Lopsided scores in yesterday's NFL conference championship games led to a mixed bag in terms of overnight ratings for Fox and CBS. Patriots-Steelers last night delivered CBS a 27.6 overnight, marking the best figure for a primetime conference championship since Fox drew a 31.0 for Seahawks-49ers in '14. However, Patriots-Steelers is down from a 31.8 for the highly touted Broncos-Patriots AFC Championship in the early window last year. CBS last night peaked at a 30.0 rating from 8:30-9:00pm ET as the Patriots jumped out to a 33-9 lead toward the end of the third quarter. Pittsburgh led all markets for CBS with a 55.8 local rating, followed by Boston with a 51.6 rating. Providence (47.4), Richmond (35.9) and Norfolk (33.9) rounded out the top five markets for CBS. Meanwhile, Fox drew a 27.4 overnight for the Falcons' rout of the Packers in the NFC Championship, marking the lowest figure for an early window conference championship since '14, when Fox drew a 26.1 for 49ers-Falcons. The Falcons were up 24-0 at halftime and then up 37-7 toward the end of the third quarter. Despite the drop for the window, Fox was up from a 26.8 for Panthers-Cardinals in the primetime window last year. Milwaukee led all markets for Fox yesterday with a 48.6 local rating, while Atlanta drew a 45.0 (Austin Karp, Assistant Managing Editor).
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AFC/NFC CONFERENCE CHAMPIONSHIP OVERNIGHT RATINGS TREND
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YEAR
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NET
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AFTERNOON MATCHUP
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RAT.
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NET
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PRIMETIME MATCHUP
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RAT.
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'17
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Fox
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Falcons-Packers
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27.4
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CBS
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Patriots-Steelers
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27.6
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'16
|
CBS
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Broncos-Patriots
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31.8
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Fox
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Panthers-Cardinals
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26.8
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'15
|
Fox
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Seahawks-Packers
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29.1
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CBS
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Patriots-Colts
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24.2
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'14
|
CBS
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Broncos-Patriots
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29.5
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Fox
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Seahawks-49ers
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31.0
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'13
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Fox
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49ers-Falcons
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26.1
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CBS
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Ravens-Patriots
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27.9
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'12
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CBS
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Patriots-Ravens
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29.1
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Fox
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Giants-49ers
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33.4
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'11
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Fox
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Packers-Bears
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30.0
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CBS
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Steelers-Jets
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31.3
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'10
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CBS
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Colts-Jets
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28.4
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Fox
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Saints-Vikings
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33.3
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'09
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Fox
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Cardinals-Eagles
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24.0
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CBS
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Steelers-Ravens
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23.8
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'08
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CBS
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Patriots-Chargers
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27.4
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Fox
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Giants-Packers
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31.7
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BEST FOOT FORWARD: In Boston, Chad Finn writes CBS PR prior to the Pats-Steelers game "seemed to be trying to emphasize Jay Feely’s role as the kicking expert." The former NFLer "turned out to be useful" when Steelers K Chris Boswell "shanked his first extra-point attempt." However, the "kicking expert thing hasn’t quite caught on like the former official in the booth" (
BOSTON GLOBE, 1/23).
INTRIGUING SUBPLOT: ESPN's J.A. Adande prior to last night's game said the Patriots reaching the Super Bowl and subsequent interaction with NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell "could add" to the hype and viewership of Super Bowl LI. Adande said, "People want to see them get their revenge against him. As despised as the Patriots might be in some quarters, I think people root for them against the NFL. They want to see the NFL in an awkward position. And the NFL recognizes that deep down in their hearts, they care about money, so they’re willing to put up with that if it means higher ratings” (“Around The Horn,” ESPN, 1/20).
