Ratings up 18 percent for pre-'MNF' chatter
For once it’s the action off the field rather than on it that’s got football fans talking. And no show has benefited more from NFL players’ bozo behavior than ESPN’s “Monday Night Countdown,” the 90-minute pre-show that leads up to ABC’s “Monday Night Football.”
From the Terrell Owens fiasco with the Eagles to the Minnesota Vikings’ so-called sex cruise, the NFL has provided plenty of topics for the “Countdown” crew to tackle. As a result, the 13-year-old show, which provides a recap of the week’s big stories and a preview of that night’s game, is having its best-ever season.
Through 11 weeks, “Countdown” has averaged 1.77 million households, up 18 percent over last year’s 1.51 million.
Last week’s episode, previewing the season’s highest-rated “MNF” game between the Pittsburgh Steelers and Indianapolis Colts, averaged the best audience in “Countdown” history, 2.35 million homes. That’s the fourth time this season that “Countdown” has surpassed its old series high of 1.83 million, set on Sept. 7, 1998.
Last week’s episode certainly did get some help from a bonehead off-the-field action by a former football player and current “Countdown” analyst, Michael Irvin, who had been arrested for possession of drug paraphernalia three days earlier. Many viewers no doubt tuned in to see if he would talk about the case, which he did not.
Meanwhile, the Owens case, when the Eagles suspended the wide receiver for conduct detrimental to the team and then successfully defended that suspension at a grievance hearing, received more play than any other “Countdown” story in months.
Irvin, a friend of Owens, became a part of the story by defending his buddy and also relaying some of Owens’ comments on the air.
Then there's the investigation of the Vikings for a team cruise where players allegedly paid for sex, along with the saga of Lions coach Steve Mariucci, who was fired last Monday after reports that his job was in trouble. And the return of Patriots linebacker Teddy Bruschi, who suffered a stroke shortly after last year’s Super Bowl, also received a lot of “Countdown” attention.
Of course one on-field story has also drawn more viewers: the Indianapolis Colts’ undefeated record. They’re attempting to become only the second squad in NFL history to go unbeaten.
Meanwhile, in sports ratings for the week ended Nov. 27, Fox’s late NFL games were the top-rated event of the week, averaging a 15.3 household rating and 27 share, the network’s best showing in that slot since 2002.
That eased the sting of a dismal Thanksgiving game between the Atlanta Falcons and the Detroit Lions, which drew the lowest turkey day rating ever for the network, an 11.0. CBS had no such problems on Thanksgiving, delivering its best rating in six years, a 13.3, for the Dallas Cowboys-Denver Broncos game.
Apparently people were more in the mood for football than golf over the weekend. ABC’s Skins Game coverage on Saturday and Sunday averaged a 2.3, the lowest rating ever for the event.
http://medialifemagazine.com/artman/publish/article_1617.asp
For once it’s the action off the field rather than on it that’s got football fans talking. And no show has benefited more from NFL players’ bozo behavior than ESPN’s “Monday Night Countdown,” the 90-minute pre-show that leads up to ABC’s “Monday Night Football.”
From the Terrell Owens fiasco with the Eagles to the Minnesota Vikings’ so-called sex cruise, the NFL has provided plenty of topics for the “Countdown” crew to tackle. As a result, the 13-year-old show, which provides a recap of the week’s big stories and a preview of that night’s game, is having its best-ever season.
Through 11 weeks, “Countdown” has averaged 1.77 million households, up 18 percent over last year’s 1.51 million.
Last week’s episode, previewing the season’s highest-rated “MNF” game between the Pittsburgh Steelers and Indianapolis Colts, averaged the best audience in “Countdown” history, 2.35 million homes. That’s the fourth time this season that “Countdown” has surpassed its old series high of 1.83 million, set on Sept. 7, 1998.
Last week’s episode certainly did get some help from a bonehead off-the-field action by a former football player and current “Countdown” analyst, Michael Irvin, who had been arrested for possession of drug paraphernalia three days earlier. Many viewers no doubt tuned in to see if he would talk about the case, which he did not.
Meanwhile, the Owens case, when the Eagles suspended the wide receiver for conduct detrimental to the team and then successfully defended that suspension at a grievance hearing, received more play than any other “Countdown” story in months.
Irvin, a friend of Owens, became a part of the story by defending his buddy and also relaying some of Owens’ comments on the air.
Then there's the investigation of the Vikings for a team cruise where players allegedly paid for sex, along with the saga of Lions coach Steve Mariucci, who was fired last Monday after reports that his job was in trouble. And the return of Patriots linebacker Teddy Bruschi, who suffered a stroke shortly after last year’s Super Bowl, also received a lot of “Countdown” attention.
Of course one on-field story has also drawn more viewers: the Indianapolis Colts’ undefeated record. They’re attempting to become only the second squad in NFL history to go unbeaten.
Meanwhile, in sports ratings for the week ended Nov. 27, Fox’s late NFL games were the top-rated event of the week, averaging a 15.3 household rating and 27 share, the network’s best showing in that slot since 2002.
That eased the sting of a dismal Thanksgiving game between the Atlanta Falcons and the Detroit Lions, which drew the lowest turkey day rating ever for the network, an 11.0. CBS had no such problems on Thanksgiving, delivering its best rating in six years, a 13.3, for the Dallas Cowboys-Denver Broncos game.
Apparently people were more in the mood for football than golf over the weekend. ABC’s Skins Game coverage on Saturday and Sunday averaged a 2.3, the lowest rating ever for the event.
http://medialifemagazine.com/artman/publish/article_1617.asp
