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| Thursday, November 7 Networks see 9 percent increase from '01 Associated Press |
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NEW YORK -- The highest scoring in 35 years. More overtime games. A new team in a big market.
Whatever the reason, the NFL is a TV hit halfway through the season.
The league's games are drawing an average of 14.1 million people per telecast, 9 percent higher than in 2001 and 2 percent higher than two years ago.
And the networks with NFL deals are sharing the rewards. ABC, Fox, CBS and ESPN all have increases in viewership, which eventually should translate into more advertising dollars.
"The final chapter hasn't been written, and we're not celebrating yet,'' Fox Sports president Ed Goren said Thursday. "Still, it's been a great nine weeks so far.''
The jump for the NFL comes in a year that major league baseball had its lowest-rated World Series, following regular-season numbers even with last year's.
Nielsen Media Research only measures what people watch, not why, so it's tough to know the causes of ups and downs.
But John Madden, the announcer whose move from Fox to "Monday Night Football'' gets some credit for ABC's ratings rise, offers a simple take: unpredictable outcomes on the field.
"'NFL' sometimes stands for 'Never Figure League,''' Madden said. "What you think will happen doesn't.''
Now perhaps more than ever, there is a sense that any team can win any game. That gives fans -- and bettors -- hope week after week, and draws them to watch games.
That's what the networks were hoping for when they agreed to pay a total of $17.6 billion from 1998-05. Fox and CBS get regular-season games primarily on Sunday afternoons, ESPN has Sunday night games, and ABC has "Monday Night Football.''
They have had varying increases, when compared to last season through Week 9: ABC's ratings went from 11.2 to 11.5 (2.7 percent); Fox's went from 9.7 to 10.2 (5.2 percent); CBS's went from 8.9 to 9.3 (4.5 percent); and ESPN's from 5.8 to 7.3 (25.9 percent).
Ratings are the percentage of all homes with televisions, whether or not they are in use. For ABC, Fox and CBS, each rating point represents a little more than 1.06 million TV homes. For ESPN, each point translates to 870,000.
More good news for the league and networks: Ratings among men aged 18-34 are up 19 percent from 2001, 8 percent from 2000.
Football ratings were down last year because of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, TV sports consultant Neal Pilson said.
Still, as CBS Sports president Sean McManus put it: "Any time ratings are up, it's a victory.''
Four of the top 13 TV shows, when ranked by total viewers, are NFL games.
"The ratings reflect great interest across America in exciting, unpredictable football with lots of talent -- both veterans and newcomers -- in every game,'' NFL commissioner Paul Tagliabue said.
What might be producing that interest? Some theories:
Right now, anyone seems to be able to beat -- or lose -- to anyone.
The St. Louis Rams, many pundits' pick to win the Super Bowl, started 0-5, then won three straight games. The Oakland Raiders started 4-0, then lost four in a row.
"'Parity' is a word that's been misunderstood and misinterpreted,'' said Al Michaels, Madden's partner on "Monday Night Football,'' which airs for the 500th time next week. "People think it means everyone is 8-8. What 'parity' really has become, because of free agency and some other things, is that you can finish 4-12 one year and 12-4 the next year.''
McManus pointed to another possible explanation, one that might not sit too well with baseball commissioner Bud Selig.
"Part of the disillusionment that people have with baseball is also a factor,'' said McManus, whose network doesn't air major league games.
"People were tired of reading about the potential strike the entire summer and couldn't wait for football.''
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