49ers' President: Ratings May Be Down, but Football Demand Is High
Fans are consuming pro football games at “record levels,” according to the president of the San Francisco 49ers.
But with ratings for NFL games sliding amid the changing media landscape, Al Guido says the league needs to better job of reaching viewers.
“If you look at the deal we did with Amazon, if you look at the Verizon-Oath deal, the Thursday night deal -- for us, we gotta get to a point where we have content in every single fan’s hand,” he told Cheddar in an interview. “And we’ve removed some of the exclusivities, which I think will lead to better ratings moving forward.”
Guido was referencing the deal struck between the league and Fox this week to carry Thursday Night Football games for the next five seasons.
The $3 billion price tag raised some eyebrows in light of ratings numbers -- research firm MoffettNathanson found viewership was down 13 percent during the regular season this year, and as much as 20 percent for the playoffs. Whether those declines continue into this weekend’s Super Bowl remains to be seen.
The New England Patriots will face off against the Philadelphia Eagles on Sunday, February 4th.
For full interview [click here](https://cheddar.com/videos/how-the-san-francisco-49ers-are-taking-advantage-of-silicon-valley).
DraftKings is walking away from a deal to buy Entain, a major company in the international gambling industry, for $22.4 billion. The deal reportedly fell through after the companies could not come to agreements about BetMGM, the exclusive sports betting division of MGM, and a joint venture between MGM resorts and Entain. Sportico sports business reporter Eben Novy-Williams joined Cheddar Nws' Closing Bell to discuss.
Jill and Carlo cover the news out of Facebook's latest earnings, Tesla's monumental day, Dave Chappelle addresses controversy and the tragedy of the climate emergency.
Zaire Wade and Jalen Newsome, Co-founders and Co-CEOs of 'YNG DNA' join us to talk about their new NFT collection available Oct. 25 on WAX NFT blockchain.
Jill and Carlo cover the latest developments in the Alec Baldwin prop gun shooting, when vaccines for kids as young as 5 should be approved, new reporting on Facebook and more.
Despite the Milwaukee Bucks defending its title with nearly the same team, bettors are putting their dollars behind "King" LeBron James and the LA Lakers. Meanwhile, Caesars Sportsbook is laying odds that the Larry O'Brien trophy will be hoisted by the Brooklyn Nets.
The NBA's 75th season gets underway tonight with the Brooklyn Nets facing off against the defending champion Milwaukee Bucks, followed by the Golden State Warriors at the LA Lakers. The league also is expected to celebrate its anniversary by unveiling its list of 75 greatest players.
The world of sports media continues to be a white-male dominated industry according to the latest Associated Press Sports Editors gender and diversity report card. For the sixth straight release of the report card, the industry received an F for its gender hiring practices. Jen Mueller, a Seattle Seahawks sideline radio reporter and entrepreneur, joined Cheddar's "Between Bells" to talk about some improvements she has witnessed over the span of her career but noted that while change has been evident on some level, much more needs to be done. Jen is also the founder of 'Talk Sporty to Me,' a professional development organization and you can learn more about it by visiting www.talksportytome.com.
Amal Shah, co-host of 'Odds On', joins 'Cheddar Bets' to share how he likes to handle teams that just lost a coach when gambling, and whether the Arizona Cardinals can stay undefeated another week.
Sponsored by BetMGM
According to The Wall Street Journal, four U.S. gymnasts, Simone Biles, Aly Raisman, McKayla Maroney, and Maggie Nichols, penned a letter to Congress asking them to break up the U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Committee board of directors for allegedly turning a blind eye to the sexual abuse committed by team doctor Larry Nassar.