NFL Week 1 Overnights: Lopsided Scores Lead To Declines For "SNF," Fox National Window

The NFL saw a year-over-year overnight ratings decline for its Week 1 game telecasts on Sunday, which saw blowouts for many marquee matchups. Fox led all telecasts for Week 1 with a 17.4 overnight for its national window, which featured 49ers-Cowboys in 89% of U.S. markets. That game, which saw the 49ers jump out to a 28-3 lead at halftime, was still a figure high enough to mark Fox’ second-best Week 1 national window on record, behind only a 17.8 rating last year for a window featuring Packers-49ers. When final ratings come out, the game is likely to mark Fox’ most-watched telecast since the Super Bowl last February. Fox also drew a 9.4 overnight for its regionalized telecast in the 1:00pm ET window, down from a 10.2 last year. Meanwhile, NBC drew a 15.1 overnight for the “SNF” opener last night, which saw the Broncos have a 28-7 halftime lead over the Colts. Despite the score, “SNF” was still the highest-rated show in primetime. Denver drew a 43.6 local rating for “SNF,” while Indianapolis drew a 39.2 rating. CBS yesterday also drew an 11.2 overnight for its singleheader, a figure that is flat compared to last year. Looking at pregame shows, “Fox NFL Sunday,” “Sunday NFL Countdown” ESPN) and “The NFL Today” (CBS) saw drops compared to Week 1 last year. Fox led the way with a 3.6 rating, down from a 4.0 last year. CBS drew a 3.0 rating (down from a 3.3) and ESPN drew a 1.7 (down from a 2.0) (Austin Karp, Assistant Managing Editor).

COMING TO TERMS: MULTICHANNEL NEWS' Mike Farrell noted DirecTV and Raycom Media yesterday "resolved their six-day retransmission consent spat" just before the 1:00pm ET slate of NFL games. Raycom "went dark to DirecTV customers in 37 markets on Sept.1." Both sides in a joint statement said that they had "reached an agreement, terms of which were not disclosed (MULTICHANNELNEWS.com, 9/7). VARIETY's Cynthia Littleton noted the deal was "not a surprise given the amount of blowback from viewers" if NFL game telecasts "had been disrupted" (VARIETY.com, 9/7). 

READ & REACT: In N.Y., Bob Raissman writes NFL Network's "GameDay First" crew "accomplished the impossible." They went through an "entire two-hour pregame show without ever mentioning the words 'domestic violence,' 'Michael Sam,' 'Jim Irsay' or 'substance abuse.'” The early-morning crew was "setting the stage for all the other pregame offerings that went very light on issues dominating the NFL landscape during the run-up to the Sunday openers." Any broadcaster raising the subjects "stood out." Fox’ Howie Long "came out swinging at the very top of 'NFL Sunday,' reminding the free world that 31 players would miss openers because of suspensions." Meanwhile, ESPN's Keyshawn Johnson "covered all the bases ... saying he’s concerned with the NFL Trifecta: 'Street drugs,' 'domestic violence' and executives, whether it be with the Broncos or Irsay, getting in trouble" (N.Y. DAILY NEWS, 9/8).

EYE OF THE BEHOLDER: In Baltimore, David Zurawik wrote CBS "had a solid opener from its revamped pre-game show with Bart Scott and Tony Gonzalez to the game coverage" from M&T Bank Stadium for Bengals-Ravens. Gonzalez and Scott brought "energy, energy, energy" to "The NFL Today," and when it "comes to live TV, energy is everything." For Gonzalez, as "animated as he is in his opinions, his delivery is super-smooth." Meanwhile, CBS' new rules analyst, former ref Mike Carey, also is "going to be good." But when he "spoke Sunday ... you could practically see him editing his words in his mind before he spoke." Outside of Gonzalez, the "biggest winner" was game analyst Solomon Wilcots. Zurawik: "I have never heard him bring it like he did Sunday. Nor can I remember him delivering as gaffe-free a broadcast" (BALTIMORESUN.com, 9/7). In N.Y., Phil Mushnick writes TV "clings to senseless habits," and three minutes into Raiders-Jets, as CBS' Jim Nantz "did a show-and-tell on the Raiders’ starting defense, Nantz and CBS’s audience became the last to know" that Jets QB Michael Vick had entered the game. Also, with Raiders DE Justin Tuck down and injured, the net "quickly cut from that view because it had locked itself into a Fantasy Football promo." Nantz and analyst Phil Simms "scolded" Jets RB Chris Ivory for "launching his how-great-I-art act 30 yards before his 71-yard run ended with him barely reaching the end zone" (N.Y. POST, 9/8).

DELIVERY IS KEY: SI.com's Richard Deitsch writes ESPN NFL reporter Sal Paolantonio has been "delivering his reports with much more gusto/theatrics/panache over the last few weeks." ESPN Senior Coordinating Producer Seth Markman said, "This is partially my fault. I have reinforced this to our NFL reporters and we just had a conference call on it so it is probably fresh in Sal’s mind. The information is No. 1. That goes without saying. We love our group of reporters who go out to the stadiums on Sunday. However I did stress on the call that a lot of the reporting, especially on Sunday morning, I fear it is white noise. ... So the one message I had for the reporters was you kind of need to cut through and find a way to grab the audience’s attention. Sal has always been the best at that and most of it is his language and phrases. I'll leave it up to you whether it is going too far but I will say after shows, I usually remember what Sal talked about. And I can’t say that for everyone" (SI.com, 9/8).