Overnights for Tyson-Mathis on Fox were a 16.9 -- Fox's
"third highest-rated prime time show ever." Top local rating
were in New York (22.0), followed by Philadelphia (21.5). A
local blackout was lifted in Philadelphia four hours before the
fight (PHILADELPHIA DAILY NEWS, 12/18). The telecast peaked at a
32 share from 9:30-10:00pm, when the main event was getting
underway (N.Y. POST, 12/18).... ....In order to "persuade"
advertisers to buy time in international markets, NBC has been
giving away an hour of ad time on its international channels for
every two hours of domestic commercial time bought "by its more
than 100 largest sponsors." Anheuser-Busch has paid up to $10M
over four years (N.Y. TIMES, 12/18)....MSG became the first to be
given permission by the NBA to use a remote-controlled camera on
the basket support, a device similar to one Fox placed in the
nets during NHL coverage last year. The new technology could
"eliminate player collisions with hand-held cameras and
camerapeople under the basket" (Phil Mushnick, N.Y. POST,
12/18)....Jackie MacMullan will leave the Boston Globe next week
to join Sports Illustrated (Jack Craig, BOSTON GLOBE,
12/18)....Motorsports broadcasters Bob Jenkins and Gary Lee will
anchor live coverage of the '96 Indy Racing League on the
Indianapolis Motor Speedway Radio Network. The network will
carry all five IRL races in '96 (IRL)....Ratings for the Raptors-
Grizzlies game on CTV last week were "something of a
disappointment," according to William Houston of the GLOBE &
MAIL. The game drew an average audience of only 605,000. For
comparison, the early matchup of CBC's "Hockey Night in Canada"
brings in "well over one million viewers each Saturday." The
good news for CTV was that the game drew 50,000 among teens, tops
in that time slot (Toronto GLOBE AND MAIL, 12/17).
