Football ratings down. (Entertainment and Sports Programming Network, Turner Network Television National Football League ratings for 1996 season)(Brief Article)

Broadcasting & Cable, February, 1997 by Katz, Michael

Lower football ratings for ESPN and TNT may cost the networks some ad dollars when negotiating begins with advertisers for the 1997-98 National Football League season. Both cable networks saw their ratings drop at least 10% this past season compared with the previous year. TNT averaged a 7.3 rating per game in 1996, versus a 8.1 rating during the 1995 season.

ESPN averaged an 8.2 rating, down from a 9.0 the previous season. "Our outlook remains very strong," says a Turner spokesperson. "We really expect NFL ratings to return to a high level this year." TNT says there is no clear explanation for the drop in ratings; "it's so out of the trend, and so out of what we've experienced during the last couple of years." TNT says that because of the...

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