The NFL combine didn’t exactly get impressive television ratings.
According to a Monday report from Austin Karp, the combine on ABC lost out to every other major network during it’s 1-3 p.m. window. The combine got a rating of .7, which means less than one percent of households with TVs watched. (RELATED: Sean Payton Says Kyler Murray’s Film Is ‘Too Good’)
ABC got 0.7 overnight rating for NFL Combine (Saturday 1-3pm). NFL Net also had Combine in that window. For some broadcast TV comparisons on Saturday, CBS had 0.9 for Kansas-OK State hoops (12-2pm). Fox had 0.9 for Michigan State-Indiana 12-2pm. NBC had 0.8 for gymnastics 1-3pm
— Austin Karp (@AustinKarp) March 4, 2019
Those numbers don’t exactly jump off the page at all. Not even a little bit. The NFL as a whole had great TV ratings this past season, but I guess not a ton of people want to watch a bunch of young men go through drills.
View this post on Instagram
I guess it’s a stark reminder that while people might tune in for the games, they might not bring their world to a grinding halt for offseason action.
What really hurt the combine in my humble opinion when it comes to the ratings is the fact college basketball was on at the same time. (RELATED: Gonzaga Remains Number 1 In Latest AP College Basketball Poll, Wisconsin Falls To 21)
Generally speaking, once the Super Bowl is over, people switch right to college basketball. It’s just the way people operate. Plus, that Michigan State vs. Indiana game was a banger. Nobody was turning that off to watch the combine.
I love the NFL, but these numbers and poor ratings don’t surprise me at all. Once March begins, we don’t focus on anything other than college basketball.
We just don’t. It doesn’t mean the NFL is in trouble at all. It just means the combine takes place at a poor time during TV season.