Re: ABC-TV's Super Bowl Nightmare

[Mark <bostonradio@yahoo.com>]

--- PublicRef2 <norwood@mln.lib.ma.us> wrote:
>
> For the network, it may end up being the lowest-rated Super Bowl since
> the big game's kickoff time moved to aproximately 6 P.M. (this year's
> kick-off, by the way, is scheduled for 6:18) some two decades back.
> 



> Why?
> 
> The (# 21st market) St. Louis Rams face the (# 30th market) Tennessee
> (Nashville) Titans!
> 
> ABC probably now wishes that the Rams hadn't left # 2 market Los Angeles
> and the Titans were still the # 10 market Houston Olers.
> 
> While in years past, Super Bowl ratings weren't really affected by
> market size (After all,. Green Bay is the smallest market to have a team
> in any of the four major professional sports), this year will probably
> be different. Green Bay had a long-term winning tradition. Neither
> Tennesssee nor St. Louis do. A couple of years hence, either team might
> have more of a national following.
> 
> For this reason, I think market size, for the first-time ever,
> will play into this year's Super Bowl ratings. ABC's best hope lies in an exciting
> game, but if the NFC championship game was any indication, the Mouse wil
> have to keep dreaming!
> 

NFL believes that parity is good, so it knows this kind
of match-ups can occur. Parity increases the chances of
different teams winning each year and, in theory, parity
creates uncertainty during the course of the year that
makes people want to tune in.

Last year, Elway, playing his final game, engineered a
first-half blowout that sent the fans packing early. 
It was actually the lowest-rated Super Bowl broadcast since 1990!
(SanFran clobbered the Broncos, 55-10). 

Since advertisers sign up for slots months before the playoffs
begin and they *do not* get refunds or make-goods if 
the game turns out to be a dud, they definitely
prefer teams from big markets such as New York, Dallas, Miami
which often have big-name players/coaches. Incidentally,
the 30-second ad will cost around $2.2 million this year.

In the end, it's the game itself that drives the ratings,
not the market sizes. 

This season, ratings for the regular season were down
significantly, especially for ABC, which was stuck with another
lousy Monday night schedule filled with unattractive matchups and
total blowouts. 

For next season, NFL and the networks(ABC,ESPN, CBS and Fox)
are coming up with a new, more flexible schedule in December(last
month of the regular season). Team pairings will be announced
before the season gets under way, but the actual start times
of the games in December won't be decided until three weeks
before the games. That will allow Fox, CBS, ABC and ESPN
to get and showcase the best national TV games possible.
The networks would take turns picking the games they want.
It's an idea that will make for a happier TV audience. 

>
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