often just send them away because of our lack of passion and risk-taking. The owners don’t take risks, the coaches don’t and the players don’t. Many newscasts are wonderful shades of beige. They may be very competent, but there’s not much passion! And research shows our “fans” don’t see it either. Many news viewers tell us if they miss a newscast it is no big deal. They can catch one later, find the same story on a competing station or simply look for information online. Ho hum.
Then there’s that “people” thing. Would you put up with a talented anchor who shows a flash of Tom Brady’s temper? Would you ask the Packers' Clay Matthews to cut his hair? How about someone on-air who wore her faith on her sleeve a la Tebow? As Bruce Northcott has noted in this space before, the “characters” have been slowly squeezed out of local news. Our talent ranks often have the star power of an offensive guard.
And talk about predictable. Newscasts are so highly produced and scripted down to the second that spontaneity has nearly vanished. Technology is part of it. Viewers know exactly what to expect from the opening animation until the last “good night.” Even live shots are predictable. What’s fascinating about that?
Enjoy the Super Bowl this Sunday. You, along with millions of others, are promised some good storylines, interesting players to watch, and the outcome is anybody’s guess. And as February begins, I hope our local television teams can learn a thing or two from the NFL’s success with viewers.