A ridiculous non sequitur. When the networks pay billions for stick & ball broadcast rights, and few people tune in to watch, the programming executives get no solace from the regional network viewership.
You keep posting this over and over, but where are you getting it? The data FL posted here didn't show that level of detail.
IDK about the Nielsen ratings, but here on this board a lot dodgy manipulations going on... stuff like dividing viewers by ratings and proclaiming the result is gospel truth, LOL.
Regardless of how the younger generations relate to sports today, and how difficult it is to monetize that, I wonder if these young people will morph their habits as they grow older. When I was 22, I didn't have an iPhone, but I sure didn't watch much sports on TV. As the decades rolled by, my habits changed... duh.
My 25-year old son never watches a race broadcast... never. Not on TV, and not streaming on his phone. But he constantly surprises me about how plugged in he is to his favorite racing series. As the coming decades roll by, it wouldn't shock me if my son's habits change..