Fox earned a 27.4 overnight Nielsen rating for yesterday’s Giants-Packers NFC Divisional game, marking the best overnight for a Divisional game on any net since Fox earned a 28.6 rating for Panthers-Cowboys in ’97. The 27.4 overnight is up 4.6% from a 26.2 rating for the comparable Jets-Patriots on CBS last year. Milwaukee topped all markets with a 53.7 local rating, while N.Y. earned a 33.4 rating. In the early window yesterday, CBS earned a 20.6 overnight for Ravens-Texans, down slightly from a 20.7 for the comparable Bears-Seahawks game on Fox last year. Ravens-Texans is also tied with Colts-Chiefs in '04 as CBS' lowest-rated Sunday Divisional game since '02. The game peaked at a 24.7 rating at the end of the game from 4:00-4:15pm ET. CBS also earned a 20.6 overnight rating for the Patriots' 45-10 blowout of the Broncos Saturday night from 8:15-11:30pm ET. The 20.6 overnight marks the best Saturday primetime NFL Divisional game on any net in 11 years. The game peaked at a 24.1 rating during the 9:00-9:30pm window (Austin Karp, THE DAILY).
BAY BREAKER: Fox earned a 20.5 fast-national rating and 35.6 million viewers for the 49ers-Saints NFC Divisional game on Saturday afternoon, marking the most-viewed Saturday NFL Divisional game on any net in 24 years. The 20.5 rating also marks the highest-rated Saturday Divisional game since Packers-49ers earned a 22.2 rating (32.0 million viewers) on Fox in ’96. Compared to CBS’ Steelers-Ravens in the same window last year, 49ers-Saints is up 5.8% and 4.7%, respectively, from a 19.4 rating and 34.0 million viewers. The telecast peaked at a 23.6 rating during the 7:30-8:00pm window and earned a 22.4 rating for the final window of the game from 8:00-8:21pm (Karp). In Minneapolis, Jim Souhan writes, "This weekend exemplified why the NFL is king. With the advent of HDTV, big screens and excellent camera work, the games never have felt more vivid. ... Nothing comes close to the NFL on TV" (Minneapolis STAR TRIBUNE, 1/16).
KEEPING TEBOW-MANIA IN CHECK: In Tampa, Tom Jones writes CBS' Jim Nantz and Phil Simms were the "best announcing team" this weekend for their call of the Broncos-Patriots game, and "what made them so good" was while "most of the country focused on Tim Tebow mania, Nantz and Simms simply went out and called a football game." Jones: "They spent most of the night talking about Patriots quarterback Tom Brady. That was the right call. After all, Brady was the story of the game" (TAMPA BAY TIMES, 1/16). In Denver, Dusty Saunders wrote under the header, "CBS Solid On Broncos-Patriots Despite Total Lack Of Drama." Neither Nantz nor Simms "got involved in major early Tebow hoopla, mainly because there wasn't much." Nantz showed that he remains one of the NFL's "better play-by-play men and an entertaining conversationalist." Meanwhile, the net's production team "was on target with live and replay coverage" (DENVER POST, 1/15). Meanwhile, 3 Wire Sports’ Alan Abrahamson said, “Even with a loss, Tebow-mania is going to continue not just unabated, it is only going to ratchet up … because Tebow-mania is here to stay.” NBC News' Mark Potter said Tebow-mania has been a “huge bonanza for the NFL and the TV networks, drawing record audiences even though Tebow game stats were not always great” ("Today," NBC, 1/15).
