CBS Bracing For Viewership Drop
September 18th, 2014
A CBS suit weighs in
In the immortal words of Bill Parcells, right now the Bucs stink. They are 0-2. They are what their record says they are. Winless.
Even when the Bucs were beating up the NFL with the likes of Warren Sapp and Derrick Brooks and John Lynch and Simeon Rice and Ronde Barber and Mike Alstott and Keyshawn Johnson, the Bucs were not among the most popular of NFL teams.
Joe says this out of disgust, not to be an arse. The teams that were and are the most popular are those with either a rich history of winning, or generations of fans that grew up when they were winning, or teams from populous cities (New York and Chicago, for example).
There is a reason why teams like the Packers and Steelers are always on national TV despite being from smallish TV markets. They have millions of fans all over the country, if not the globe. The Raiders and Cowboys have fans all over creation because they had winning teams for decades before their recent bouts of ineptitude.
The Bucs have only had one era of winning, which lasted a decade (not counting an early four-year span of success). The aforementioned teams already had established years of success before the Bucs were even born. Throw in the fact the Bucs are not in a top-10 TV market, it all works against the Bucs being on national TV, not to mention seven playoff-less years and counting.
TV suits don’t care if the Bucs have Gerald McCoy or Lavonte David. They care about records and viewers, and fantasy football interest. The Bucs, in the big TV picture, aren’t attractive.
So with the Bucs being on national TV tonight, the game at the Dixie Chicks being broadcast on CBS, the suits at the Tiffany Network are already bracing for plunging eyeballs.
Joe finds it interesting that just two weeks into their celebrated Thursday Night Football package, the head honcho of CBS is already making excuses for why fans will use their DVR and won’t watch the Bucs-Dixie Chicks, so documents Paul Bond of the Hollywood Reporter.
“This week we have a lesser match-uo with Atlanta and Tampa Bay, so the numbers will be down, and we expect the other networks to point that out,” CBS CEO Leslie Moonves said Wednesday. “The advertising is terrific … football is still the best thing on television … the ratings are phenomenal, the advertising rates still go up, there are still certain advertisers that have to have it … we love having those games on Thursday night.”
See. Already Moonves is blaming the Bucs for the drop in viewership. “A lesser matchup.” Geez.
That’s how bad it is going for the Bucs, not even a network bigshot is trying to hype and promote the game. He’s already throwing in the towel, kind of like Lovie Smith giving up on passing the ball in the red zone.
September 18th, 2014 at 8:50 am
Joe come on, it’s not a good match up, but TONIGHT our bucs win it!
Andres called it here first!
September 18th, 2014 at 8:54 am
Ugh. Always 0-whatever going into nationally televised games. It’s like this franchise has been cursed the last 5 years.
September 18th, 2014 at 8:57 am
Idk about you joe but I see a trap game go bucs
September 18th, 2014 at 9:00 am
Go Bucs!
September 18th, 2014 at 9:04 am
Hey, hey, be nice, Moonie is the man who signs my checks…
September 18th, 2014 at 9:08 am
Who cares what cbs thinks? Who cares who watches besides Bucs fans? Who cares how much money cbs won’t rake in on advertising? Should we all pitch in and take up a collection? A lot of people get tired of the same old teams on tv. The Bucs have fans everywhere.
September 18th, 2014 at 9:15 am
Screw ’em.
Go Bucs!!
September 18th, 2014 at 9:30 am
If I wasn’t a Bucs fan, I would probably save myself from watching their nauseating offense too. Our home games (barring a Glazer graces) have been blacked out for years. If people in our own area don’t want to watch them, why would the country. We can’t be worried about ratings right now. Winning cures all. Including ratings. JUST WIN BABY!!!
September 18th, 2014 at 9:31 am
The Josh McCown led Buc’s are not gonna get everybody excited and tuned into the game? Shocker there.
September 18th, 2014 at 9:32 am
This would be a trap game if Atlanta just beat Cincy, but seeing as they got embarassed I expect them to be on point tonight.
September 18th, 2014 at 9:38 am
If Vick was our starting QB instead of McCown we would be 2-0, the ratings would be high and we would have a great shot at winning this game!
September 18th, 2014 at 9:44 am
It’s not just the Bucs. ATL does not bring a huge viewing audience nationally either. Not sure why everyone think is this is a bad match up for the Bucs. Last week ATL looked like they did last year, a 4-12 team. We do too, but you never know with decision games. No one thought NO would be losing either, so really only CAR has the upper hand in the south as of today.
September 18th, 2014 at 9:54 am
We could always relocate to LA and get some new fans…
or London…
September 18th, 2014 at 10:02 am
Honestly, if Mike Evans would’ve toughened up and lined up last week, we could’ve spiked the ball and kicked the field goal. Boom, we’re 1-1 if that happens.
