CBS Draws Second-Best Super Bowl Overnight On Record; McManus Pleased With Net's Effort

CBS last night drew a 49.0 overnight for the Broncos' 24-10 win over the Panthers in Super Bowl 50, down 1% from a 49.7 rating for the Patriots’ last-minute win over the Seahawks in '15, which was an overnight record for the Big Game. The 49.0 is the second-best Super Bowl overnight on record and is up from a 47.6 overnight for the Seahawks' 43-8 blowout over the Broncos in '14. The 49.0 also is up from a 48.1 for Ravens-49ers in '13. The Super Bowl opened up at a 44.6 rating from 6:45-7:00pm ET before peaking at a 51.0 rating at the end of the game from 10:00-10:15pm. Nashville led all markets with a 57.7 local rating for the game, followed by Albuquerque-Santa Fe (56.9). Rounding out the top five were Norfolk (56.8), Greensboro (56.7) and Greenville-Spartanburg (56.6). Charlotte drew a 55.9 for the game, while Denver drew a 53.9. 

SUPER BOWL OVERNIGHT RATING TREND
YEAR	NET	MATCHUP	OVERNIGHT
'16	CBS	Broncos-Panthers	49.0
'15	NBC	Patriots-Seahawks	49.7
'14	Fox	Seahawks-Broncos	47.6
'13	CBS	Ravens-49ers	48.1
'12	NBC	Giants-Patriots	47.8
'11	Fox	Packers-Steelers	47.9

ENTERTAINMENT FACTORS: CBS drew a 50.0 overnight for the halftime segment of last night's telecast from 8:15-8:45pm, which featured music from Coldplay alongside guests Bruno Mars and Beyonce. That figure is down from Katy Perry's halftime act last year, which drew a 50.8 overnight. However, the halftime segment was up from a 48.6 in '14, when Mars was the headliner, and up from a 48.2 in '13, when Beyonce led the performance. Following the Super Bowl from 11:00pm-12:00am, CBS drew an 11.2 overnight for "The Late Show" featuring Stephen Colbert. That figure is down from a 13.7 overnight for NBC's "The Blacklist" from 10:45-11:45pm last year.

SUPER BOWL HALFTIME SHOW OVERNIGHT RATING TREND
YEAR	NET	MAIN PERFORMER	OVERNIGHT
'16	CBS	Coldplay	50.0
'15	NBC	Katy Perry	50.8
'14	Fox	Bruno Mars	48.6
'13	CBS	Beyonce	48.2
'12	NBC	Madonna	48.1
'11	Fox	Black Eyed Peas	47.4

HAPPY WITH THE EFFORT: The Super Bowl’s early ratings returns may be down slightly from last year, but they are certain to bring in one of the biggest audiences in TV history. That is one of the reasons why CBS Sports Chair Sean McManus sounded so energized this morning as he spoke of his net’s production of the game. McManus: "The ratings are what they are. At this point in my career, I try to only worry about the things that I can control. And the things that could be controlled during yesterday’s telecast came out about as well as could be expected.” McManus credited the Super Bowl’s storylines, including the possibility of Peyton Manning’s last game, and the fact that it was a one-score game in the fourth quarter for the high ratings. McManus: “It’s always nice to set a record, but our goal going in was to get an enormous amount of people to watch the game, and that’s what we did.”

PERFORMANCE REVIEWS: McManus praised his net’s performance, saying commentators Jim Nantz and Phil Simms and sideline reporters Tracy Wolfson and Evan Washburn "were on top of every single storyline and strategy during the game." McManus: "When you work for an entire year pointing to one day, you hope to capture all the moments and you hope the team is ready. Our team showed that it was ready.” McManus also praised the four-hour pregame show, calling it "the smartest Super Bowl pregame show that I’ve been associated with since I got into the business." Former NFL ref Mike Carey caught a lot of flack on social media when he said a first quarter pass from Panthers QB Cam Newton to WR Jerricho Cotchery should be considered a catch. After a replay review, the on-field officials ruled the pass incomplete. That was the only time Carey was on camera during the game. “We would have gone to him again, but that was the only time we felt it was important to get Mike’s perspective,” McManus said. “His job is not always to agree with a ruling on the field, but to give perspective. His job is to explain what he sees."