There "appears to be little concern" from the NFL that its ratings decline this season will "diminish the massive TV audience of more than 100 million viewers expected to watch" Fox' Super Bowl LI telecast, according to Stephen Battaglio of the L.A. TIMES. The Super Bowl "remains as much a pop culture event as it is a football game, which is expected to sustain viewer interest." Even if Sunday's audience declines from 111.9 million viewers for CBS' broadcast of Super Bowl 50 last year, it still will "tower over any other TV program this year." The Super Bowl has "set audience records four times" since '10. Super Bowl 50's audience "was a 2% decline" from Super Bowl XLIX in '15, but that number "still ranks as the third most-watched broadcast ever." Super Bowl 50 "towered over everything else that aired" in '16, as the second-place finisher was Game 7 of the Cubs-Indians World Series, "watched by 40.3 million viewers" (L.A. TIMES, 2/2). Fox Sports Exec VP/Research, League Operations & Strategy Mike Mulvihill said, “You come in with an expectation that we’re probably going to go north of 110 million. Just depends on the quality of the game, whether it’s going to be closer to 110 or closer to 115. If we had come in with Dallas-New England, Dallas-Pittsburgh, Green Bay-Pittsburgh, you probably would have come in with a little more confidence that we would set a new record. But I think we’re coming in feeling pretty good about getting over 110 million and if the game is close, I think we have a shot at a new record” ("Outkick the Coverage," Fox Sports Radio, 2/3).
JUST ANOTHER DAY AT THE OFFICE: Fox' Joe Buck said that his approach as play-by-play voice for the Super Bowl is to "treat it like any other game while trying to tuck the size of the audience into the back of his mind." Buck: "We have to treat this like a football game, not like we are refueling an F-18 in mid-air." He added, "You just have to almost convince yourself and remind yourself that it’s just another game" (BOSTON GLOBE, 2/3). In St. Louis, Dan Caesar writes the Super Bowl will "draw a lot of viewers who aren’t hard-core football fans, and Buck knows he has to balance appealing to those who know the teams inside and out with those with little -- or no -- such knowledge." Buck: "We could talk for three hours about [Patriots QB] Tom Brady, but we need to tell the [Patriots WR] Chris Hogan story, but Patriots fans have heard the story about Chris Hogan at Penn State playing lacrosse 5,000 times. But maybe the Atlanta fans haven’t and maybe the casual fans haven’t" (ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH, 2/3).
YOU ARE LOOKING LIVE: USA TODAY's Brent Schrotenboer noted Fox on Sunday will air "Undisputed" at noon ET in the lead-up to the game, giving the FS1 show a "big platform." This is "part of the strategy for FS1 -- to keep pushing the gap with ESPN, and sometimes draw from its talent and experience" (USA TODAY, 2/2). In Houston, David Barron noted Fox will air a feature during its Super Bowl coverage on the "scope of high school football in Texas." Interview subjects include Texas coach Tom Herman, Texas A&M coach Kevin Sumlin, Saints QB Drew Brees and Westlake (Austin) High School football coach Todd Dodge. Meanwhile, Cowboys Owner Jerry Jones also "makes an appearance for a tour of The Ford Center at the Star," the Cowboys' HQ that includes a football field used for Frisco Independent School District games (HOUSTON CHRONICLE, 2/2).
THE SIT DOWN: Fox News' Bill O'Reilly said of his pre-taped interview with President Trump that will air in pregame, "I would say it’s the most important interview of my life. There is so much happening and so much controversy and so many things in play. I need to get to the heart of the matter, and I will." O'Reilly interviewed President Obama for two Super Bowl pregame shows -- in '11 and '14 (VARIETY.com, 2/1).
