Jack McCoy had a much better night than Oklahoma and West Virginia.
The season premiere of Law & Order, along with Deal or No Deal and Supernanny, helped put a dent into the ratings of the Fiesta Bowl on FOX. So did the play of the Oklahoma Sooners, who were blown out by West Virginia.
The Fiesta Bowl averaged 11.5 million viewers in prime time, according to preliminary numbers, down 16% from the 13.7 million viewers last year’s Fiesta Bowl averaged. Keep in mind that last year’s Fiesta Bowl aired on New Year’s Day. The game averaged a 4.4 rating among adults 18-49, down 10% from ’07.
FOX won the night in the key adults 18-49 demographic, though NBC won the night among total viewers, with 13.4 million viewers for a two-hour Law & Order and 12.2 million for Deal or No Deal.
Compared to the game on the comparable night last year, the Fiesta Bowl fared much better. The 11.7 million viewers marks a 19% increase over last year’s Orange Bowl, which was the lowest rated BCS game ever.
