Packers-Bears peaked from 11:15-11:30pm as the Packers completed their comeback to win 24-23GETTY IMAGES
Fox drew the highest overnight rating for the opening Sunday of the NFL season behind its national coverage of Cowboys-Panthers, while CBS saw a big jump ratings-wise for its single-header coverage. The Panthers' 16-8 win over the Cowboys earned a 15.7 rating in the late afternoon time slot. NBC's regular-season "SNF" debut with Bears-Packers topped primetime with a 14.4 overnight. Coverage peaked from 11:15-11:30pm ET as the Packers completed their dramatic comeback to win 24-23. Milwaukee was the top market for "SNF" with a 49.6 overnight, followed by Chicago at 35.3. Ratings from the Pittsburgh market were delayed and not included in the figures for either Fox or NBC. Meanwhile, CBS in a statement says the 10.6 overnight rating it earned yesterday is up 23% from last year and provided the net's best opening single-header in three years. The Steelers-Browns tie played a prominent role in CBS' spike -- Pittsburgh, which was included in CBS' figures, earned an afternoon high 42.3 local rating, while Cleveland ranked second with a 39.5. Last year's Week 1 ratings were significantly impacted by Hurricane Irma (Thomas Leary, Staff Writer).
PREGAME LACKING MEAT: In Baltimore, David Zurawik writes CBS' "The NFL Today" pregame show has "backslid into more jock-talk joking and self-congratulatory laughter" than in recent memory. There was a "total of 42 seconds" during the hour-long show given to the net's Jason La Canfora "to discuss the culture-wars issues of players kneeling during the national anthem and Colin Kaepernick’s deal with Nike and inability to find a roster spot in the NFL." The net did find time to show the five co-hosts "showing off their dance moves following a feature on end zone celebrations." Meanwhile, the net's halftime show was "just plain sloppy, especially for opening day" (BALTIMORE SUN, 9/10). In N.Y., Bob Raissman noted the league's TV partners "air nearly 20 hours of pregame shows" and wondered if any of them "asked the league permission to discuss" either the Kaepernick/Nike situation or the lack of an national anthem policy (N.Y. DAILY NEWS, 9/9). Meanwhile, THE ATHLETIC's Richard Deitsch writes while pregame shows have "far too much chucklehuttery for my taste," there is occasionally a "quality conversation in a segment." That was the case yesterday with CBS' coverage of Steelers RB Le'Veon Bell's holdout. It was a "smart, thoughtful and entertaining discussion" (THEATHLETIC.com, 9/10).
ANOTHER "HEIDI" MOMENT: Fox' broadcast of the marathon Titans-Dolphins game "appeared to cut out ... with just minutes to go" as the Titans trailed 27-17. Viewers were "treated to several minutes of the sitcom 'Rel' before the game broadcast momentarily resumed." It "didn't last, cutting out again with about a minute to go." The broadcast "resumed just in time for Titans fans to see their team fail to convert an onside kick after getting a field goal to cut the deficit to a touchdown" (TENNESSEAN.com, 9/9). Meanwhile, AWFUL ANNOUNCING's Matt Clapp noted after Fox returned from the second weather delay, it was "stuck with limited camera angles ... due to safety concerns with lightning in the area." The main live camera "looked like a high school football camera covering the entire game from the press box" (AWFULANNOUNCING.com, 9/9).
THE SUNDAY NIGHT BLUES: NBC Sports Exec Producer Fred Gaudelli said that the net's Green Zone is "here to stay this season" on "SNF" broadcasts. He said, "I don't see it as a distraction. I think people still need to get used to it. It is one of those things you don't notice unless you want to notice it" (THEATHLETIC.com, 9/10). But WEEI.com's Alex Reimer wrote NBC has taken an "unnecessary step" with the addition of the Green Zone to its broadcasts. It "doesn’t work for two reasons: we can all see how much distance teams must travel to get a first down without the aid of a green graphic, and ... the field is already green." He called the new technology a "monstrosity" (WEEI.RADIO.com, 9/7). Meanwhile, in Pittsburgh, Matt Rosenberg wrote under the header, "Carrie Underwood's New 'Sunday Night Football' Intro Falls Flat With Fans." This is the "third version" of the "SNF" intro and "each new one continues to draw the ire of fans" (TRIBLIVE.com, 9/9).
ROMO IN YEAR TWO: "NFL On CBS" Lead Producer Jim Rikhoff said that Tony Romo "will be even better" in his second year as the net's lead game analyst given he "felt comfortable with the mechanics of the job by last year’s postseason." THE ATHLETIC's Deitsch notes one thing Romo "plans to increase this year is his humor, and particularly not being afraid to show more of his personality." Viewers "saw that at the end of the first half" of Texans-Patriots yesterday, when Romo was "nearly bouncing off the screen following a Tom Brady read that resulted in a 4-yard touchdown pass." Romo said, “Happy Brady. Happy Tom. Happy Wife. Happy Life.” Deitsch: "It was hilarious hokey and good TV" (THEATHLETIC.com, 9/10).
SOMETHING FISHY: The WALL STREET JOURNAL's Grimaldi & Overberg noted "thousands of bogus, identically worded letters generated" on the NFL’s behalf were posted in '14 to the FCC’s website from "scores of 'fans'" urging the FCC not to drop the "Sports Blackout Rule." These supposed fans "opposed an FCC move to repeal the blackout rule." About 21,000 identical letters "went to the agency urging it to preserve the rule." Submitting fraudulent statements or representations to the federal government "is a felony." The NFL said it “engaged in transparent public advocacy efforts to seek support for preserving the FCC’s longstanding sports blackout rule” and the efforts “followed the playbook of other traditional advocacy campaigns.” The league added it had "every confidence that the letters were accurate and authentic" (WALL STREET JOURNAL, 9/8).
