The final regular season local market ratings are in for the 2014 NFL season, and we have a new king of the mountain – the Green Bay Packers. Milwaukee averaged a 45.2 rating for Packers, better than any home market across the league. The Packers were at the top of the charts in 2012, but fell into a tie with the Chiefs for third in 2013. Last year’s later, the New Orleans Saints, fell to second, averaging a 42.8 rating in the midst of a disappointing season. However, no top had a one-year drop larger than New Orleans’ 17.7% decline.
The reigning Super Bowl Champion Seattle Seahawks had the third-highest local rating in 2014, averaging a 42.3. That’s up 94.0% over the past three seasons, far and away the largest three-year increase across the league. Only the Cardinals and Broncos were up as much as 30% over the past three seasons. Speaking of the Broncos, their 41.5 rating in Denver was the fourth-best mark in the league, and while it was down 4.6% from last season, it was still up 30.5% from 2011.
The largest increase from 2013 to 2014 belongs to the Arizona Cardinals, who saw their rating in Phoenix jump 28.1% from 21.5 in 2013 to 27.5 in 2014. Cardinals ratings in Phoenix are up 42.5% over the last three years.
How about looking at the other side of the coin? Only three clubs drew a local rating of under 15.0 in 2014 – the Giants, Jets, and Raiders, all of whom are part of multi-year markets and had rough seasons in 2014. Giants ratings were at just 13.9, down 9.1% from 2013 and 22.8% over the last three years. The Jets were even worse, down 9.2% to an 11.2 in 2014 and down a league-worst 26.8% over the past-three years. The Raiders brought up the rear for the second straight year with an identical 10.9 rating, and they’re down 21.6% over the last three years.
The Cleveland Browns had a good year, with ratings jumping 18.5% to 34.3 in 2014. That’s also good for a 23.8% jump over the past three years. The Bills enjoyed a nice year in 2014, and ratings were up 14.8% as a result to 37.7. Finally, the Jacksonville Jaguars were up 13.3% to a 20.7 rating in 2014, despite finishing the year in position for another top five pick in May’s NFL Draft.
Aside from the Saints, no team suffered a worse decline than the Tennessee Titans, who were down 17.1% to 20.7 in 2014 and are down 25.3% over the last three seasons. The Kansas City Chiefs also struggled in Year Two of the Andy Reid era, falling 15.8% to a 36.1. However, the Chiefs are still up 8.4% over the past three years. The Washington Redskins also had a dismal year on television, dropping 14.7% to a 22.7 rating.
SBJ has the full data, and it’s worth taking a look at.
