| | The Daily Insider
Afternoon News & Headlines
Tuesday, February 19, 2002
4:00pm ET | |
| • | Salt Lake City Winter Games: Ratings, Schedules & Additional Links |
| • | NBC Dedicates Bulk Of Tonight's Programming To Women's Figure Skating |
| • | Avaya Inks Three-Year Sponsorship Agreement With USSF |
| • | Supreme Court Opts Not To Hear Time Warner's PPV Case |
| • | Backstreet's Back In The Boat, And He's Ready To Race |
| • | Buzzer Beaters/In Other News/Articles of Interest/Channel Surfing |
THE SALT LAKE CITY WINTER GAMES, DAY 12: RATINGS, EVENTS
NBC'S RATINGS TO DATE:
The following presents a day-by-day Nielsen ratings trend for the Winter Olympic Games.
| '02 | '98 | % +/- |
| Opening Ceremony | 25.5/42 | 17.1/29 | 49% |
| 2nd Day | 17.1/30 | 12.3/22 | 39% |
| 3rd Day | 17.6/27 | 20.2/30 | -13% |
| 4th Day | 19.6/30 | 14.8/23 | 32% |
| 5th Day | 18.5/29 | 18.2/30 | 2% |
| 6th Day | 17.5/28 | 15.3/24 | 14% |
| 7th Day | 17.6/29 | 19.3/30 | -9% |
| 8th Day | 15.8/27 | 14.8/26 | 7% |
| 9th Day | 14.0/25 | 15.4/28 | -9% |
| 10th Day | 17.1/27 | 18.0/28 | -5% |
| 11th Day | 17.1/26 | 14.9/23 | 15% |
|
| Cumulative | 18.2/29 | 16.4/27 | 11% |
NBC's eleven-day primetime nightly average stands at a 18.2/29, a 11% increase over CBS' Nagano eleven-day average of 16.4/27 (THE DAILY).
TONIGHT'S SCHEDULE ON NBC
TONIGHT'S SCHEDULE ON CNBC
FOR SOME, WOMEN'S FIGURE SKATING MARKS START OF GAMES
The ATLANTA CONSTITUTION reports that ladies figure skating "commences with the short program" tonight, and NBC "has cleared the decks so it can devote most of [tonight's] 3 1/2-hour telecast to the smiling, sequined ice maidens" (ATLANTA CONSTITUTION, 2/19).
Read today's Olympic Articles of Interest.
Click on the buttons below for additional Olympic links:
AVAYA RINGS IN NEW SPONSORSHIP AGREEMENT WITH USSF
Avaya has inked a new sponsorship and technology agreement with the U.S. Soccer Federation (USSF). To mark the occasion, Avaya Chair & CEO Don Peterson joined U.S. World Cup players Cobi Jones and Brandi Chastain, as well as USSF Secretary General Dan Flynn at the NYSE today to ring the opening bell. Under the terms of the three-year agreement, Avaya will become a sponsor and Official Provider of Voice and Data Communications for the USSF. In addition, Avaya has agreed to help the USSF raise funds for the sport's first U.S. National Training Center in CA, and is serving as title sponsor for a USSF benefit dinner, to be held later today in Washington, DC (THE DAILY).
SUPREME COURT KO'S CHANCES OF HEARING PPV DISPUTE
The Supreme Court has "bowed out of a fight" over a pay-per-view boxing match, though justices "did not comment" on reasons why they passed on the case. Time Warner Entertainment Co. was sued along with an OH lounge that "paid the residential price for a 1996 pay-per-view match between Riddick Bowe and Andrew Golota." The lawsuit "accused Time Warner of violating a federal law designed to prevent unauthorized interception of communications and cable piracy" (AP, 2/19).
COVER BARRIER: HAS KLUM SNUBBED SI OVER SWIMSUIT OMISSION?
Sports Illustrated's soiree tonight for its annual Swimsuit Issue "will be a little less stellar due to the absence of supermodel Heidi Klum." Sources say that Klum was "furious" when she found out she wasn't getting the cover, which went to newcomer Yamila Diaz-Rahi. Klum's agent, Ivan Bart: "The decision [not to be there] was made two weeks ago after Heidi got a great booking in Germany. She couldn't be there even if she was on the cover, and she's very sorry about it" (N.Y. POST, 2/19).
Meanwhile, as part of Levi's sponsorship of SI's Swimsuit Issue, model Melissa Keller will shop at the Original Levi's store at 59th and Lexington Ave. in N.Y. on Wednesday and sign autographs. A Levi's spokesperson: "This is an example of some of the added media value we will be doing in the future. She is a 'Sports Illustrated' model. They are letting us use her for a media tour of our own" (BRANDWEEK.com, 2/19).
BUZZER BEATERS
NetRatings, Inc. and Jupiter Media Metrix, Inc. jointly announced today that they have mutually agreed to terminate their Oct. 25, 2001, acquisition agreement and related loan and security agreement. In late January, Jupiter and NetRatings resumed a patent lawsuit that had been put on hold after the companies' decision to merge in October (THE DAILY).
The Sanex WTA Tour and Ignite Sports announced today a multi-year agreement for Web site and extranet development, as well as sponsorship services for the Tour's official Web site, sanexwta.com (THE DAILY).
The ROCHESTER DEMOCRAT & CHRONICLE quoted retired MLB Commissioner Bowie Kuhn, on current Commissioner Bud Selig going forward with contraction: "I'd be doing very much what I see Selig doing." Kuhn, on the MLBPA: "They're not negotiating in good faith. … The baseball union simply will not budge on anything" (ROCHESTER DEMOCRAT & CHRONICLE, 2/18).
