When the final horn sounded and the Philadelphia Eagles celebrated on U.S. Bank Stadium’s field in Minnesota, NBC Sports Philadelphia had to wait at least 15 minutes before it had the rights to start its own postgame show. By NFL rule, the RSN could not begin its Super Bowl postgame coverage until after the trophy presentation, which was carried live on its parent network, NBC.
For those 15 or so minutes, anybody tuning into the RSN saw a screen that said, simply, “Congratulations to your Philadelphia Eagles. Super Bowl LII Champions. Postgame Live Begins Immediately After the Trophy Presentation.” That screen — with only background music and images of falling confetti — pulled in a 1.5 rating.
“What a great testament to Eagles fans — they can’t get enough,” said Brian Monihan, NBC Sports Philadelphia president and general manager, a Philly native who has headed up the RSN for the past nine years.
When it finally got on air, the RSN’s postgame show pulled an absurdly high 5 rating. “And its re-airings at 3 a.m. were getting a 0.9 rating,” said Monihan, speaking just as the team’s Super Bowl parade was about to start.
Monihan said every part of his RSN will feel the effects of the Eagles’ Super Bowl win — from marketing to ratings to sponsors.
“A rising tide lifts all boats,” he said. “Earlier this year, we changed our marketing message to focus on authentic fans. This just helps to underscore that.”
— John Ourand
