ESPN's Sunday night telecast of the Jets-Bills game
generated the "biggest NFL audience on cable in four years
and the fifth-biggest audience for any cable program ever,"
according to Scott Hettrick of the HOLLYWOOD REPORTER. The
game earned a 10.74 Nielsen cable rating and was seen in an
average of 8.268 million homes. Only two other NFL games on
ESPN have drawn larger audiences: Lions-Dolphins on
Christmas 1994 (8.927 million homes) and Bills-49ers on
December 3, 1995 (8.627 million homes) (HOLLYWOOD REPORTER,
9/22). Through two weeks, ESPN's NFL coverage is up 37% in
average viewership (7.827 million compared to last year's
5.694 million) and 34% in ratings (10.17 compared to 7.60)
(ESPN). Meanwhile, ABC's "MNF" Falcons-Cowboys game earned
a 15.2/25 national rating, up 20% from last season's
comparable 49ers-Redskins game, which earned a 12.7/21.
Through two weeks, "MNF" is averaging a 15.7/26, up 14% over
last season's 13.8/22 (BLOOMBERG, 9/21). USA TODAY's Rudy
Martzke notes Fox's and CBS' NFL ratings are "up an average
of 7% from last year." ESPN Senior VP /Programming John
Wildhack said the increased interest in the NFL started
"back in April" with ESPN's coverage of the NFL draft,
"which set a viewing record" (USA TODAY, 9/22).
LOCALLY: NFL Dir of Corporate Communications Chris
Widmaier said that only one TV market among the 46 the
league surveys has produced a local rating of 40 or more for
two straight weeks. Milwaukee delivered a 40.1 for the
Packers' opening week win against the Raiders, and a 44.7
for the last week's loss against the Lions (JOURNAL
SENTINEL, 9/22)....Sunday's Browns-Titans game earned a
19.1/34 local rating in Nashville (TENNESSEAN, 9/21).
NFL FEARS STUDIO SPORT IN LIFTING BLACKOUT? NFL Senior
VP/Broadcasting & Network TV Dennis Lewin, on if the league
relaxed its blackout policy: "In the long run, we feel you
have the potential for more and more people to say, 'OK, we
won't go to the game today because we can stay home and
watch it anyway.' What that ultimately leads to is almost
becoming a television studio sport. In my opinion, in the
long run, when you do that, you're dead. I don't think that
would behoove anybody" (PHILADELPHIA DAILY NEWS, 9/22).
