Despite netting more than 100 million viewers throughout their Super Bowl LIX broadcast, FOX Sports still finds themselves fighting an uphill battle to become the top network.
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In an attempt to improve its overall standing, the network announced a 10-year, $375 million broadcasting deal with Tom Brady.
Now that Brady’s first year as a commentator is in the books, it’s officially safe to say that his addition to the broadcaster’s booth failed to move the needle in any meaningful way for FOX.
In an attempt to better understand the true value of having Brady on the call, analyst Joe Pompliano took a closer look at the underlying metrics.
Highlighting the sheer value of the broadcasting deal, in addition to the controversial decision to replace Greg Olson, Pompliano suggested that FOX’s decision to break the bank for Brady will continue to prove to be a foolish endeavor.
“The problem with paying Tom Brady that much money is that NFL broadcasters don’t influence viewership… Fox paid Brady all that money, yet the network’s NFL viewership declined 3% this year.”
For the sake of comparison, the NFL analyst also pointed out that FOX ranked third overall in terms of regular season viewership.
With CBS maintaining nearly one million more average viewers than FOX, in addition to NBC boasting a regular season average of 21.6 million viewers, the company is no closer to its goal than it was prior to Brady’s employment.
While noting that Brady’s paycheck is nothing more than “…A drop in the bucket,” Pompliano explained that
“FOX isn’t paying Brady to broadcast NFL games; they are paying Brady to make a premium product feel even more premium.”
Regardless of the prestige that may be tied to the Brady name, the final numbers suggest that the original headlines were more about sensation than substance. Ultimately, Pompliano asserts that fans should think of Brady as an “ambassador” rather than a broadcaster.
A closer look at Brady’s contract numbers
From Brady’s perspective, saying “Yes” to FOX Sports was a no-brainer. The $375 million-dollar contract dwarfed his career earnings in the NFL. Even though he had a reputation for taking pay cuts in order to help his team, the former Tampa Bay Buccaneer managed to net $332 million dollars throughout his time in the league.
However, from a broadcasting perspective, the contract reset the market. As mentioned by Pompliano,
“Media executives thought it was crazy when CBS handed Tony Romo a 10-year, $180 million contract in 2020.”
As more and more former players find themselves pursuing careers as a broadcaster or an analyst, it will be intriguing to see how or if the numbers continue to increase as time goes on.
Of course, there’s more to the job than just merely calling the games for Brady. From pre-game and post-game interviews to special segments and tribute videos, there are numerous obligations that come with the annual $37.5 million dollar paycheck.
Officially the new poster boy for FOX Sports, Brady will look to continue promoting the network’s various projects and improve upon his commentary skills as the football calendar finally turnovers to the year 2025.
