I agree about the secondary broadcast options, but I think networks have difficulty (like they do with web platforms for other traditional media) monetizing that option. It would hurt their sales of ads on the primary broadcast and they have no idea what they could recoup on the secondary/web option. Same reason the streams of current shows are available the next day unless you are signed up for HBO.
But I do think they underestimate the audience. I agree that turning away from discussion over tactics and nomenclature is a nod toward expanding the viewership outside the committed demographic. But that has been the goal for the last 40 years. There was a contemporaneous newspaper clip yesterday on the web about how outlawing the head slap was meant to help the offense and attract female fans. They might have hard evidence on how fans react, but I doubt its current or a slam dunk. I think Gruden proves there is room in the broadcast for that stuff. And I have the distinct feeling that this view is received wisdom at this point and may no longer be valid at all. I get that distinct impression from Ebersol's quotes.
Look at how Fantasy Football has driven fans to the game. That has brought a significant population of women. It took broadcast TV years to figure out who was newly watching and why. And while you can point to FF as another reason detail has left the TV coverage, I think it also points to a medium that really has mixed success attracting new viewers. It took a completely outside force to get them to acknowledge what a significant segment of the fans wanted. Until the early to mid aughts, they made jokes about the fantasy geeks watching, until they were presented with evidence that viewership was increasing because of FF. Now the whole thing revolves around your FF team.
Prior to that, viewer interest had been flat and even in decline since its height in the 80s. Cable TV had a role in that. But NFL broadcast revenue was not hurt (I think it was helped actually) because football resisted the division of eyeballs better than almost any other programming. But I doubts its resistance was due to the lack of talk about the A gap.
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