Week in review.

A review of the articles on this website from December 29 to January 4.

Monday

Overnight ratings for Week 17: the Cowboys helped FOX to the highest rating of the weekend, the AFC East gave CBS solid numbers, and ratings dropped for NBC’s Broncos/Chargers blowout.
A look back at the year 2008 in the NHL, college football and the NBA.
The NFL will move the 2010 Pro Bowl to the week between the Conference Championships and the Super Bowl.

Tuesday

The 2010 Pro Bowl is not just switching dates, but networks as well. Even though the NFL television contract stipulates that the network televising the Super Bowl will air the Pro Bowl as well, ESPN will air the game instead of CBS (which has the rights to the 2010 Super Bowl).
Viewership is up by over 100% for the Poinsettia Bowl (5.1 million viewers, up 115%) and the Hawaii Bowl (4.4 million viewers, up 119%).
Overall, ESPN saw strong numbers for bowl games during Christmas week; viewership was up 51% for the Champs Sports Bowl, 40% for the Emerald Bowl, and 26% for the Meineke Car Care Bowl.
More of the year-in-review series: 2008 was a record setting year for Major League Baseball (in a bad way), a prosperous year for the NFL, and a bad economic year for NASCAR. Finally, the Worst of Sports Media 2008.

Wednesday

TNT NBA analyst Charles Barkley is arrested on suspicion of DUI.
NBC NHL play-by-play man Mike Emrick is sidelined by laryngitis the day before the NHL Winter Classic.
NBC Sunday Night Football ends the 2008 season up in ratings and viewership.
The end of the year-in-review series: MMA gets prime exposure on broadcast television, but for an organization that folds months later. Golf ratings get a huge bump from Tiger Woods early in the year, but tank when he gets injured. The Olympics give NBC the biggest success story of the year, and now all the other networks want in. But the story of the year is the effect of the economy on the sports world (and the readers agree, but only barely).
Finally, a look at the predictions made on this site at the start of 2008.

Thursday

Friday

NFL ratings: ratings for FOX are down during the ’08 season, but still the highest of the five NFL broadcasters. Meanwhile, ratings are down on CBS too, but the network draws its fourth-best ratings for NFL coverage since ’98.
The NHL Winter Classic draws a 2.9 overnight rating on NBC, up 12% from the ’08 game.
ABC sees its ratings increase for the Rose Bowl, while the Orange Bowl on FOX draws the lowest overnight ever for a BCS game.

Saturday

Wrapping up the NFL regular season ratings: a look back at how the five rightsholders performed in ’08, including ratings for every national game during the season. Then, a look at the ratings trend for the NFL on broadcast, dating back to 1995.
In Detroit, ratings for the Michigan State/Georgia Capital One Bowl outperformed the Red Wings/Blackhawks Winter Classic.
Ratings predictions for Wild Card Weekend.

Sunday

NBC sees its overnight ratings jump for Wild Card Saturday. Colts/Chargers draws an 18.3/30 overnight, the highest overnight rating for an NFL game on the network since ’06.