What Else is on? Rams TV Ratings Poor

The scene was set and the characters were casted. Football was returning to Los Angeles as the Rams headed back home. The HBO series, Hard Knocks, created a buzz in the air and training camp drew crowds as the Rams practiced at UC Irvine. Fans of football and the Rams were in full support as the preseason began, even setting a record for highest attendance for a preseason game. 89,140 fans packed the Los Angeles Coliseum to cheer on their new team.

Fast forward to now, eleven games into the Rams’ first regular season in Los Angeles. With a 4-7 record, a current two game losing streak, and one of the worst offenses in football, the tides have changed. Support for the Rams seems to be diminishing and television ratings are dropping. It is obvious that the Rams are not playing exciting football, and the television ratings have reflected this throughout the season.

The Rams started the season in San Francisco. The 49ers hosted the Rams on Thursday night. Viewers reached 9.7 million during the first half, as the game was the 8^th highest rated Thursday night football game in history. With an average of 7.6 million viewers, the game was the 9^th most watched Thursday night game. Despite the high number of viewers, only 16.1 percent of homes in the Los Angeles market had Rams football occupying their televisions. Last year, the St. Louis Rams, appeared on 17.7 percent of televisions in the St. Louis market for the season opener. The 28-0 beating the 49ers laid on the Rams was not exactly edge of your seat football.

The zero left on the scoreboard and the lopsided loss, had an effect on viewers the next week. The Rams welcomed the Seattle Seahawks to town, for LA’s first game in 21 years. The 21-year drought should have caused a spike in ratings. Although the game was a sellout and fans packed the stands, they did not necessarily tune in at home. The Rams saw a surprising 9-6 win over the Seahawks. The game was telecast on the Fox network, a major network that requires no extra cost. Despite all this, the Rams game was viewed in only 12 percent of the homes in the Los Angeles market according to Nielsen, which measures TV ratings. The 12 percent was a drop from the 16.1 the week before.

Ratings have not increased since. Through 11 weeks of play, the Rams are averaging a 9.5 rating, or in other words, 9.5 percent of homes in the Los Angeles market are watching Rams football. This 9.5 rating is shameful when compared to the ratings the Rams got while in St. Louis. Over their 21 seasons in St. Louis, not a single game recorded a rating as low as 9.5 percent. Even after the move, the Rams are still being viewed in 7.2 percent of homes in the St. Louis market. Just to put the 9.5 rating into perspective even more, the Rams’ final season in St. Louis averaged an 18.3 rating in the local market.

Number one overall pick Jared Goff, couldn’t even help the ratings for the Rams. Much questioning and talk revolved around Goff’s first start and when it would occur, generating lots of anticipation. Goff received his first start against the Miami Dolphins in week 11. One would think the local market would flock to their televisions to see the future of the Rams make his first start. The game only managed an 8.7 rating however. The rating was lower than that of the previous week’s matchup with the Jets, which generated a 9.1 rating. The rating for the game against the Dolphins was lower than that of the Redskins game against the Packers and the Cowboys vs. Ravens match-up.

For the second straight week now, the Rams were not the highest rated football game in the Los Angeles market. With so many close games occurring each and every week; a lackluster offense, and team who is rapidly falling out of playoff contention is not must watch television. St. Louis however, continued to stand strong behind their Rams, as ratings for the Rams hardly ranked lower than other out of market NFL teams.

In a move that sought to reap the benefits of the money and glamour that is Los Angeles, the Rams are having a hard time in the entertainment capital of the world. With tough matchups and expected blowouts ahead, the Rams should not count on a rise in ratings anytime soon. The rest of the season does not reveal much hope. With Goff becoming old news with each loss he acquires, playoff races heating up, and the fire fisher campaign gaining steam, ratings may see a dip over the next 5 games of the season

Viewership and ratings have dropped for the NFL as a whole, which might be contributing to the lower ratings for the Rams. A 21-year drought without a home team, has also led to Los Angeles residents associating themselves with a variety of NFL teams around the league. Along with this, Southern California has always been a popular living destination for those from other states. Ties to hometown teams may remain strong even after people have moved. This is not the best equation for successful ratings.

With a losing season in the Rams’ future, it will be interesting to see ratings for next season’s games. In a city that has seen its share of titles and success, patience and dedication to a team that is consistently bad may begin to wilt and suffer. Will LA fans stay strong and still support their local team as St. Louis did over 21 seasons? Only time shall tell.