A review of the articles on this website from January 19 to January 25.
Monday
- Overnight ratings drop for the NFL Conference Championships. The Steelers’ win over the Ravens in the AFC title game draws a 23.8, off 13% from Chargers/Patriots in ’08. The NFC title game sees a bigger drop, as the 24.0 overnight for the Cardinals’ win over the Eagles is off 24% from a 31.7 for Giants/Packers last year.
- ESPN cancels MLS Primetime Thursday, choosing instead to air MLS telecasts on various days during the week.
- NHL ratings are rising both locally and nationally.
Tuesday
- ESPN adds Steve Phillips to the booth for its Sunday Night Baseball telecasts.
- Overnight ratings for NBC’s first post-Winter Classic NHL broadcast are flat from last year.
Wednesday
- Final ratings for the NFL’s Conference Championship games: the Ravens/Steelers AFC title game draws a 22.0, down 14%. Meanwhile, the Eagles/Cardinals NFC title game draws a 21.9, down 25%. Overall, ratings for the NFL’s Conference Championship games were down 20% from last year.
- TNT draws 3.7 million viewers for its Cavaliers/Lakers showdown on Martin Luther King Day, the most viewers for a regular season NBA game on cable since 2004. Overall, TNT draws 2.2 million viewers for MLK Day NBA coverage, up 76% from ’08.
Thursday
- NBC adds Tony Dungy and Mike Holmgren to its Super Bowl XLIII pre-game show, bringing the network’s number of pregame analysts to a whopping ten.
- Misc. items: Notes on ESPN and NFL Network Super Bowl XLIII coverage, and a new feature on SportsCenter.
Friday
- Ad nauseum: the NBA reverses a ban on courtside hard liquor ads in an effort to boost revenue. Meanwhile, the NFL is expected to announce a sponsorship deal with ad giant Procter & Gamble.
- NBC drew a 1.0 final rating for Rangers/Penguins last Sunday, up 25% from last year. Including the Winter Classic, NBC is averaging a 1.8 for NHL games this season, up 20%.
- Big names: Sean Salisbury returns to radio, Michael Irvin gets a reality show and Mike Massaro moves to NASCAR Now.
Saturday
- Kay Yow (1942-2009).
- Ratings predictions for events on the ice and the hardwood.
