First, the results of last week’s predictions.
| Sport | Game/Event | Net |
Prediction
|
Rating
|
|---|---|---|---|---|
| NFL | Cardinals/Saints | FOX |
15.6
|
16.1
|
| The Saints’ blowout of the Cardinals last Saturday drew a 16.1 final rating on FOX, up 5% from a 15.4 for Ravens/Titans on CBS last year. | ||||
| NFL | Ravens/Colts | CBS |
17.3
|
17.0
|
| The 17.0 final rating for last Saturday’s Ravens/Colts game on CBS marks a 23% jump from Cardinals/Panthers on FOX last year (13.8). | ||||
| NFL | Cowboys/Vikings | FOX |
21.5
|
22.0
|
| The Vikings’ destruction of the Cowboys last Sunday drew a 22.0 final rating on FOX, up 18% from Eagles/Giants last year (18.7), and the highest rating for the early Sunday Divisional Round game since at least ’99. | ||||
| NFL | Jets/Chargers | CBS |
20.0
|
20.1
|
| Last Sunday’s Jets/Chargers game drew a 20.1 final rating on CBS, up 3% from a 19.6 for Chargers/Steelers last year. | ||||
| NCAA Basketball (W) | Notre Dame/Connecticut | ESPN |
0.9
|
—
|
| Ratings were not immediately available for last Saturday’s Notre Dame/Connecticut game on ESPN. | ||||
| NCAA Basketball (M) | Illinois/Michigan St. (Sat) | CBS |
0.7
|
0.6
|
| Connecticut/Michigan (Sun) |
0.6
|
0.6
|
||
| Both of CBS’ college basketball games drew the same 0.6 rating. However, the Saturday game was down 54% while the Sunday game was up 20%. | ||||
| NHL | Blackhawks/Red Wings | NBC |
0.9
|
0.7
|
| Last Sunday’s Blackhawks/Red Wings game drew just a 0.7 final rating on NBC, off 30% from Rangers/Penguins last year (1.0). | ||||
| NBA | Jazz/Nuggets | ESPN |
1.0
|
—
|
| Ratings were not immediately available for last Sunday’s Jazz/Nuggets game on ESPN. | ||||
This week’s predictions:
| Sport | Game/Event | Date/Time | Net | Prediction |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| NFL | Vikings/Saints | 6:40 PM Sunday | FOX |
26.1
|
| The last time Brett Favre played for the NFC Championship, the game drew a 29.0 rating — the highest for any non-Super Bowl NFL game during the 2000s. Of course, that game featured Favre’s Packers against the Giants, pitting one of the storied franchises in sports against a team from the #1 market. Though neither the Vikings nor the Saints have that kind of built-in drawing power, the rising tide of NFL ratings — and Favre’s individual appeal — should result in another strong number. Last year’s Eagles/Cardinals game drew a 21.9. | ||||
| NFL | Jets/Colts | 3 PM Sunday | CBS |
24.9
|
| This rematch of Super Bowl III features one of the biggest names in all of sports (the Colts’ Peyton Manning) taking on the #1 market Jets. Expect a big increase in ratings over last year’s comparable Ravens/Steelers AFC title game (22.0). | ||||
| NHL | Penguins/Flyers | 12:30 PM Sunday | NBC |
0.8
|
| After double-digit declines for its first two NHL telecasts, will NBC bounce back with this week’s Penguins/Flyers game? The network’s third NHL telecast last year (Red Wings/Penguins on February 8) drew a 0.9 rating. | ||||
| NCAA Basketball (M) | Texas/Connecticut | 4 PM Saturday | CBS |
1.3
|
| This matchup between traditional power Connecticut and #1 Texas should see a solid bump in ratings over last year’s comparable telecast (1.0). | ||||
| NCAA Basketball (M) | Duke/Clemson | 9 PM Saturday | ESPN |
1.0
|
| Expect decent numbers for this ACC battle. | ||||
| Figure Skating | U.S. Championships (Women’s Free Skate) | 9 PM Saturday | NBC |
3.4
|
| With the Winter Olympics approaching, look for NBC to draw good numbers for coverage of the U.S. Figure Skating Championships on Saturday night. Primetime coverage drew a 2.7 rating last year and a 3.3 in ’08. | ||||
Source: Sports Business Daily
