ABC's coverage of Super Bowl XXXVII earned a 40.7/61 fast national Nielsen rating, a 1% increase over the previous two Super Bowls, which both earned a 40.4/61. In addition, ABC estimated that 137.6 million watched at least part of Sunday's game, making it the second most-watched Super Bowl ever, behind 138.5 million for Cowboys-Steelers in '96 on NBC. Meanwhile, adults 18-49 posted a 36.4 rating, the highest for a Super Bowl since Rams-Titans in '00 on ABC. The 36.4 for adults 18-49 was 5% higher than last year and 2% better than '01 (THE DAILY). ABC averaged 88.6 million viewers, two million more than last year's Patriots-Rams on Fox and the largest audience since 90 million watched Packers-Broncos in '98 on NBC (DAILY VARIETY, 1/28). ABC Sports VP/Media Relations Mark Mandel: "We are quite used to blowouts and also used to high ratings when it comes to [`MNF'] and now the Super Bowl. Even with a game that was not competitive, to get that kind of rating is something special" (Minneapolis STAR TRIBUNE, 1/28). Pilson Communications President Neal Pilson, on the rating: "The biggest benefactor is CBS [which airs next year's Super Bowl]. ABC doesn't get a single nickel more or less" (AP, 1/28). See The Back of the Book for a complete listing of metered-market ratings.
STAYING STRONG THROUGHOUT: The HOLLYWOOD REPORTER's Andrew Grossman notes Raiders-Buccaneers "peaked at the end" from 10:00-10:18pm ET with a 42.4/61. Advertisers, "who pay a premium for those first-quarter spots, may want to rethink their strategy next year: Ratings grew from a 36.8/62 at 6:30 pm and remained within a narrow range between a 40.1 [the halftime show] and a 41.6 through 10 pm" (HOLLYWOOD REPORTER, 1/28). Initiative Media Senior VP & Dir of Broadcast Research Stacey Lynn Koerner: "It's not only about the game anymore. It's about the commercial advertising. It's the only television program that maintains almost all of its commercial audience" (N.Y. DAILY NEWS, 1/28). TiVo analysis stated that about 80% of the audience stayed with the broadcast even as the Buccaneers continued to widen their lead. TiVo Senior VP Brodie Keast said even after the game was no longer competitive, viewers continue to stick with the broadcast, primarily to see the remaining commercials (TiVo).
REAX: Mediacom's Jon Mandel said, "The simple fact is in a television world where everything is going down, this Super Bowl went up. [Bucs coach] Jon Gruden going against his old team played so well that you almost were rooting for him to do it, and the Raiders became the bad guys that they've always been perceived." Mandel adds, "Al Michaels and John Madden did a good job of keeping viewers' interest even though it was a blowout" (USA TODAY, 1/28). In N.Y., Bob Raissman writes two reasons for the ratings bump were "residents of the Northeast and central states were locked in their homes because of the deep freeze. And the other networks threw in the towel, electing not to aggressively counter-program against the Super Bowl. That big Gruden story line? I doubt many folks went sleepless Saturday night anticipating it" (N.Y. DAILY NEWS, 1/28).
HALFTIME BONANZA: NBC's counter-program move during Sunday's Super Bowl halftime show, a special edition of "SNL," drew a 3.8/5 Nielsen overnight from 8:00-8:30pm ET. The Super Bowl halftime show earned a 43.4/61 (THE DAILY). NBC's halftime program last year, which featured a Playboy edition of "Fear Factor," earned a 5.6 overnight (BLOOMBERG NEWS, 1/27). DAILY VARIETY's Rick Kissell writes there "wasn't much of a drop at halftime, and NBC's attempt at counterprogramming ... fell flat." NBC "appears to have drawn a second-place 5 rating among adults 18-49, down from the 9 share" last year (DAILY VARIETY, 1/28).
 |
| Even With The Bucs Piling It On,
Viewers Continued |
SUPER LEAD-IN? In DC, Lisa de Moraes writes ABC's "Alias" "may have copped its biggest audience ever — 17.4 million viewers — but that's the smallest audience for a post-Super Bowl show since at least the early '90s. ... Maybe that's because `Alias' had the latest start ever for a post-Super Bowl show: 11 p.m," as ABC delayed "Alias" "to run a Bon Jovi `concert.'" Last year, Fox' broadcast of "Malcolm in the Middle" "nabbed 21.5 million viewers; in 2001 the debut of `Survivor: Whatever' clocked a whopping 45.4 million [on CBS]" (WASHINGTON POST, 1/28). "Alias" earned a 8.3 for adults 18-49, "more than double its 4.0 rating average in the demo this season," as well as an increase of more than eight million viewers from its 9.3 million (EMONLINE.com, 1/27). Initiative Media's Koerner said of ABC's 40-minute postgame show affecting the "Alias" rating: "That was an ABC blunder. That wrap-up should have been half as long." But the HOLLYWOOD REPORTER's Grossman writes the NFL "has the last word on entertainment associated with the game — though ABC is a strong adviser on these matters" (HOLLYWOOD REPORTER, 1/28). But Sanders Morris Harris media analyst David Miller said "Alias" "did not do well ... even on the West Coast where it was on earlier." Miller: "I don't really think it made that much of a difference because folks have remote controls" (L.A. DAILY NEWS, 1/28). The HOLLYWOOD REPORTER's Scott Collins notes ABC's premiere of "Jimmy Kimmel Live" at 12:36am ET Monday morning, "a full hour past schedule," earned a 5.5/14 with 4.8 million total viewers. By comparison, ABC's "Politically Incorrect" after the '00 Super Bowl started at 12:06 and drew 4.3 million viewers (HOLLYWOOD REPORTER, 1/28). In N.Y., Don Kaplan notes Bucs WR Keyshawn Johnson and Gruden were to appear on Kimmel's show via satellite, but both "were too busy celebrating their Super Bowl win and didn't show up" (N.Y. POST, 1/28).
COVERAGE PICKS & PANS: In Rochester, Bob Matthews: "Suggestion to the NFL and the network carrying the Super Bowl: Show a replay of the entire telecast several hours later. Anyone who for any reason missed the live broadcast would enjoy the replay, as would millions of fans of the winning team. Sponsors also would appreciate it" (ROCHESTER DEMOCRAT & CHRONICLE, 1/28). In Boston, Bill Griffith writes ABC's HDTV telecast "without a total separate production, had some issues with synching audio and couldn't show all the ABC graphics. But the picture, say those who watched, was worth the glitches" (BOSTON GLOBE, 1/28).
IN CANADA: Canada's Global TV reported that 4.2 million viewers watched its simulcast of ABC's coverage, a 17% increase over last year's 3.6 million and Global's highest audience in six years (William Houston, GLOBE & MAIL, 1/28).
