The NFL’s Sunday game windows were a mixed bag during Week 15. Fox led the way with the national window featuring 49ers-Seahawks, but the 16.8 overnight rating for that telecast was down 7% from Packers-Cowboys in Week 15 last year. Fox also drew an 11.0 overnight for regional coverage in the early window, down around 1% from last year. Meanwhile, NBC saw its best “SNF” overnight since Week 1 with the Cowboys’ 38-27 win over the Eagles last night. The game helped deliver NBC a primetime win and also is up 37% from a 10.9 overnight for Bengals-Steelers in Week 15 last year. The Dallas-Ft. Worth market drew a 39.2 local rating, while Philadelphia drew a 33.3 rating. CBS yesterday also drew a 12.3 overnight for its singleheader coverage, marking the net’s top singleheader figure this season. Coverage for CBS was highlighted by Dolphins-Patriots and Steelers-Falcons (Austin Karp, Assistant Managing Editor).
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NFL WEEK 15 SUNDAY OVERNIGHT RATINGS
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NET
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'14 GAME
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RAT.
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'13 GAME
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RAT.
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% +/-
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CBS
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(single)
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12.3
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(single)
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10.8
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13.9%
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Fox
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(regional)
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11.0
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(regional)
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11.1
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-0.9%
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Fox
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49ers-Seahawks (84%)
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16.8
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Packers-Cowboys (83%)
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18.1
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-7.2%
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NBC
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Cowboys-Eagles
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14.9
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Bengals-Steelers
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10.9
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36.7%
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DEAD AHEAD: SI.com's Richard Deitsch noted during the eight-episode arc of AMC's "The Walking Dead" from Oct. 12 to Nov. 30, the show topped NBC's "SNF" five times among adults 18-49, "making it (as of last week) the No. 1 show in television for that group of viewers." This is a "remarkable television feat given that the NFL simply does not get out-rated on Sundays, and it makes you wonder if other networks can glean something from AMC." AMC President & GM Charlie Collier said that his net "scheduled this year’s show with deference to the NFL’s late-season schedule and playoffs, which is why The Walking Dead ended its run on Nov. 30 and will pick up again on Feb. 8, a week after Super Bowl XLIX." Collier cited data as showing that there "was a lot of crossover between The Walking Dead fans and NFL fans, and out of respect for those fans, the AMC show will go on hiatus during the NFL’s most important time." The success of "The Walking Dead" suggests that ESPN's "MNF," CBS' "TNF" and NBC's "SNF" could be "vulnerable to effective counter-programming among younger fans." What the NFL "should really be worried about given the success of 'The Walking Dead' isn’t counter-sports programming, but the idea that young men are not automatically watching football if presented with another compelling option" (
SI.com, 12/14). For the full "SNF" season to date, NBC is actually topping "The Walking Dead" among adults 18-49 in live+same day audience figures. The "SNF" average among adults 18-49 also topped "The Walking Dead" during eight head-to-head weeks during the 9:00-10:00pm hour. "SNF" viewership among all adults continues to lead "The Walking Dead" (
Karp).
BOOTH REVIEW: In N.Y., Phil Mushnick writes Fox' lead NFL team of Joe Buck and Troy Aikman "should, by now and together, be better," but instead, they "take turns swapping trite filler." Speaking "standardized nonsense to each other -- not to mention us -- is less endearing than silence" (N.Y. POST, 12/14). In Baltimore, David Zurawik writes CBS' broadcast of Jaguars-Ravens yesterday "was dismal," and the problems "went well beyond the booth team of Tom McCarthy and Adam Archuleta." The "most basic job of any live sports telecast is to show viewers the whole event, but CBS couldn’t even deliver that to its audience," as Baltimore-based viewers "missed the opening snap of the second quarter." Zurawik: "Maybe one missed snap doesn’t seem like that big a deal to you by itself. But it is representative of how deep a backseat the viewing pleasure of the fan takes to squeezing every last dollar in ads and promotion out of these telecasts" (Baltimore SUN, 12/15).
SECOND ACT: In N.Y., Bob Raissman wrote the three former NFL QBs who now appear on CBS Sports Network's "Monday QB" show -- Rich Gannon, Trent Green and Steve Beuerlein -- "come to the Monday mike with a huge personality and an original sense of humor," despite the fact that they "have displayed all the charisma of a buttered roll" in their game-analyst gigs. The success likely is due to the "chemistry these three former sticks in the mud have developed while working with host Adam Schein." The program "not only has something cooking but shows the depth of CBS’ analyst and host rosters" (N.Y. DAILY NEWS, 12/14).
CREDIT CHECK: The N.Y. DAILY NEWS' Raissman writes Fox yesterday tried to "convince the free world Jay Glazer broke the story" about Browns QB Johnny Manziel starting vs. the Bengals. Glazer "makes his scoops even bigger when he accuses someone (in this case ESPN) of stealing them." That way, Glazer and Fox "get to make him THE story" (N.Y. DAILY NEWS, 12/15).
