COMPETITION FOR SPORTS VIEWERS: CNN's coverage of the
Senate Impeachment trial on Saturday from 10:00am-5:30pm ET
featuring videotaped testimony from Monica Lewinsky received
an average 3.0 Nielsen cable rating. MSNBC also covered the
trial live and it "estimates" a 1.2 rating (THE DAILY).
ESPN NHL RATINGS FLAT: BLOOMBERG's Barry Bloom reported
that ESPN's NHL Nielsen ratings "been stagnant" this season.
Through January 3, ESPN's average cable rating of 0.65 for
NHL games is "on par" with last season, though NHL ratings
on ESPN2 have "slipped" 16% from 0.38 last year to 0.32 this
year (BLOOMBERG NEWS, 2/8)....ESPN "The Sports Reporters"
will expand to one hour beginning Sunday. The expansion of
the show will include the addition of a new segment where
the panelists will discuss viewers' answers to a question
posed on the previous week's show (ESPN).
OTHER NOTES: In N.Y., Bob Raissman reports that TBS'
Lakers-Spurs game on Monday night earned a 2.1 Nielsen cable
rating, compared to TNT's 5.7 for its WCW broadcast and USA
Network's 3.5 for its Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show (N.Y.
DAILY NEWS, 2/10). In San Antonio, Monday's Spurs game
earned an 11.9 local cable rating on Fox Sports SW, giving
the Spurs their second highest all-time rating on Fox Sports
SW (FoxSW)...Monday's Wizards-Pistons game earned a 5.1
local cable rating on Fox Sports Detroit. The 5.1 was an
all-time high for the network, breaking the previous record
of a 3.2 rating set in '98 (FSD)....In Greensboro, Rob
Daniels wrote on ACC basketball's extensive relationship
with TV and called it an "unprecedented and lucrative plan
of attack in an increasingly competitive marketplace."
Sources say that ACC men's basketball earns the league and
its nine institutions $27M a year (NEWS & RECORD, 2/9)....In
Boston, Fee & Raposa reported that former Bruin Cam Neely
will appear in a soon-to-be-released instructional video
teaching the basics of hockey. The video is produced by CA-
based All Pro Sports Video Productions (BOSTON HERALD, 2/8).
