NBC's 3.4/8 overnight Nielsen rating for its coverage
of Sunday's Suns-Raptors game, which marked the Raptors'
first national appearance and featured a 51-point
performance by F Vince Carter, was down 23% from last year's
4.4/11 rating during the same 12:30pm ET window for regional
action, according to Howard Manly of the BOSTON GLOBE.
Manly: "So much for NBC's star theory. ... In fact, NBC lost
about a million viewers from last year's game shown at the
same time." Manly: "The NBA has plenty of stars. The
problem is the teams, and viewers -- based on the numbers --
are not interested in watching highlight reels" (BOSTON
GLOBE, 2/29). In N.Y., Richard Sandomir notes the focus NBC
gave to Carter. During the broadcast, Carter's name was
mentioned 165 times. Also, NBC cameras showed Carter 105
times with shots ranging from replays to moments when Carter
"was doing nothing, walking to and from the court or sitting
on the bench." Sandomir writes that Carter "worship reached
its acme in the fourth quarter, when he was mentioned 62
times and the camera found him 38 times." But Sandomir
noted, "As strongly as NBC pitched Carter, it couldn't force
people to watch." NBC Sports President Ken Schanzer: "This
was a beginning. The one thing is people had to say, 'Did
you see what Vince Carter did?' That's how it starts."
Sandomir notes "no matter how big Carter gets [in Canada],
NBC won't benefit from his home market," as Canadian ratings
"do not count" in U.S. calculations (N.Y. TIMES, 2/29). But
Schanzer said the ratings impact of Carter playing in
Toronto, rather than a larger U.S. TV market, is "tiny." In
Dallas, Barry Horn writes the U.S. ratings "are hardly
boffo, hardly Jordanesque." But Schanzer feels "it is not a
bad first step." Schanzer: "Yesterday was one dot. There
will be other dots. Then we will have a line. That's how
these things are built." Schanzer, on the game coverage:
"If you watched the game, you can't say that it was over-
hyped" (DALLAS MORNING NEWS, 2/29). In N.Y., Bob Raissman
writes that with NBA ratings "sagging, the league's network
partners should look to be flexible, airing as many
competitive matchups as possible" (N.Y. DAILY NEWS, 2/29).
FORCING DOWN OUR THROATS? CBS SportsLine's Mike Kahn
writes that Carter "was indeed spectacular" during Sunday's
game, but it "was all anyone with a spittoon could do to
hold it under the frothing mouths of [NBC announcers] Bill
Walton and Steve Jones to ensure that any drool be kept from
spilling on the hardwood. You would have thought Carter
came up with a cure for cancer, AIDS and established a
permanent agenda that would guarantee world peace." Kahn
adds that "it would behoove the NBA to begin marketing teams
instead of players." Kahn: "There are plenty of people
turned off by the tattoos and hairdos and dress of the
players. And it isn't a racial issue anywhere near as much
as a generational one." Kahn, on the promotion of Carter as
the next Jordan: "If it weren't so contrived, it wouldn't be
so wearisome. Instead, we are going to get beaten over the
head with those high-flying dunks from now until the Raptors
are finished for the year" (CBS SportsLine, 2/29).
GOLF A GOOD BUY: MEDIAWEEK's John Consoli reports that
season-to-date, golf telecasts on CBS "are outdrawing" the
"NBA on NBC" by a 3.9/9 to 3.5/8 rating. Consoli notes that
advertisers who bought time on golf telecasts last fall "got
a bargain," as the average 30-second spot went for about
$50,000. Meanwhile, 30-second spots on NBA telecasts are
estimated to have sold for about $100,000. CBS Sports
VP/Programming Rob Correa noted Tiger Woods' "popularity
with younger viewers" has led to the ratings increases.
Correa said that in '99, the male 18-34 audience for golf
telecasts grew 88% for tournaments in which Woods
participated. Numbers for men 18-49 "were more impressive,
doubling when Woods played" (MEDIAWEEK, 2/28 issue).
