Ratings for the National Football League have gotten worse as Week 11 passes in the rear-view, with the league losing one million viewers over the numbers from 2016 as protests during the national anthem continue.
Some analysts felt the ratings slump showed signs of slowing over week 9 and 10, but the downward trend picked back up for Week 11. With a loss of 6.3 percent compared to last week’s loss of 5.7 percent the loss of viewers deepened, the New York Post reported.
The 6.3 percent dip reflects a viewership of 14.9 million viewers, which is down a million from the 15.9 earned in Week 11 last year.
Two games for Week 11 did have audience gains.
NBC’s Sunday Night Football saw a 12 percent hike over last year’s numbers as the Philadelphia Eagles topped the Dallas Cowboys 37 to 9.
Fox’s matchup between the Washington Redskins and the New Orleans Saints, also saw some growth with a ten percent hike.
With TV ratings off nearly 20 percent for the season over all, the networks have reportedly lost up to $500 million in ad revenue. The ratings slide is reflected in the sparse attendance at the stadiums, too, with Week 11 photos showing that there are still empty seats galore.
Indeed, stadium attendance has been so bad that there is some evidence that ticket prices on the secondary markets such as StubHub have fallen to new lows. Tickets to the Thanksgiving game between the Washington Redskins and the New York Giants were selling at $10 a piece at one point. That reflects poorly on tickets that, in some cases, would normally sell for over $100.
Follow Warner Todd Huston on Twitter @warnerthuston.