Early Super Bowl numbers: Way up
Averages a 46.4 in metered-market households

By Toni Fitzgerald
MediaLife.com
Feb 8, 2010


It looks like CBS may have set the record for the most-watched Super Bowl ever, if early numbers are any indication.

The network's metered-market average for last night's Super Bowl soared over last year's. In fact, it was the best in 23 years.

CBS averaged a 46.4 household rating and 68 share from 6:45 p.m. to 9:30 p.m., according to Nielsen's metered-market numbers.

That was up 10 percent over last year's 42.1/65 for the Pittsburgh Steelers-Arizona Cardinals contest on NBC, which set a record with 98.7 million total viewers.

It was the best for any Super Bowl since CBS's coverage of the 1987 game between the New York Giants and Denver Broncos, which averaged a 47.8/68.

Media people had been anticipating that this game would set a record, thanks to huge year-to-year gains in NFL playoff ratings and high interest in this year's participants. The victorious New Orleans Saints hail from the region devastated by Hurricane Katrina four years ago, and the Indianapolis Colts have record-setting quarterback Peyton Manning.

But the weekend's snowstorm in the South and Mid-Atlantic may have boosted viewership further, keeping people indoors and eager for something to do.

Indeed, Washington, D.C., which received nearly two feet of snow, posted the second-highest Super Bowl household rating of any market, 56.0/73, despite not having a regional team in the game.

New Orleans ranked No. 1 with a 56.3/83. Indianapolis was fourth at 54.2/80.

CBS gets Super Bowl telecast mostly right
by William Houston
Truth & Rumours blog
February 7, 2010  
                                                      

   CBS’s Super Bowl coverage was much like the game itself: Well played, occasionally exciting and, except for an interception, largely error free.

   The telecast may have focused too much on Indianapolis Colts quarterback Peyton Manning, but he really was the story going into the game and for most of it, despite throwing an interception late and losing to the New Orleans Saints.

  The production: CBS’s 50 cameras were used effectively for the most part. Nothing was missed, although the overhead Cablecam was over-used.  It helped the telecast that CBS posts the time clock on the screen, allowing the viewer to see how close to the edge Manning was operating with the no-huddle offense.  In the fourth quarter, CBS’s replay cameras gave us a good look at the disputed two point conversation that was given to  the Saints in a review. The  fast SuperVision cameras didn’t bring anything exceptional to the telecast.

Announcer Jim Nantz: He delivered a solid, unobtrusive play by play that never got in the way of the action on the field. His call is clear and straight-forward. He was criticized, correctly, for doing a commercial earlier in the season with Manning. It left the impression that he’s a pal of Manning and may favour him in the game telecasts. Several times he referred to Manning as “Peyton,” although he never called Saints quarterback Drew Brees “Drew.” But Manning ranks among the few athletes whose first name is enough, like Kobe, A-Rod or LeBron.

   Nantz described most of the big moments well and with few words. When the Saints succeeded in their on-side kick, he said simply and accurately, “What a fearless way to start the second half.”

Phil Simms: He doesn’t criticize and rarely expresses an opinion, which makes his game analysis somewhat soft and uninteresting. When Colts receiver Pierre Garcon dropped a perfectly thrown ball in the second quarter, Simms didn’t attempt to discuss why or say something like, “You’ve got make those catches in the big games.” Nantz stepped in to say the dropped ball was a “momentum changer, perhaps.”

   Still, Simms’s strength is his analysis. He noted the Colts defense hadn’t faced a passing offense like the Saints’ for several weeks – the Jets and Ravens in the post-season didn’t pass much. He also got it right late in the first half when he predicted that New Orleans would go for the touchdown with fourth and one at the Saints one yard line. In advance of the Saints being stopped, he stated that going for the TD was the wrong decision, that  they should kick the field goal.

Studio analysts: Loud, irritating and often stupid.

Halftime show: No, you weren’t watching Saturday night entertainment at the home, but the Who is looking a little old. Still, Roger Daltrey’s voice is holding up pretty well. (He’s 65.) The show, featuring a medley of hits, wasn’t in the same league as Bruce Springteen and the E Street Band a year ago, but the Boss delivered the best the Super Bowl halftime entertainment ever.

The Burke story

It’s worth wondering what U.S. television will do with the death of Toronto Maple Leaf general manager Brian Burke’s son, Brendan, particularly during the Winter Olympics, when Burke will be front and centre as manager of the U.S. men’s hockey team.

   Who knows how mawkish this story might get. We saw a bit of it Sunday in Toronto where The Toronto Star headline read, “Leafs win one for Brendan,” and the headline on The Globe and Mail online edition read, “Leafs win one for Brian Burke.”

  The Star, by the way, posted the following when the news of Brendan’s death in an automobile accident broke: “Brendan Burke – the gay son of Leaf general manager Brian Burke – has been killed in a car accident in Indiana.” It was eventually changed to: “Brendan Burke – the youngest son of Leaf general manager Brian Burke – has been killed in a car accident in Indiana.”

  Unfortunately, this story is red meat for a tabloid producer. Just imagine the maudlin pieces that could surface during the Olympics: Burke wants to win one for son. Brian perseveres despite  family grief . The tragic story of Brendan and Brian, the son comes out at Thanksgiving, Brian supports him and then this.

   Let’s hope the Olympic networks show restraint.

■Couldn’t agree more with Hockey Night In Canada’s Don Cherry: Steve Stamkos deserves a spot on the Canadian Olympic team. Grapes pointed out that over the past 82 games, Alex Ovechkin leads in the NHL with 54 goals, followed by Sidney Crosby with 49. And in third place? Stamkos, with 47 goals. Canada, which always seems to struggle offensively in high level international events, could use his goal scoring.
■Hockey Night’s Mike Milbury had it right to rap Atlanta Trasher general manager Don Waddell for his handling of the Ilya Kovalchuk deal. How can you not allow an interested team access to Kovalchuk to see if he’ll sign long term? If an understanding had been reached, his value would have gone up.

Super Bowl XLIV Breaks Rating Records
courtesy NTS MediaOnLine.com
February 8th, 2010

Likely thanks to that snowstorm that kept even more folks than usual trapped inside with their TV’s, yesterday’s NFL Super Bowl game drew a reported 106.5 million viewers who watched the New Orleans Saints defeat the Indianapolis Colts 31-17.
CBS reports those numbers broke the previous television audience record of 105.9 million viewers who tuned in for the final episode of M.A.S.H. back in 1983. Along with a great football game, those 106 million people also saw the annual parade of highly anticipated Super Bowl commercials, including the Tim and Pam Tebow spot that caused so much pre-game controversy.
As Focus On The Family President/CEO Jim Daly told NTS MediaOnline Weekly last Friday (2/5), most viewers were probably surprised by the FOTF-sponsored ad, mostly for what it didn’t say vs. what it did say.
In fact, the Tebow ad currently has amongst the highest “power rating” scores of all the Super Bowl ads being rated on this day-after-the-big-game at Hulu.com’s AdZone 2010.

In his on-line column today (Tuesday) Wm. Houston reports that in Canada, the telecast on CTV drew 6.025 million viewers, making it the most watched Super Bowl ever in Canada. French language RDS had an audience of 650,000 for a total Canadian viewership of 6.7 million.

  CTV also announced Monday that it has extended its NFL rights agreement  four more years.