Patriots-Falcons Overnight Rating Down From Recent Years Despite First Super Bowl OT

Fox drew a 48.8 overnight rating last night for the first Super Bowl to ever go to overtime. That figure for the Patriots' win over the Falcons is down slightly from a 49.0 overnight for the Broncos’ 24-10 win over the Panthers last year, and down from a 49.7 overnight for the Patriots’ last-minute victory over the Seahawks two years ago. The audience last night, which delivered Fox a primetime win, was likely hindered by the Falcons' early lead, as the club was up 28-3 late in the third quarter. Last night's telecast kicked off with a 43.5 rating and peaked at a 52.1 from 10:00-10:30pm ET as the game went into OT. Fox also drew a 31.5 rating from 10:30-11:00pm for the Super Bowl postgame ceremony. For the third time in the last four Super Bowls, a non-participating city topped all markets for the telecast, as Pittsburgh led the way last night with a 57.9 local rating. Buffalo ranked No. 2 with a 57.2 local rating, with Atlanta (57.0), Norfolk (55.9) and Richmond (55.7) rounding out the top five. Boston ranked No. 7 with a 54.3 local rating. Miami-Ft. Lauderdale had the lowest rating among the 56 metered markets with a 37.8. Meanwhile, Fox drew a 50.0 overnight for the Super Bowl halftime show featuring Lady Gaga, a figure that is flat compared to the combined performance from Coldplay, Beyonce and Bruno Mars last year. Two years ago, Katy Perry drew a 50.8 rating at halftime (Austin Karp, Assistant Managing Editor).

JOB WELL DONE: On Long Island, Neil Best writes Fox "calmly went about its business off the field and got the job done" with its Super Bowl LI broadcast. The pictures were "excellent and the words focused on the drama without falling into the trap of melodrama" (NEWSDAY, 2/6). SI.com's Richard Deitsch wrote Fox' production provided a "great shot" of Patriots QB Brady and NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell "shaking hands after the game before the trophy ceremony, as well as Tom Brady Sr. crying upon seeing his family" (SI.com, 2/5). In L.A., Tom Hoffarth writes the "overhead Fox camera shot on Brady, crouching on the ground with his head down, finally popping up for a hug" from coach Bill Belichick was the only thing "better" than Fox announcer Joe Buck's call of the final play (L.A. DAILY NEWS, 2/6). In N.Y., Phil Mushnick writes Fox "minimized the usual appearance of needless, misleading, inapplicable and ... imbecilic, stat graphics." During the Falcons' final two TD drives, viewers "didn't see or hear a word about the Red Zone nor its existence tethered to statistical stupidity" (N.Y. POST, 2/6).

COMING UP IN THE CLUTCH: SI.com's Deitsch wrote the game's producer, Richie Zyontz, and director Rich Russo "had a very strong fourth quarter and overtime and were at their best when they needed to be" -- on Patriots WR Julian Edelman’s "incomprehensible catch" on the game-tying drive. There was an "immediate replay which was so spot-on and sharp that the announcers were able to determine it was a catch right there." Then came "three more replays at close quarters." That was followed by Fox rules expert Mike Pereira, who "cogently (as usual) explained that Edelman maintained control of the ball on the play." Fox even gave "multiple replays" of David Tyree's catch for the Giants in Super Bowl XLII, as well a shot of Falcons QB Matt Ryan "waving 'no catch' with his hands." Buck and analyst Troy Aikman "delivered in that moment" (SI.com, 2/5).

TAKING CONTROL: The DAILY NEWS' Hoffarth notes was only used once, but the debut of the "Be The Player” VR replay element in the second quarter showed how Falcons QB Matt Ryan "had just a small window of vision and opportunity to find Julio Jones on a big completion." The 360-degree computerized enhancement "has never been shown before in a TV game" (L.A. DAILY NEWS, 2/6).

EYES WIDE SHUT: In DC, Portnoy & Weil note Comcast's cable service yesterday "went out in parts" of Alexandria and Arlington, Va. Power problems in the area and the cable outage "appeared to be the greatest impediments for Washington-area residents trying to watch Super Bowl LI." The power outage, "affecting 3,100 customers," began at about 4:00pm ET. Dominion Virginia Power spokesperson Jan Bennett said that it "appeared that almost all customers' power had been restored" by about 9:00pm (WASHINGTON POST, 2/6).