The NFL’s conference championship games on Sunday averaged 49.7 million viewers, up 8% from last year’s 46.1 million viewers, which was the lowest since '09. The high mark over the last 30 years remains '14 with 53.7 million viewers. CBS finished with 53.3 million viewers for Broncos-Patriots in the late afternoon slot, marking the second-best AFC title game audience on record, behind only Jets-Steelers in '11 with 54.9 million viewers. It also marks the best early window for any AFC or NFC Championship on record (dating back to '78). However, Broncos-Colts still ranks just outside the top five for all-time conference championship audiences. Each of the top five most-viewed conference title games are from the NFC. Meanwhile, Fox drew 45.7 million viewers for Panthers-Cardinals, up from Patriots-Colts on CBS in primetime last year, but Fox’ lowest NFC Championship since '13. The Seahawks-Packers NFC Championship in the afternoon slot last year drew 49.8 million viewers (Austin Karp, Assistant Managing Editor).
|
NFL CONFERENCE CHAMPIONSHIP AVERAGE VIEWERSHIP ACROSS FOX/CBS
|
|
YEAR
|
AFC
|
NFC
|
TWO-GAME
AVG. VIEWERSHIP (000)
|
|
'16
|
Broncos-Patriots
|
Panthers-Cardinals
|
49,700
|
|
'15
|
Patriots-Colts
|
Seahawks-Packers
|
46,151
|
|
'14
|
Broncos-Patriots
|
Seahawks-49ers
|
53,697
|
|
'13
|
Ravens-Patriots
|
49ers-Falcons
|
44,824
|
|
'12
|
Patriots-Ravens
|
Giants-49ers
|
53,697
|
| |
|
|
|
MIXED BAG: SPORTING NEWS' Michael McCarthy wrote CBS' pregame coverage Sunday "was all over the map." Jim Nantz and Phil Simms "had their moments" in the booth, such as when Simms said that if Patriots QB Tom Brady "pulled out a win, he'd need the full two weeks to recover from all the hits laid on him by the punishing Broncos defense." McCarthy wrote he also "loved the scenes of a victorious Manning hugging Brady and Bill Belichick as confetti streamed down to the field." Nantz and Simms "smartly let the scene speak for itself for a few seconds," then they "put the right touch on it." McCarthy: "But on the most crucial play of the game, I also wondered if I was watching the same game as these two." With only 12 seconds left, the Patriots needed a two-point conversion to tie the game. Simms said that the Broncos had "double-teamed" Patriots TE Rob Gronkowski, but replays showed him "open in one-on-one coverage." Meanwhile, CBS "should put 'officiating' expert Mike Carey on the bench for Super Bowl 50." The "problem is Carey's predictions and insights are almost always wrong." He is "uncomfortable on the air," and when "push comes to shove, his first instinct is to cover up for the mistakes the zebras make on the field, not serve the TV viewer" (
SPORTINGNEWS.com, 1/25).
ON THE MIC: Nantz, who is calling Super Bowl 50 for CBS, said, "I don't know if pressure is the right word but I feel every time I am on the microphone, I feel a challenge or an anxiety to get it right. The audience size does not enter my head. ... It is a milestone Super Bowl, a big deal, and I am honored beyond belief that they are entrusting me with documenting the game. But am I going to be overwhelmed by the fact that there are going to be 100 some-odd million people watching versus 20 million that would watch on a regular Sunday? If you think I would approach it differently, I'm not" (
SI.com, 1/24). Meanwhile, AWFUL ANNOUNCING's Dan Levy wrote fans "deserve better than the flat, one-note, quarterback-centric commentary Simms can provide." Levy: "Simms just ... talks, often not even about the game going on in front of him, though he probably thinks he is, which should concern CBS more than it obviously does" (
AWFULANNOUNCING.com, 1/25).
BEHIND THE SCENES: THE MMQB's Emily Kaplan was with Fox for the NFC Championship to see how broadcasters Joe Buck, Troy Aikman and Erin Andrews "get the job done." There were "18 cameramen, five production trucks" and "hundreds of hours of film study." Their preparation and game coverage also included "cough drops, film study and text messages from ... John Madden" (MMQB.SI.com, 1/26).
PERFECT STORM? In Jacksonville, Gene Frenette writes there was a "collective sigh of relief" from NFL HQ when the Panthers and Broncos qualified for Super Bowl 50. This is the "ideal storyline." There is "no way" NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell wanted to be "standing on a podium to present the Vince Lombardi trophy" to the Patriots. Panthers-Broncos is the "perfect storm," as Manning is "squaring off against a next-generation quarterback with a checkered past." Frenette: "Fair or not, let’s not pretend Super Bowl 50 won’t be viewed, or presented, in some media circles and CBS through the prism of a good (Manning) vs. evil (Newton) matchup. That hype is irresistible" (FLORIDA TIMES-UNION, 1/26).
