NFL’s attempts to draw young fans work
There were plenty of critics when CBS announced four years ago that it would produce a kids-centric broadcast of an NFL playoff game on Nickelodeon.
Now, if a league or network isn’t doing something to appeal to younger fans, they are behind the times.
Nickelodeon will air its fifth NFL game today when the Kansas City Chiefs face the San Francisco 49ers for the Vince Lombardi Trophy. It will also mark the first alternate broadcast of a Super Bowl game.
For CBS Sports chairman Sean McManus, the progress from Nickelodeon’s first game during the playoffs in the 2020 season to now has surpassed even his wildest expectations.
“I thought it would be kind of fun with the younger announcers and other hosts, but I never thought it was going to for three hours be this explosion of graphics and commentary and augmented reality. I really credit the folks at Nickelodeon with their technicians and graphic designers and all that and what they’ve done with our CBS sports brethren,” McManus said. “We’ve set a new standard every time. So many fathers and mothers have come up to me and said they’ve never watched a football game with their young son or daughter, but they love the Nickelodeon experience.”
The thought of SpongeBob SquarePants and Patrick Star describing a Travis Kelce touchdown isn’t for everyone, but it does target an audience and demographic that is important to future success.
In an age where viewing is measured more by minutes than hours, and cord cutting shows no signs of slowing down, any increases that leagues and networks can get is huge.
“We know that those who you expose to the game are much more likely to become fans, but it’s also about how do we approach the availability of our games and how do we give different experiences? How do we tailor in an appropriate way but still deliver a high quality viewer experience that caters toward different parts of our fan base?” said NFL EVP of Media Distribution Hans Schroeder.
Besides two Nickelodeon games this season, the NFL partnered with Disney-Plus and ESPN-Plus to have a “Toy Story” themed broadcast during the Oct. 1 game in London between the Atlanta Falcons and Jacksonville Jaguars.
By all indications, the Nickelodeon and Disney games were successful. The four previous Nickelodeon games have averaged at least 900,000 viewers while the “Toy Story” contest was the biggest live event to date on Disney-Plus, according toESPN.
According to the NFL and Nielsen, the audience share for ages 2 to 11 was up 4% while 12 to 17 increased 5%.
“I’ve always felt football usually grabs your attention around the time that you’re able to play it. Now we’re able to grab their attention a little bit earlier, with the way that Nickelodeon puts on these games,” said Nate Burleson, who reprises his role as a commentator on the Nickelodeon game today.