WEEI.com's Christopher Price wrote it "now seems like a slam-dunk that the Patriots will open" the '15 regular season against the Jets in the Thursday-night regular-season opener following CB Darrelle Revis' defection from the Pats to the Jets. Price: "While there's always the possibility of either the revamped Bills or the Eagles, our pick now is for the Jets" (WEEI.com, 3/15). Meanwhile, on the heels of RB DeMarco Murray's free-agency move, the DALLAS MORNING NEWS' Barry Horn wondered if the NFL season could "kick off with a more interesting 'NBC Sunday Night Football' matchup than the Cowboys-Eagles?" (DALLAS MORNING NEWS, 3/14).
RACY MOVE: In Charlotte, Jim Utter wrote one of the best ideas this NASCAR season "has been Fox Sports’ addition of Cup series stars to its broadcast booth during Xfinity Series broadcasts." Drivers Kevin Harvick and Brad Keselowski "have both done excellent jobs so far providing interesting insight to viewers on what takes place on the track during the race" (CHARLOTTE OBSERVER, 3/15).
RATERS OF THE LOST ARC: In N.Y., Claire Atkinson reported February "was another heartbreaker" for the $65B TV ad business, as ratings "cratered across broadcast and cable networks, marking the fifth straight month of double-digit declines for the industry." Moffett Research data shows that overall primetime broadcast network ratings last month were off 12% "compared to a year ago," while cable networks dropped 11% (N.Y. POST, 3/14).
SQUAWK BOX: USA TODAY's Martin Rogers writes after just two shows, it is "too early to cast the Premier Boxing Champions series dreamed up by Al Haymon ... as an unqualified success, but one thing is for certain: It is a heck of a lot of fun." It is clear that even if Haymon's plan to "bring boxing back to the masses with a series of free-to-air slots across various networks wasn't initially plotted around slug-fests and ring wars, it is now." The success of the "PBC" will hinge on how the live crowd's energy "transferred itself to television, but there is no question the fighters got the message that a national audience represents an opportunity to make their name" (USA TODAY, 3/16).
