There was a time when network television ruled American life. You turned on the set at 8 p.m., maybe flipped on Dr. Dreamy and Grey’s Anatomy, checked out one of the many NCIS spinoffs, and still caught the evening news before bed. Now, the only thing that can still bring millions of people together at the same time — in the same place — is sports.
That’s why ABC, CBS, NBC, and Fox aren’t entertainment networks anymore. They’re becoming sports networks that happen to air entertainment. The writing is on the wall, and it’s in bold, italicized font.
For decades, broadcast networks relied on a mix of scripted dramas, sitcoms, reality TV, and sports to balance their schedules. Now, the math doesn’t work. Scripted shows are expensive, and audiences have fragmented across streaming, social media, and YouTube.
Here’s the reality: when I see advertisements for NBC, CBS, ABC, or Fox shows during live sporting events, I wonder how these scripted dramas and comedies are supposed to compete with Netflix, Prime, or Apple TV+. Those platforms have massive budgets, bigger stars, the freedom to take creative risks, and the ability to go further than a network broadcast ever could. No wonder ratings continue to plummet. I can’t remember the last time someone suggested a non-sports show from the Big Four as “must-watch.”
The Audience Has Adjusted
Even the networks’ most consistent non-sports hits can’t compete with marquee live sports.
CBS: Its top non-sports show, Tracker, averages roughly 10.8 million viewers per episode. That sounds decent until you see CBS’s Week 5 NFL singleheader — Broncos vs. Eagles — pulling 19.6 million viewers. NFL numbers aren’t staying stagnant. That broadcast was the network’s highest single-game viewership since reacquiring NFL rights in 1998. Sports nearly doubles the audience of the network’s flagship scripted drama.
NBC: Chicago Fire, the network’s highest-rated non-sports program, averages 7.8 million viewers, while Sunday Night Football, like the season opener featuring the Bills vs. Ravens, drew 24.7 million viewers — more than three times the audience of NBC’s top scripted show. For the NFL season to date, SNF averages over 21 million viewers per game.
ABC: The most consistent scripted hit, High Potential, clocks in at 6.6 million viewers, far below ABC’s college football and NFL broadcasts, which routinely hit 15–20 million viewers.
Fox: 9-1-1 Lone Star, the network’s top non-sports show, averages just 4.3 million viewers, dwarfed by NFL broadcasts reaching 20+ million viewers.
Why Live Sports Works
Overall, NFL broadcasts through Week 5 of the season are up 8% year over year, with an average of nearly 19 million viewers per game.
The contrast is stark. Even the networks’ highest-rated scripted shows cannot match the appointment-viewing power of live sports. NFL and college football aren’t just ratings drivers — they’re the backbone of network TV’s relevance.
They’re reliable, communal, and nearly DVR-proof. But they’re also expensive. NFL, college football, the Masters, and March Madness all cost networks tens of billions collectively. Without them, broadcast TV’s ratings would plummet, and advertisers would flee.
This economic squeeze explains the shift in strategy: bundling, streaming, simulcasts, and cross-platform distribution. NBC pairs Sunday Night Football with Peacock, CBS streams NFL games on Paramount+, and ABC leans on ESPN+ to extend its college football reach.
Networks are basically trying to hedge: get as many eyeballs as possible while offsetting rising rights costs.
Sports rights in the U.S. are projected to surpass $30 billion annually. Leagues have learned to play networks against each other — and increasingly against streaming giants — to inflate the price. The NFL alone accounts for some of the most expensive packages in TV history, with CBS, NBC, and Fox collectively paying over $110 billion for rights through 2033.
NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell is on record saying he’d like to open the vault before then to vacuum more money from the pockets of these networks.
Even reality shows, which once gave networks a safe haven, are down. The Bachelor series, which has been around since 2002, peaked at about 9 million viewers in 2007. This past season, The Bachelor averaged 2.5–3 million viewers. Past reality hits like American Idol are down 15–20% from their glory days, which peaked at 6–7 million viewers — still only a quarter to a third of what regular-season NFL games consistently grab.
We’ll Do It Live!
The cultural center of gravity has shifted. If it’s live and appointment-based, it’s on broadcast. If it’s scripted or bingeable, it’s on a paid platform. Sports isn’t just a ratings driver anymore — it’s the only thing keeping the broadcast model alive.
Will broadcast TV survive? Maybe. But only as a sports-first, event-driven ecosystem — a kind of communal campfire for an increasingly scattered public. Networks once defined pop culture; now they’re caretakers of live sports, waiting for the next rights cycle to see if they’re still invited to the party.
The irony: even this last bastion is under siege. Amazon, Apple, and Netflix are muscling into live rights — NFL on Netflix, Premier League on Amazon, MLB on Apple — testing whether broadcast is even necessary. If those experiments succeed, the networks’ last stand becomes a slow fade.
Broadcast television won’t vanish overnight. But the balance has flipped. Sports are the lifeblood. Entertainment is the garnish. And when the games end, the lights go out.
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With decades of experience behind the mic, John Lund is more than a sports commentator and weekly columnist for Barrett Media—he’s a storyteller, humorist, and true fan. He’s hosted shows in mid sized markets like Pittsburgh and Salt Lake City to larger cities like San Francisco, Detroit and Dallas. John has even hosted nationally on ESPN Radio. Known for his sharp wit and deep sports knowledge, John welcomes your feedback. Reach him on X @JohnLundRadio or by email at John@JohnLundRadio.com.
Thank you for clearly explaining and quantifying what has been obvious for sometime now. You left out the part about the evening network newscasts. It’s my opinion that a clear majority of Americans cannot name any of the network newscast anchors, even the one with the highest ratings. Is TV network news now irrelevant?
Great point. Nightly national newscasts are down, 60 minutes though after 56 years still gets solid numbers especially after NFL games as a lead in. Last week for example, after 9 NFL or college football games, 60 minutes was 10th with about 8 million viewers. Thx for reading! JL
Good follow up John, thanks for sharing.