September 18th, 2014 at 10:18 am
Thats some funny scat. It’s raining it’s pouring the whole world is snooring..
September 18th, 2014 at 10:25 am
You guys are missing the point – we less than this the national viewers won’t tune in and in return the networks expect lower viewing compared to others even in their down years.
I hope the Glazers and Lovie reads this because it’s even prevalent in our own fan base.
Bad team and bad franchise – how did I fall for this relationship???
Dammit
September 18th, 2014 at 10:36 am
Lovie has earned nothing but criticism so hard so how can you argue? It’s going to stay this way until we get a signature win. If lovie doesn’t see the importance of unleashing his offense in national TV with the world watching them we’ll always be a joke to the national media. All fans not just the bucs want to see scoring and defense, we have the potential to do both but we have another stubborn foolish old fashioned coach who can seem to understand the age we love in
September 18th, 2014 at 10:56 am
Bucs fans (should) if you want more national games televised.
The NFL, for starters. And other networks who broadcast primetime games.
Oh, gonna guess the hundreds of thousands of folks who own stock in CBS not to mention its tens of thousands of employees much less the NFL.
September 18th, 2014 at 11:03 am
It’s a buisness starts at the top..UM…Bucs need to take care of buisness..
September 18th, 2014 at 11:07 am
business^^
September 18th, 2014 at 11:14 am
I wish chucky owned the bucs
September 18th, 2014 at 11:39 am
Are you kidding? The Super Bowl era Bucs and prior were major draws. Our Monday night games against the Rams were always among the top watched broadcasts of the season. They were a big draw on TV. Once the super stars started leaving we quit getting TV exposure.
September 18th, 2014 at 12:10 pm
Plus I will watch it on NFL Network, not CBS.
September 18th, 2014 at 12:23 pm
CBS should be happy that wayward Bucs fans, like myself, will tune into there crappy station at least once this year solely because my Bucs are playing. Imagine all of the Non-NFC South games I get here in Colorado Springs. Unless I go swill at Hooters and argue with the manager about turning at least one TV to the Bucs game I never see them. Hopefully they pick it up and surprise us tonight! Go BUCS!!!!!!!!
September 18th, 2014 at 12:37 pm
I’m a Bucs fan living in NE..had to relocate up here for a job. One thing I’ve noticed about NE fans (and I suspect it is the same for a lot of teams up north) is they really are not passionate about football outside of their home team. They don’t care to watch other teams and learn about their players. That’s why I always kick their ass in fantasy football. Some of these idiots up here don’t even realize Tampa has a football team. They live in a big bubble of NE bullshit.
September 18th, 2014 at 12:48 pm
@SSG Mike, You are a true bucs fan, I don’t think many fans here would live that far away and argue in hooters to watch a bucs game, Especialy the last few years.. Hats off to ya.. Try not to get seal clubbed at hooters.. ha ha..lol
September 18th, 2014 at 1:33 pm
Nothing new. Tampa Bay has been getting the shaft regarding national media attention since 1976.
However, Myths feed this bigger than it is.
Ive heard the Myth the Bucs didn’t make Monday Night Football highlights after their first win. Not true, not only did we make the halftime show, John McKay was on audio interview during half time.
Then there was “Howard Cosell hates tampa bay, were never on MNF or on MNF highlights”. Network executives decide who is on at halftime, and there has been an old formula, if you win, you get on MNF the next year.
September 18th, 2014 at 5:41 pm
I hate it but Tampa is the laughing stock of pro sports. Espn just ignores us. Fans around the country hate us. Most of the people who say we have no fans are the ones who live here and root for another team! Espn always manipulates people to think we have no fans and should relocate and IT WORKS! OMG espn hates that the rays interfere with their beloved red sux and yankees! When we beat them its never talked about. They turn the headlibe into “rays have no fans” and im f#%king sick of their spit! Its not fair! Why does the team i love get spit on my the national media and everyone else. No matter how much we win its always about what crappy fans we are and tampa has no fans and the few fans out there are idiots for rooting for tampa! Bullspit! Born here raised here i love tanpa from the bottom of my heart as do i the bucs rays lighting and even the magic too! GO BUCCANEERS!
September 18th, 2014 at 6:09 pm
I’m a Bucs fan from the UK, used to go to Florida every year as a kid on holiday and would always pass the Ray Jay and have loved them ever since. All the hate from the US network and even the NFL network is seriously annoying. Working with a Rams fan hasn’t been great this week either.
Sending positive thoughts for tonight though, a win over the Falcons in Atlanta in front of the whole nation and all that garbage from the opening two games will be forgotten.
Go Bucs!!