NBC drew a 49.7 overnight rating for the Patriots’ dramatic 28-24 win over the Seahawks in Super Bowl XLIX last night, marking the best overnight figure in the history of the game. The 49.7 is up 4% from a 47.6 overnight for the Seahawks’ 43-8 blowout over the Broncos last year. Patriots-Seahawks also is up 3% from a 48.1 for Ravens-49ers in ’13. The game peaked at a 53.5 rating from 9:45-10:00pm ET, when the Patriots scored the go-ahead touchdown and the Seahawks mounted a final drive. Boston led all markets last night with a 61.0 local rating. New Orleans ranked No. 2 with a 55.7 and host-market Phoenix was No. 3 with a 55.6. Seattle-Tacoma finished outside the top 10 with a 52.1 local rating, down 8% from the market’s 56.7 rating last year (Austin Karp, Assistant Managing Editor).
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SUPER BOWL OVERNIGHT RATING TREND
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YEAR
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NETWORK
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MATCHUP
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OVERNIGHT
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'15
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NBC
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Patriots-Seahawks
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49.7
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'14
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Fox
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Seahawks-Broncos
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47.6
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'13
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CBS
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Ravens-49ers
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48.1
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'12
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NBC
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Giants-Patriots
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47.8
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'11
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Fox
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Packers-Steelers
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47.9
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'10
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CBS
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Saints-Colts
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46.4
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'09
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NBC
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Steelers-Cardinals
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42.1
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'08
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Fox
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Giants-Patriots
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44.7
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'07
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CBS
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Colts-Bears
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42.0
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'06
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ABC
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Steelers-Seahawks
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42.1
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'05
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Fox
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Patriots-Eagles
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43.4
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ENTERTAINMENT TONIGHT: The Super Bowl halftime show, which
featured a performance by Katy Perry, drew a 50.8 rating from 8:00-8:30pm, up from a 48.6 rating for Bruno Mars’ performance last year and up from a 48.2 for Beyonce in ’13. Following the game, NBC’s “The Blacklist” drew a 13.7 overnight from 10:45-11:45pm (
Karp).
PEACOCK PRAISED: On Long Island, Neil Best writes NBC "for the most part performed ably, led by the veteran, self-assured" Al Michaels, analyst Cris Collinsworth and "the rest of the top-notch Sunday Night Football crew." Collinsworth's "finest moment came late in the first half," when he suggested the Seahawks consider throwing to WR Chris Matthews in the end zone, which the team did. There was "no hesitation on NBC's part in discussing DeflateGate before, during and after the game, nearly to the point of overkill." Michaels and Collinsworth "still were talking about it as the Patriots drove for the winning touchdown" (NEWSDAY, 2/2). In California, Michael Hewitt writes Patriots CB Malcolm Butler’s game-winning, goal-line interception and Seahawks WR Jermaine Kearse’s improbable catch seconds earlier were both "perfectly captured by NBC’s cameras, allowing us to drop our jaws again and again with the replays" (ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER, 2/2). SI.com's Richard Deitsch writes NBC "did superbly in the final minutes." Michaels and Collinsworth "initially missed the Kearse catch, but the booth and broadcast truck were in sync after that." The shots on the field "provided viewers with narrative, and replays offered clear and defining views." Michaels and Collinsworth "were also very strong on Seattle’s decision to pass at the end of the game." Deitsch: "This broadcast was solid, with a grade between A- and B+" (SI.com, 2/2). In N.Y., Phil Mushnick writes the game "mostly made for good TV." NBC "kept our screens clean, our eyes on the field -- often because it had no choice" (N.Y. POST, 2/2). In Albany, Pete Dougherty writes the Super Bowl telecast "felt like a regular-season Sunday night game, and that's high praise." Michaels and Collinsworth "didn't overshadow the game" and "were at their best in the end" (Albany TIMES UNION, 2/2). In Denver, Dusty Saunders asks, "Can you name a better booth team than Al Michaels and Collinsworth? Or a better production unit headed by director Drew Esocoff and producer Fred Gaudelli?" (DENVER POST, 2/2).
DYNAMIC DUO: USA TODAY's David Leon Moore writes Collinsworth "proved once again" that he is "not one to pull punches." Immediately after Butler's interception, Collinsworth "went strong after the Seattle coaching staff responsible for the play call." Collinsworth "was all over the matchups that mattered most," including Patriots QB Tom Brady and his receivers against the Seahawks' secondary. He "dissected the mismatch" of Seahawks LB K.J. Wright trying to cover Patriots TE Rob Gronkowski, "calling it 'an easy read' for Brady and something that 'won't work' for the Seahawks." Not long after that, with the first half nearing its conclusion, Collinsworth mentioned Matthews, "who didn't catch a pass during the regular season, as a potential red zone target." Seahawks QB Russell Wilson on the next play "hit Matthews for a touchdown pass" (USA TODAY, 2/2). In Akron, George Thomas writes Michaels and Collinsworth "captured the moment of play-calling ridiculousness perfectly" at the end of the game. Those moments "turned what had been an almost pedestrian broadcast into one that will have memorable moments and calls that will echo throughout Super Bowl history" (AKRON BEACON JOURNAL, 2/2). In Chicago, Ed Sherman writes Michaels "knows how to drive the telecast in the big game." He "is a pro who hits all the right notes." Collinsworth also "lived up to his status as the NFL's most blunt TV analyst by being incredulous about the Seahawks' fatal interception at the end of the game" (CHICAGO TRIBUNE, 2/2). In Tampa, Tom Jones writes Michaels "was his usual understated self, refusing to get carried away with routine plays simply because it was the Super Bowl." Collinsworth also "was his usual self, turning countless hours of watching tape into easy-to-digest analysis." He "was at his best at the game's end when he questioned Seattle's bizarre choice to throw instead of run on the play that led to the interception that sealed the Patriots' win" (TAMPA BAY TIMES, 2/2).
