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NFL Week 7 Overnights: Giants-Cowboys Leads With 17.2 Rating In Fox Nat'l Window

Three of the four NFL windows yesterday saw a drop in overnight ratings compared to comparable telecasts in Week 7 last year. Fox led all telecasts yesterday with a 17.6 overnight rating for its national window, which featured Giants-Cowboys in 92% of U.S. media markets. The 17.6 overnight is the second-best figure for any NFL telecast this season to date, behind only the 19.2 for Fox' Week 6 national window, which featured Cowboys-Seahawks. The 17.6 overnight also is up 16% from CBS' split national in Week 7 in '13. Fox had Cowboys-Giants in its Week 12 national window last year, drawing a 18.9 overnight for the late November telecast, while its Week 8 telecast of the same matchup drew an 18.8 overnight. Both of those games featured last-second wins. Meanwhile, NBC drew a 14.8 overnight for NBC’s “SNF” yesterday, which saw the Broncos win 42-17 over the 49ers. The game also saw Broncos QB Peyton Manning break Brett Favre’s record for most career TD passes. The rating is down 15% from a more competitive Broncos-Colts “SNF” matchup in Week 7 last year. Despite the drop, “SNF” still delivered NBC a win in primetime. The game telecast peaked at a 17.0 rating from 9:30-10:00pm ET as Manning was breaking the record. Denver led all markets with a 47.1 local rating for the game, while S.F.-Oakland-San Jose ranked No. 3 with a 26.1 rating. Sacramento ranked No. 2 with a 26.8 local rating (Austin Karp, Assistant Managing Editor).

NFL WEEK 7 SUNDAY OVERNIGHT RATINGS
NET
'14 GAME
RAT.
'13 NET
'13 GAME
RAT.
% +/-
CBS
(single)
10.6
Fox
(single)
11.8
-10.2%
Fox
(regional)
8.7
CBS
(regional)
10.7
-18.7%
Fox
Giants-Cowboys (92%)
17.6
CBS
Ravens-Steelers (43%);
Texans-Chiefs (38%)
15.2
15.8%
NBC
49ers-Broncos
14.8
NBC
Broncos-Colts
17.3
-14.5%

AMERICA'S TEEMING
: In Dallas, Barry Horn wrote there "is nothing like a winning Cowboys team to pump ratings." The Cowboys-Saints matchup on NBC last month averaged 23.1 million viewers, putting the game "second in viewership after six SNF games this season." Only Week 1's Colts-Broncos "scored higher at 23.7 million." Meanwhile, Week 6's Cowboys-Seahawks game, featured in Fox' Sunday NFL national window, was the net’s most-viewed Sunday regular-season window in 19 years. People also can "pencil in" next week's Redskins-Cowboys "MNF" matchup as the "leader in the clubhouse" for ESPN's NFL audiences this season to date (DALLAS MORNING NEWS, 10/18). In Chicago, Paul Sullivan wrote if you think MLB's decision to put the overwhelming majority of the postseason to date on cable TV was "short-sighted," consider Week 6's Cowboys-Seahawks audience. Sullivan: "Baseball may be America's pastime, but football still rules, especially when 'America's team' is on a roll" (CHICAGO TRIBUNE, 10/18).

MOST VALUABLE PEACOCK: In Denver, Dusty Saunders writes under the header, "NBC Likes To Have Peyton Manning In Star Role." If  "SNF," the "most-watched prime-time series, were in the MVP business, Manning would be at the top of that list." Manning now has an 18-6 record on "SNF" after last night's game. That is the most wins of any QB since NBC  reacquired NFL rights before the '06 season. In addition to breaking Favre's touchdown record last night, other Manning highlights from NBC games are the first-ever "Manning Bowl" in September '06, his Broncos debut in September '12 and his return to Indianapolis in October '13 (DENVER POST, 10/20).

UPS & DOWNS: The DALLAS MORNING NEWS' Horn wrote whenever Fox "wanted to show player emotion" during Giants-Cowboys yesterday, producer Richie Zyontz focused on Cowboys WR Dez Bryant, which "made for great television." Fox also "caught great second quarter audio" when Cowboys QB Tony Romo called out Giants LB Jameel McClain "as 'the Mike.'" McClain "shouted back across the line of scrimmage, 'I’m not the Mike'" (DALLASNEWS.com, 10/19). However, in Baltimore, David Zurawik wrote while Fox during Falcons-Ravens yesterday showed Ravens LS Morgan Cox "grabbing his knee," and network announcer Justin Kutcher "did ID him," there was not an "update on the injury when the telecast came back from commercial despite the crew having a sideline reporter, Laura Okmin, on the field." Okmin instead went to a "canned piece on coach John Harbaugh warning his team all week about complacency." When the Ravens "scored again on a fourth-down pass with just under two minutes left in the game to make the final score 29-7, Cox’s injury appeared to be affecting the game in several ways." But it "was all lost" on the announcers. Kutcher later "told viewers that a Fox statistician suggested to him that Cox being out of the game might have played a role in the Ravens going for it on fourth down" (BALTIMORESUN.com, 10/19).

BITING HIS TONGUE: In N.Y., Bob Raissman writes NFL Network's Michael Robinson yesterday could "have separated himself from the pack of rookie analysts" during a discussion of the Seahawks trading WR Percy Harvin to the Jets, but he instead "elected to adhere to the mythical loyalty oath taken by most of these former players." Robinson, who played with Harvin last year, during NFL Network's "GameDay First" referred to an incident involving Harvin and former Seahawks WR Golden Tate the day before last year's Super Bowl. Robinson: "I was there. But you would have to ask those guys (Harvin/Tate) what they were arguing about. I’m not at liberty to talk about it." Raissman writes Robinson "had the information on the origin of the Harvin/Tate beef but purposely sat on it to cover the Seattle organization’s and his former teammates’ butts." Robinson "had a big opportunity ... but passed on it" (N.Y. DAILY NEWS, 10/20).

CANDID CAMERA: In Boston, Chad Finn writes Jets coach Rex Ryan "is a character," and if and when the team's execs "let him go, TV will take him in." However, it "should be noted that those who seem as though they’ll be naturals for television often take some time to succeed." While CBS' Tony Gonzalez "has been outstanding on 'The NFL Today' this year ... Bart Scott has sometimes seemed the afterthought among the cast." The former NFLer is "opinionated, charismatic, and articulate, but it’s been a struggle for him to find his niche" (BOSTON GLOBE, 10/20).

RIGHT HERE, RIGHT NOW: In N.Y., Ken Belson reports the NFL Now over-the-top service has "been visited more than nine million times since its launch in August," but the league would not say "whether that was more or less than it had expected." The league "also did not say how much time visitors had spent on NFL Now." The NFL said that people with wireless devices "have made up" 55% of the visits to NFL Now, while those using connected devices like Xbox have consumed 45% of the minutes spent on the OTT service. It is still an open question as to "whether the service will make money," as the NFL "declined to say how many fans had chosen to pay $1.99 a month for the premium version" (N.Y. TIMES, 10/20).

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