The National Hot Rod Association (NHRA) today announced that NHRA POWERade Drag Racing will air in Canada this season exclusively on TSN. The network will dedicate more than 42 hours of programming to the $50M series in '02, airing 19 of the 23 NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series events (THE DAILY).
The TAMPA TRIBUNE reports that Backstreet Boy Nick Carter "recently bought a 43- foot offshore racer with two 750-horsepower engines and plans to enter the 130 mph boat in the American Power Boat Association's 2002 circuit" (TAMPA TRIBUNE, 2/19).
OLYMPIC ARTICLES OF INTEREST
The L.A. TIMES' Abrahamson & Dwyre on political and legal pressures that forced Olympic officials to act fast when resolving the skating controversy.
In the first installment of a two-part series, CBS SportsLine's Rick Horrow examines the business perspective of the Winter Games.
The FINANCIAL TIMES' Betty Liu on ways Atlanta benefited from hosting the '96 Olympic Games.
An Op-Ed in the OAKLAND TRIBUNE by author Martin Lee on the environmental costs of hosting the Olympics.
The N.Y. DAILY NEWS' Luke Cyphers on fans boarding the action sports bandwagon at the Games.
The BOSTON GLOBE's Michelle Johnson on "quirky" Web sites covering the Winter Games.
TODAY'S ARTICLES OF INTEREST
SALON.com's King Kaufman on the "trends and minutiae" of sports aesthetics.
The HUNTSVILLE TIMES' Mark McCarter provides excerpts from a discussion between writers and editors from the paper and representatives from the city's four professional sports teams.
The New Orleans TIMES-PICAYUNE's Mark Schleifstein on a controversial deal the city granted the ECHL Brass.
The Newark STAR-LEDGER's Matthew Futterman on the lack of celebrities sitting courtside at Nets games.
See The Daily Insider's Articles Of Interest section for more sports business-related links.
TONIGHT'S EVENTS
USA TODAY reports that fans of the late Cubs announcer Harry Caray "will host a Bud (his drink of choice) or lighter liquid fare in his honor" at 8:30pm ET as part of "an annual toast to him on the day after his passing" (USA TODAY, 2/13).
Gallagher's Steak House on W. 52nd St. in N.Y. will host "Here's to Harry," part of the nationwide toast to Caray. Members of the '69 World Champion Mets Ed Kranepool and Art Shamsky are scheduled to attend as celebrity toastmasters (THE DAILY).
IN OTHER NEWS….
Ford CEO William Ford will appear in a series of TV ads that will begin airing this summer. The ads focus on the company's history, its racing legacy and its commitment to the environment (WALL STREET JOURNAL, 2/19).
European stock exchanges "ended deep in the red on Tuesday" as a profit warning from Fortis hit financials, and technology investors "turned their noses up at Nokia's latest mobile phone." Auto stocks were also depressed ahead of Wednesday's earnings statement from DaimlerChrysler, "despite afternoon figures from German rival Volkswagen that were in line with expectations" (REUTERS, 2/19).
USA Network is planning a two-hour TV movie about former N.Y. Mayor Rudolph Giuliani, based on Village Voice writer Wayne Barrett's book, "Rudy! An Investigative Biography of Rudolph Giuliani" (DAILY VARIETY, 2/19).
THE DAILY STAT: JUPITER MEDIA METRIX WEB USAGE STATS
The following are Jupiter Media Metrix' top sports Internet sites, ranked by unique visitor for the week ending February 10.
| RK | | SITE | UNIQUE VISITORS
(000) | ACTIVE REACH
% |
| 1) | | ESPN | 5,231 | 6.1% |
| 2) | | AOL Prop Sports | 3,048 | 3.6% |
| 3) | | Yahoo! Sports | 2,564 | 3.0% |
| 4) | | nbcolympics.com | 2,240 | 2.6% |
| 5) | | CNNSI | 2,040 | 2.4% |
| 6) | | NFL Internet Group | 1,796 | 2.1% |
| 7) | | Sportsline.com sites | 1,746 | 2.0% |
| 8) | | nascar.com | 1,272 | 1.5% |
| 9) | | saltlake2002.com | 1,104 | 1.3% |
| 10) | | fansonly.com | 1,047 | 1.2% |
| |
CHANNEL SURFING
CNBC will air Winter Olympics coverage – Women's Ice Hockey, U.S.-Sweden – at 6:00pm ET.
ESPN will air men's college basketball: Iowa-Wisconsin at 7:00pm ET, and Tennessee-Kentucky at 9:00pm ET.
ESPN2 will air men's college basketball: UConn-Georgetown at 7:30pm ET, and UMass-St. Joseph's at 9:30pm ET.
NBC will air Winter Olympics coverage – Bobsledding, Figure Skating, Freestyle Skiing, Speed Skating – at 8:00pm ET.
TBS will air Timberwolves-Mavericks at 8:00pm ET.
Rockies RF Larry Walker and Teddy Atlas will be on ESPN's "Unscripted."
ESPN Classic's "SportsCentury" will profile Rubin “Hurricane” Carter at 8:00pm ET.
Bill Press and Robert Novak will discuss the possibility of staging the Tyson-Lewis fight in DC on CNN's "Crossfire" at 7:30pm ET.
HEADLINERS
Here are tonight's headline guests on the following talk shows:
| "The Late Show" | Martin Short |
| "The Tonight Show" | Creed |
| "The Late Late Show" | William Shatner |
| "Late Night" | Pre-Empted |
If you have any questions, comments or suggestions, please let us know at:
dailyinsider@sportsbusinessdaily.com
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