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NFL Week 8 Overnights: NBC Earns Season-Low For "SNF" Up Against World Series

NBC drew an 11.4 overnight rating for the Packers-Saints "SNF" matchup last night, marking a season-low NFL game audience for the net, as it had competition from World Series Game 5 on Fox and several scripted shows, including the series finale of HBO's "Boardwalk Empire." The Saints defeated the Packers 44-23 on "SNF," but the score was tied at halftime. Despite the season-low rating, "SNF" is up 11% from a 10.3 rating for the comparable Packers-Vikings tilt in Week 8 last year. Without the benefit of an NFL national window to lead into Fox' World Series coverage, this year marks the largest rating margin compared to "SNF" in the five years there has been head-to-head competition. However, a source said, "While NBC is patting themselves on the back, their rating last night was a season low because of the Series and this is the 8th time this season that the 4:25 ET game kicked their ass.” New Orleans led all markets for "SNF" with a 50.2 local rating, followed by Milwaukee with a 45.0. Meanwhile, CBS led all Week 8 NFL games with a 13.0 for its national window, which featured the Colts-Steelers shootout. That figure is down from a 17.5 for Fox' Week 8 national window last year, which featured Redskins-Broncos and led into World Series coverage (Karp, Ourand & Carpenter, THE DAILY).

NFL WEEK 8 SUNDAY OVERNIGHT RATINGS
NET
'14 TELECAST
RAT.
'13 NET
'13 TELECAST
RAT.
% +/-
Fox
(single)
12.3
CBS
(single)
10.1
21.8%
CBS
(regional)
10.6
Fox
(regional)
10.9
-2.8%
CBS
Colts-Steelers (89%)
13.0
Fox
Redskins-Broncos (88%)
17.5
-25.7%
NBC
Packers-Saints
11.4
NBC
Packers-Vikings
10.3
10.7%

PLAYER ISSUES: NFL Network analyst Steve Mariucci yesterday on "GameDay Morning" said that if he were "coaching the Bears, he would 'try and discourage'" WR Brandon Marshall from appearing on Showtime's "Inside The NFL" each week. In N.Y., Bob Raissman notes fellow NFL Net analyst Kurt Warner "made it more personal, underlining Marshall's hypocrisy." He said that Marshall's "locker room rant" after last week's loss to the Dolphins "rang hollow." Warner: "The bigger issue is he calls the team out and says this is ‘unacceptable.' ... Brandon Marshall is going to get on a plane and fly to New York and do his TV show. If this (the Bears’ lack of performance) is a team issue, why aren’t you here on our day off? You have to put the team first, right?” But NFL Net's Michael Irvin, who "never mentioned his role on 'Inside the NFL,' said Marshall is holding up his end of the deal on the field, which allows him to do whatever he wants on his day off." But Warner said that when Marshall "decided to call out his teammates, he set the ground rules." Warner: “He’s the one who made the issue that what we (the Bears) are doing now is unacceptable. If you are the one saying that you have to be the first one to change." Meanwhile, Raissman gives credit to the producers of CBS Sports Network's "That Other Pregame Show" for "taking on the story about some of Russell Wilson's (anonymous) teammates saying the Seahawks QB is not 'black enough.'" There was "no real debate because the panel (Fred Smoot, London Fletcher, Bart Scott) was all on the same page in taking issue with anyone making that type of the characterization." But the segment "went off the rails when Fletcher blamed Mike Freeman, the Bleacher Report columnist who broke the story" (N.Y. DAILY NEWS, 10/27).

GROUNDHOG DAY: SI.com's Richard Deitsch gave "props" to Fox for getting actor Bill Murray to "tape an intro" prior to its 9:30am ET Lions-Falcons game yesterday. Fox Exec Producer Bill Richards: "Bill has a little bit of a relationship with Fox because of his friendship with Chris Myers and he spent time with some of us at this year’s Super Bowl. Laura Marcus, who runs our talent relations department, kept on the movie people and we were almost set to shoot it last week in New York but Bill told us to 'save the money for the Christmas party' and that he’d be in LA the following week" (SI.com, 10/26). 

PERSONAL FOUL: In Baltimore, David Zurawik wrote CBS' Greg Gumbel has become a "pompous gasbag" after "all those years of studying at the feet of his former partner Dan Dierdorf." Gumbel and analyst Trent Green are "not getting any better." Zurawick: "I think Green is getting worse, and that's a shame." A number of predictions from Green during Ravens-Bengals yesterday were "nowhere near what actually happened once the ball was snapped" (BALTIMORESUN.com, 10/26). 

NO SPORTS, NO PROBLEM: The WALL STREET JOURNAL's Joe Flint writes ABC "has less sports programming" than its rivals in primetime, and that "relative lack of sports ... is somewhat of a handicap." But ABC "has answered the challenge by targeting much of its programming at women, a strategy that is paying dividends." The net’s Thursday-night dramas have "performed solidly" against CBS’ "Thursday Night Football." ABC's Thursday primetime ratings have risen 31% this season among adults 18-49, which "advertisers pay a premium to reach." The net's scripted shows also have "gained on Sunday night" against NBC’s "SNF," having increased 8% amongadults 18-49. ABC currently is in in first plac" among adults 18-49 for the TV season "when sports are taken out of the equation" (WALL STREET JOURNAL, 10/27).

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