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As criticism of the quality of play increases, the Pro Bowl’s television audience decreases. And yet the Pro Bowl remains a popular enough TV draw that the NFL has little reason to get rid of it.
Sunday’s Pro Bowl drew 6.7 million viewers, according to Austin Karp of Sports Business Journal.
That’s the smallest Pro Bowl audience since 2006, so it’s certainly not a great number by the NFL’s standards. But it’s a big enough audience that any TV network would still gladly televise the Pro Bowl. Last year’s NBA All-Star Game generated 5.9 million viewers, and no one is clamoring to cancel the NBA All-Star Game.
So don’t expect the Pro Bowl to go anywhere. No matter how bad the quality of play gets.