Pink's Bottom Line on Media, Money and Sports
Election night viewership, election spending and the Super Bowl
I discuss election night viewership, election spending and the Super Bowl favorites in today’s newsletter.
MEDIA: Election Night Viewership
Television viewership of tomorrow night's election coverage should easily surpass recent presidential election night viewership totals.
According to Nielsen data, roughly 70 million television viewers on average watched at least a portion of election night coverage for each of the past three presidential elections.
By comparison, the first presidential debate this year between Donald Trump and Joe Biden drew slightly more than 73 million viewers, according to Nielsen.
Pink's Bottom LineAdditionally, voter turnout for this year’s presidential election looks like it will exceed the more than 138 million who voted in 2016 election.
That shows huge voter interest, which should translate into big viewership numbers.
As such, I am looking for viewership levels to top 80 million for this year’s presidential election when all is said and done Tuesday night.
MONEY: Money Spent on Elections
More money will be spent on this year’s election than any other election in history, according to the Center for Responsive Politics, a non-partisan research group.
The Center for Responsive Politics estimates that a staggering $14 billion will be spent on this year’s presidential and congressional elections, dramatically outpacing the amounts spent in the previous three elections.
Pink's Bottom LineInterestingly, the amount of money raised from small individual donors — those who contribute $200 or less — rose to about 22% of all money raised for this year’s election, compared to roughly 15% in 2016, according to that data.
I suspect that this is the beginning of a trend where small donors become big players in major campaigns in the coming years.
SPORTS: Latest Super Bowl Favorites
As the NFL concludes Week 8 tonight, which is roughly the halfway point in the season, the Kansas City Chiefs remain the favorites to win the Super Bowl, according to the FanDuel Sportsbook.
The Chiefs are +350 favorites followed by the Pittsburgh Steelers (+600) and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers (+750), according to the FanDuel Sportsbook.
(Note: For those unfamiliar with sports betting, Kansas City at +350 means that if a bettor wagers $100 on the Chiefs to win the Super Bowl, the bettor wins $350 if the Chiefs do become Super Bowl champs.)
Pink's Bottom LineWhile the Chiefs and Buccaneers look strong, I still maintain that the Super Bowl winner will come from the AFC North, the Pittsburgh’s division.
That means either the Steelers or the Baltimore Ravens (+900) should win the Super Bowl this year.
Yesterday, the Steelers eked out a 28-24 victory over the Ravens, and the teams play once more in the regular season on Thanksgiving night.
I give the Pittsburgh the slight edge to win that Thanksgiving showdown, which will pave the way for the Steelers to win the Super Bowl.
Jeremy Pink is former CEO of private-equity backed Broadcast Sports International where he helped lead the company to a successful sale and exit during his tenure there. He is also a former CNBC television executive in New York, London and Singapore. Jeremy currently serves as an advisor to companies in media and financial tech.
The information contained in this communication is strictly for general informational and entertainment purposes and is not meant to be construed as financial, investment, tax, or legal advice. This communication is not a solicitation to buy or sell any securities. I am not a financial advisor or offering professional advice of any kind. Users should not act upon the content or information found within this communication without first seeking professional advice appropriate for their individual situation. Decisions based on information contained in this communication are the sole responsibility of the user, and use of this communication and its contents constitutes an explicit understanding and acceptance of the foregoing disclaimers.
(Newsletter Editor: Karina Pink)