6) Can NFL pregame shows be saved?
I don’t know about you, but the last time I sat down with the intent to watch an NFL pregame show I was in high school and Chris Berman’s schtick was only becoming mildly annoying. There’s no denying that from a quality and ideas standpoint, NFL pregame programming has hit an all-time low. For whatever reason, networks decided football fans wanted to see former players cackling at unfunny jokes instead of actual football talk. How many NFL fans do you know that actually anticipate Rob Riggle’s segment every week?
With a focus on fantasy football and the information that we really desire (news, injuries, analysis) immediately at our fingertips on the internet, mobile, and tablet devices, pregame television shows are becoming increasingly irrelevant. Thus far, the networks have not adjusted. Is it too late to save NFL pregame shows or does it even matter as long as the games start at 1 PM ET?
7) Who is the next Kevin Burkhardt?
Kevin Burkhardt began last season a relatively unknown announcer on the national scene as a rookie NFL broadcaster for Fox. At the end of the season, he was announcing a Divisional Round playoff game and became a household name.
The rise of Burkhardt from Mets sideline reporter to #2 NFL play by play man is one of the most remarkable tales in the sports media industry, often noted for its rigid patriarchal hierarchy. And it should give all announcers encouragement that they can potentially do the same.
David Diehl, Trent Green, Andrew Catalon, and Spero Dedes are some of the new faces to break into the exclusive NFL announcing fraternity in 2014 working every week. Will one of them be able to climb through the ranks?
8) Will Brandon Marshall’s tenure on Inside the NFL be a game-changer for current athletes?
Current players working at analysts during the season consistently is almost unheard of in sports. And yet, once a week, Bears WR Brandon Marshall will fly to New York and back to tape episodes of Inside the NFL on Showtime. Already his presence has provided a unique perspective on domestic violence issues that have been a focal point of the offseason.
There’s nothing quite like gaining contemporary perspective and Marshall certainly brings an element no other show can duplicate. Not only is it good for Inside the NFL as a selling point, it’s good for Marshall to gain TV reps if he’s looking ahead to his second career. The notion that this will be a distraction for Marshall and have a negative impact on his season stats is little more than typical FPS: Football Paranoia Syndrome.
If Marshall succeeds on Inside the NFL, we might see more networks push camera-friendly athletes to take on an active analyst role before their playing days are done.
9) Is there too much NFL for a cable upstart to break through the clutter?
NFL Live, NFL Insiders, NFL Primetime, Fantasy Football Now, NFL Matchup, Pro Football Talk, Turning Point, Total Access, Fantasy Football Uncensored, NFL Films Presents, NFL Monday QB, NFL AM… the list goes on, and on, and on, and on…. and on.
There is seemingly an endless number of NFL programming options during the season – and not just on ESPN and NFL Network. Each one of the cable spots upstarts (FS1, NBCSN, CBSSN) have tried to gain a piece of real estate and eat from the endless gourmet buffet that is the NF with various studio programming.
This is both good and bad. The NFL shield always brings some ratings, but there’s just so much of it that it’s nearly impossible for a show like NFL Turning Point on NBCSN or NFL Monday QB on CBSSN to stand out from the pack. Can these cable networks actually build on the NFL without live games being played on their networks or are they merely another indistinguishable voice in the cacophony of noise?
10) Will viewership continue to trend upwards?
Napoleon would be jealous of the way the NFL has seemingly conquered everything in its path. Each and every Sunday the nation comes to a grinding halt as we are captivated by the weekly soap opera that is the NFL. The league set ratings record after ratings record last season culminating in the Super Bowl once again becoming the most watched television event in history.
As we discussed last week, the NFL has had a rough calendar year when it comes to negative headlines affecting the league. However, a bigger threat that might face the league’s invincible popularity is just that – invincible popularity.
The NFL must be careful not to overexpose itself in the chase for more billions. If it does, it faces losing its special event status. The push to Thursday Night Football on CBS may be the maximum amount of exposure the NFL can get throughout the week without giving American television viewers too much of a good thing. Will the millions of viewers show up on Thursdays as they do for Sundays and Mondays? What happens if the league wants to move to Wednesday or Saturday? What happens if the league wants to move to London?
This will be a major storyline to watch not just this year, but the years to come – when will the NFL finally peak?
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