It’s been a relatively slow week on the sports media front. So news that ESPN’s spring ratings suffered a sharp decline prompted a mid-level feeding frenzy.
According to Sports Business Daily, ESPN had a 32 percent dip in primetime ratings during the spring, its worst performance in a single quarter since at least 2006. The network’s total-day viewership fell 20 percent, the lowest since 2007.
DOOM AND GLOOM IN BRISTOL!!
The reason, though, seemed fairly obvious. ESPN got dealt a sucky hand for the NBA playoffs. It was capped off by a West Final featuring two small market teams that don’t move the needle. Then to make matters worse, San Antonio finished off Memphis in four games.
Meanwhile, TNT cashed in with ratings-monster Miami winning in 7 over Indiana.
ESPN PR guru Mike Soltys didn’t single out the Spurs in a post on ESPN’s Front Row, addressing the ratings decline. Also, he didn’t use the word sucky. But both were implied:
The reason for the drop? It is largely attributable to the end of 2012’s NBA lock-out shortened schedule being particularly strong.
You might recall the end of the season last year was back-loaded with a big increase in highly rated games (23 over a month in 2012 versus eight in 2013). This was combined with fewer Conference Finals contests (seven from the Eastern Conference in 2012 compared to three in the 2013 Western Conference). The lack of major market teams’ appearances on ESPN — in 2012 the Lakers and Heat combined for 11 ESPN appearances but just two in 2013 — also factors in.
Boston was featured in 10 2012 playoffs games but only two in 2013, resulting in fewer marquee players in marquee cities to drive viewership. In all, ESPN had 31 fewer NBA games, which not only affected game ratings but also hurt studio shows that routinely get a post-game lift.
Additionally in 2012, ESPN benefitted from 21 Euro Championship matches. This year, ESPN had the Confederations Cup, but it was only about half as many matches with lesser national interest.
“Last quarter was a rare aberration and we expect our demographic delivery to return to normal levels in the second half of 2013,” said ESPN Senior VP of Research and Analytics, Artie Bulgrin.
It is interesting ESPN felt the need to explain the ratings situation on Front Row. Perhaps with Fox Sports 1 starting next month, the network doesn’t want to show any signs of being vulnerable.
While nobody likes lower ratings, I don’t think there’s too much concern in Bristol. Football is coming soon, and all will be right in ESPN’s world.
My heart “bleeds” for the fact that the Eastern Sports Programming Network didn’t have New York or Boston teams in the NBA Finals.
Awwwwwwwwwwwwwwww…..too bad, so sad.
Maybe if those arrogant elitists realized there was something west of the Allegheny Mountains and treated it / promoted it as such, they’d get better rating when teams from the Northeast aren’t involved.