If there’s anyone who knows about disastrous declines in ratings and viewership, it’s Lachlan Murdoch. So, when he talks about steep declines in network reach, you should listen.
He’s speaking from experience.
According to Joe Flint of the Wall Street Journal, Fox CEO Lachlan Murdoch referenced the 42% drop in reach Thursday Night Football suffered since leaving Fox for Amazon while speaking at the MoffettNathanson conference.
Murdoch said: “If I’m an NFL owner, that’s a disaster for me.”
Fox Corp. Lachlan Murdoch say’s Amazon’s reach for Thursday Night Football is down 42% from when it was on Fox. “If I’m an NFL owner, that’s a disaster for me.”
— Joe Flint (@JBFlint) May 17, 2023
Of course, NFL owners still make oodles of money on the deal because Amazon is paying more for TNF than Fox did. If Murdoch had been willing to pay more, TNF would still be on his network. But, the NFL’s deal with Amazon was more about the future. The league knew they would have fewer viewers on Amazon. However, Amazon was willing to pay, and the NFL clearly believes that five, ten, or fifteen years from now, Amazon’s audience will be bigger than Fox’s.
Will that happen?
Well, Lachlan Murdoch has certainly done his part to eliminate Fox’s audience. In the three weeks since Murdoch and others in Fox management decided to part ways with Carlson, ratings in his former 8 PM slot on FNC have cratered more than 50% under his replacement hosts.
Tucker Carlson speaks during the 2022 FOX Nation Patriot Awards at Hard Rock Live at Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Hollywood on November 17, 2022, in Hollywood, Florida. (Jason Koerner/Getty Images)
When looking at the next ten years, the NFL chose Amazon over Fox. That’s probably a good bet.