OTHER WEEKEND HIGHLIGHTS: In Baltimore, David Zurawik writes CBS' coverage of Texans-Ravens "wasn't too bad," and the broadcasting crew "clearly raised its game to a new level for the playoffs." While announcers Greg Gumbel and Dan Dierdorf began the game with a "higher energy level than usual," the praise is for the "production and direction of the coverage." There were "extra angles in replay from which to judge." Meanwhile, at the end of the game "when it was still up for grabs, Dierdorf sounded like the Sominex had started to kick in." Zurawik: "I wish someone would tell him viewers deserve the same kind of full-game effort from the guys in the booth. The NFL announcing job isn't a scholarship for life" (Baltimore SUN, 1/16). In N.Y., Bob Raissman writes while Fox' Troy Aikman mentioned Aaron Rodgers "had not played since Christmas Day, he did not make excuses for the Packer QB" in the team's loss. Aikman actually was "tough on Rodgers." Meanwhile, Aikman and Fox' Joe Buck "briefly touched on the tragic death of offensive coordinator Joe Philbin's son, but spent more time trying to assess the overall mood of the Packers going into the game" (N.Y. DAILY NEWS, 1/16). The TAMPA BAY TIMES' Jones writes it is "stunning how much of a drop-off there is" between the Buck-Aikman broadcasting duo and Fox' No. 2 team of Kenny Albert, Daryl Johnston and Tony Siragusa that called Saturday's Saints-49ers game. Albert is "first-rate, but Johnston and Siragusa are masters of the obvious as well as hyperbole." Jones: "Everything is 'tremendous' and 'incredible' and 'unbelievable,' and rarely do they tell viewers something they don't already know or can't see for themselves" (TAMPA BAY TIMES, 1/16). In N.Y., Phil Mushnick asks, "Why can't FOX ... insist Johnston give fewer, shorter speeches?" Mushnick: "Try as Johnston did, he couldn't kill a good game" (N.Y. POST, 1/16).
TEBOW WANTED FOR CBS' STUDIO: USA TODAY's Michael Hiestand reports CBS wants Tebow "to sit in as a guest analyst in its NFL studio Sunday" for the AFC Championship game. The net "expects an answer by midweek." Tebow's reps "might want to consider how such a cameo in CBS' studio can let a player send a message." Hiestand: "Just replay a tape of the resolutely penitent Detriot Lion Ndamukong Suh on Sunday." Suh appeared on CBS' studio set and "flatly admitted to making a mistake in the Thanksgiving game" when he stomped on Packers G Evan Dietrich-Smith. CBS' questions toward Suh "initially seemed soft," but Boomer Esiason "was less timid in describing the stomping as a 'fiasco'" (USA TODAY, 1/16). The Baltimore SUN's Zurawik asks, "What did they bring him on for in Sunday's pre-game show? So that he could deliver self-serving, public-relations-coached spin-talk about his 'growth' as a 'young man,' I guess" (Baltimore SUN, 1/16). But the TAMPA BAY TIMES' Jones writes CBS deserves "praise ... for how it questioned" Suh." Jones: "The CBS guys asked the questions with a respectful yet no-nonsense tone. And to his credit, Suh answered the questions. In the end, everyone came out looking good" (TAMPA BAY TIMES, 1/16).
HE WENT TO JARED: During CBS’ “Subway Postgame Show” yesterday, Subway spokesperson Jared Fogle appeared in-studio and presented two new Subway subs with only “seven grams of fat.” He said to CBS' James Brown, "I know you’re always talking about your New Year’s resolution.” Brown: “It might work for me then.” Suh, a Subway endorser, said '12 is a "big year for us athletes." Suh: "Obviously myself, just finished my year, getting ready for next year. Obviously, Justin Tuck with the Giants and him having a big game coming up, and Michael Phelps with the Olympics. It’s a big year for us and we’re definitely, as famous fans, getting ready with Subway.” Tuck and Phelps also are Subway endorsers (“Subway Postgame Show,” CBS, 1/15). In Houston, David Barron wrote the most "worthless two minutes ... was CBS' two minutes devoted to postgame sponsor Subway and its mouthpiece, Jared Fogle, in the studio yammering about this sandwich and that sandwich and the panelists weighing in on their favorites." Barron: "I don't know about you, but I'm not going to Subway for at least another month now" (CHRON.com, 1/15). The N.Y. POST's Mushnick asked whether Suh was picked by CBS as its in-studio guest "for any reason other than Subway is a primary studio show sponsor?" (N.Y. POST, 1/16).
TAKING A LOOK AT THE MIRROR: The N.Y. DAILY NEWS' Raissman wrote there is "no more entertaining NFL TV studio show segment than Phil Simms' 'Sick and Tired' sessions on Showtime's 'Inside the NFL.'" Simms last week said he was "sick and tired of announcers who talk too much." Raissman: "Just when it appeared Simms was confining his remarks to the Jim Nantzs of the world, he threw viewers a wicked breaking curve." Simms said, "That's right, I'm sick and tired of myself. I hate myself. Let's just watch the game. Shutup. Shutup, so you can watch it" (N.Y. DAILY NEWS, 1/15).
