• by Erik Sass , Staff Writer @eriksass1, October 7, 2016

Faced with its first significant decline in TV ratings in recent memory, the National Football League is responding with a sweeping ban of unauthorized sharing of video on social media by teams and players, according to Mashable, which cited a copy of the notice explaining the new rule to NFL members.

Under the new policy, the NFL will fine teams $25,000 for any social media post containing unauthorized video made during or immediately after game time. The fine increases to $50,000 for the second post and as much as $100,000 for the third post, at which point the team may also lose access to the NFL’s own content, including game footage. The prohibition is in effect from kickoff to an hour after the game concludes.

Further, the NFL is taking a fairly broad view of what constitutes video, with a definition including GIFs of any kind, even if they contain content completely unrelated to the NFL or football generally (for example cat videos or clips from TV shows).

The only video that teams can share online is content originally posted by the NFL’s own official social media accounts.

As noted, the League as well as broadcasters and advertisers are all struggling to regroup after a surprising drop in ratings during the first part of the season. Through the first three weeks of the 2016 regular season, average ratings on NFL games are down around 10% compared to the same period last year. The unexpected drop has sparked debate about the possible causes and whether it will prove to be a long-term trend undermining pro football as an advertising channel.

Potential causes mentioned by media watchers include disapproval of political protests by players during the National Anthem, unease following revelations of long-term health problems in players resulting from concussions, and shifts to viewing on new platforms, including social media. On that note, the new NFL policy seems clearly designed to head off the latter threat by corralling viewers back to officially approve broadcasts and NFL channels.