A review of the articles on this website from March 23 to March 29.
Monday
- Overnight ratings for the first two rounds of the NCAA Tournament are up 6% from ’08, led by an 8.1 for Louisville’s second-round win over Siena.
- Opposite the NCAA Tournament, ABC draws the second-lowest overnight ever for an NBA game on broadcast.
- Notes on the 2009 NFL schedule: NBC will open the season with Titans/Steelers on Thursday, September 10. Meanwhile, ESPN will start its Monday Night Football campaign with one of its favorite targets, Terrell Owens. And finally, Thanksgiving Day will once again feature the Detroit Lions.
Tuesday
- NASCAR sees yet another double-digit drop in overnight ratings.
- A roundup of overnight ratings for the weekend’s sporting events on broadcast.
Wednesday
- The NFL extends its deal with DirecTV for the NFL Sunday Ticket package. One interesting wrinkle: the Red Zone Channel will now be made available to cable operators, potentially providing the NFL a bargaining chip in negotiations for the NFL Network.
- People to know: MSNBC’s Keith Olbermann starts up a blog on MLB.com, MLB Hall-of-Famer Dave Winfield is in talks with ESPN, and Charles Barkley gives new meaning to the term bathroom break on NBA TV.
- Longtime Detroit Tigers broadcaster George Kell passes away at 86.
- MLB Network releases its early season schedule, with eight games featuring sixteen different teams.
Thursday
- Ratings for the NCAA Tournament Sweet Sixteen since 2002.
- The World Baseball Classic sees double-digit increases in ratings and viewership from the ’06 edition.
Friday
- Articles to read: one piece examines why some athletes lose their fortunes, another discusses the exploitation of a 12-year-old basketball star, and a third takes on the arguments of those who prefer college basketball to the pros.
- Duke helps drive up the ratings for Thursday night’s Sweet Sixteen action on CBS.
- NASCAR draws its lowest rating of the season opposite the NCAA Tournament.
Saturday
- For the third straight week, ABC sees a double-digit decline in ratings for NBA action.
- The NHL draws a consistent, but very small audience on NBC.
- CBS wins Friday night in prime time on the strength of the NCAA Tournament; overnight ratings for Friday’s Sweet Sixteen action are up 20% from ’08.
- Ratings for the NCAA Tournament Elite Eight since 1999.
- Ratings predictions for another college basketball dominated weekend.
Sunday
- CBS wins Saturday night in prime time thanks to Villanova/Pittsburgh, while NBC finishes dead last among the four broadcast networks with its coverage of hte World Figure Skating Championships.