BRINGING HIS "A" GAME: In Buffalo, Alan Pergament writes Collinsworth was both "informative" and "interesting." He put the Patriots' victory "in perspective after the controversy surrounding pressure in footballs." Best of all, he "was critical when warranted" (BUFFALO NEWS, 2/2). In L.A., Tom Hoffarth writes Collinsworth in questioning the Seahawks' decision to throw from the 1-yard line "did what he was paid to do, with candor that his predecessor, John Madden, would have probably had a tougher time finding the right words to piece together" (L.A. DAILY NEWS, 2/2). In Miami, Barry Jackson wrote Collinsworth was "sharp throughout" last night's game. He explained early on "why a five-yard running-into-the-kicker penalty should have been a 15-yard roughing-the-kicker penalty." He also was "masterful dissecting the matchup of the Patriots’ passing game against Seattle’s defense" (MIAMIHERALD.com, 2/1). In Dallas, Barry Horn notes Collinsworth "nailed the game officials after the first penalty flag was thrown." They called Seahawks S Jeron Johnson "for running into the kicker, a 5-yard penalty, on a fourth-and-6 punt." Collinsworth "maintained that if the defender runs into the punter’s plant foot, as the replay clearly showed, it is automatically a roughing the kicker penalty" (DALLAS MORNING NEWS, 2/2). The MMQB's Peter King writes he liked Collinsworth pointing out that Seahawks CB Jeremy Lane's first-quarter interception "could have been the best thing to happen" to the Patriots. The play "ended with Lane getting knocked out of the game with a wrist injury and forced Tharold Simon to play too much." The Pats "picked on him a lot" (MMQB.SI.com, 2/2).
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Baldwin's touchdown celebration was not seen by
NBC viewers
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PARTY POOPERS: SI.com's Deitsch writes NBC "did not show" Seahawks WR Doug Baldwin’s touchdown celebration, which "involved him squatting over the football as if he were sitting on a toilet." Deitsch: "I thought that was a weak decision. NBC’s job is to chronicle the game and not play the morality police." However, NBC "felt the celebration was inappropriate." Gaudelli said shortly after the game, "We showed the play-action fake of Wilson and how [Patriots CB] Darrelle Revis was picked by the umpire. I think in commercial I was looking at the celebration by Baldwin and I was like, 'Forget that. I’m not showing that'" (SI.com, 2/2). NEWSDAY's Best writes "one major annoyance" during last night's broadcast was NBC "cutting too quickly from post-touchdown moments, such as leaving Rob Gronkowski just as he was winding up for one of his trademark spikes." Even worse was leaving Baldwin "as he appeared to mime pulling down his pants to begin an action that drew a penalty but never was shown in its entirety or discussed by the announcers" (NEWSDAY, 2/2). The N.Y. POST's Mushnick writes Michaels and Collinsworth "went into see-no-evil pander mode" after Baldwin, "though penalized for unsportsmanlike conduct after a celebration fit for the bathroom following a third-quarter TD catch, still stood on the sidelines posing and preening" (N.Y. POST, 2/2).
FIRST TIME FOR EVERYTHING: NBC's Dan Patrick handled the postgame trophy ceremony and interviewed several Patriots players, including TE Rob Gronkowski. However, Patrick apparently forgot that this was Gronkowski's first Super Bowl win. Bleacher Report’s Dan Levy wrote on Twitter, “Dan Patrick has a tough job. He forgot Gronk hasn't won a title. Feel bad for that. It's hard to come up with questions on the fly.” Grantland’s Bill Barnwell asked, “Does Dan Patrick realize Gronk hasn’t won the Super Bowl before?” WFTL-AM’s Sid Rosenberg: “Dan Patrick has to know that Gronk wasn't there a decade ago. He said it twice. That's awful Dan.” SNY’s Chris Carlin: “Um, not the best moment for Dan Patrick. Ouch” (TWITTER.com, 2/1). Patrick this morning said, “I recycled the questions and Gronk stung me right between the eyes. … You have to plow ahead. Let it hang there, like Brady throwing an interception. Give me the ball back. Let me ask another question” (“The Dan Patrick Show,” 2/2).
TEASE THE RAINBOW: USA TODAY's Moore notes NBC just prior to kickoff showed Seahawks RB Marshawn Lynch as he "reached into a plastic container for a few of his beloved Skittles." Moore: "This is what you get when you have extra cameras for the Super Bowl" (USA TODAY, 2/2). The BUFFALO NEWS' Pergament wrote Skittles had the "best product placement" when NBC's cameras "caught Lynch eating" the candy before kickoff (BUFFALO NEWS, 2/2).
