Wednesday’s Sports Media Notebook — 01/14/2015

We have quite a few things for you today. Let’s get to things without further delay.

NEWS

The National Football League has reason to smile after seeing the numbers for Divisional Weekend. After seeing lower ratings and viewership for Wild Card Weekend, the NFL saw significantly higher numbers this past weekend thanks to having glamor teams such as Dallas, Denver, Green Bay and New England in this round.

The NFL says Divisional Playoff Weekend was the most-watched ever. We have the press release for you.

‘14 DIVISIONAL PLAYOFFS MOST-WATCHED EVER

AVERAGE OF 37.8 MILLION VIEWERS TUNED IN
COWBOYS-PACKERS ON FOX SECOND MOST-WATCHED 
DIVISIONAL GAME EVER
COLTS-BRONCOS ON CBS SECOND MOST-WATCHED 
AFC DIVISIONAL EVER

 An average of 37.8 million viewers watched the four Divisional Playoff games last weekend, making it the most-watched NFL Divisional Weekend ever, topping the previous record (36.6 million, 2011).

Sunday afternoon’s Dallas Cowboys-Green Bay Packers matchup on FOX averaged 44.4 million viewers to rank as the second most-watched Divisional game on record (New York Giants-Green Bay Packers, 1/15/12, FOX, 45.1 million), and the most-watched show since Super Bowl XLVIII.

The Indianapolis Colts–Denver Broncos game on CBS drew 41.8 million viewers to rank as the second most-watched AFC Divisional Playoff game since at least 1987 (New York Jets-New England Patriots, 1/16/11, CBS, 43.5 million).

Saturday afternoon’s Baltimore Ravens-New England Patriots game on NBC averaged 34.0 million viewers to rank as the third-most watched Saturday AFC Divisional game on record. The Carolina Panthers-Seattle Seahawks game on FOX rounded out the weekend averaging 31.0 million viewers, the network’s most-watched primetime Saturday NFL Playoff game ever.

Since the 2014 Academy Awards, eight NFL games have accounted for the only programs on television to average at least 30 million viewers – four Divisional playoff games, one Wild Card playoff game and three regular-season games.

Source: NFL & The Nielsen Company, Fast National Data

Now to the linkage.

LINKAGE

Mike Shields of the Wall Street Journal says ESPN aired its first programmatic ad within SportsCenter last weekend.

If you can’t get through the WSJ’s dreaded paywall, we have a story on the programmatic ad from Tyler Loechner of Mediapost.

We have video of how it looked:

Richard Deitsch of Sports Illustrated says the Film Room was the star of the ESPN College Football Playoff Megacast.

Your humble blogger wrote a Bests and Worsts column of the Megacast at Awful Announcing.

Liana B. Baker of Reuters has a story on YouTube channel Whistle Sports aimed at children and millennials raising $28 million in funding.

Ed Sherman at the Sherman Report notes that Cris Collinsworth is not backing down from defending NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell during the Ravens-Pats Divisional Playoff game.

Chad Finn of the Boston Globe reports that CBS Radio has extended the contracts of 98.5 the Sports Hub afternoon drive hosts Michael Felger and Tony Massarotti.

Newsday’s Neil Best profiles the NFL on Fox’s rules analyst Mike Pereira.

Ken Schott from the Schenectady Daily Gazette says Buffalo Bills fans will be able to watch the Rex Ryan introductory press conference live today.

Sports Media Watch’s Paulsen gives us some perspective on the record ratings for the College Football Playoff Championship

At Yahoo! Canada, Chris Zelkovich says the NFL is doing well for CTV and TSN.

NEWS YOU CAN USE

NBC has released this weekend’s English Premier League schedule. There will be doubleheaders on Saturday and Sunday.

Date Time Match Network
Sat., Jan. 17 9 a.m. Premier League Live NBCSN
Sat., Jan. 17 10 a.m. Queens Park Rangers v. Manchester United NBCSN, mun2
Sat., Jan. 17 10 a.m. Swansea City v. Chelsea Extra Time
Sat., Jan. 17 10 a.m. Aston Villa v. Liverpool Extra Time
Sat., Jan. 17 10 a.m. Tottenham v. Sunderland Extra Time
Sat., Jan. 17 10 a.m. Leicester City v. Stoke City Extra Time
Sat., Jan. 17 10 a.m. Burnley v. Crystal Palace Extra Time
Sat., Jan. 17 12:30 p.m. Newcastle v. Southampton NBC, mun2
Sat., Jan. 17 2:30 p.m. Goal Zone NBC
Sun., Jan. 18 1 a.m. Match of the Day NBCSN
Sun., Jan. 18 6:30 a.m. Match of the Day NBCSN
Sun., Jan. 18 7:30 a.m. Premier League Live NBCSN
Sun., Jan. 18 8:30 a.m. West Ham v. Hull City NBCSN
Sun., Jan. 18 11 a.m. Manchester City v. Arsenal NBCSN, Telemundo
Sun., Jan. 18 1 p.m. Goal Zone NBCSN
Sun., Jan. 18 1:30 p.m. Match of the Day II NBCSN
Mon., Jan. 19 1 a.m. Match of the Week NBCSN
Mon., Jan. 19 1:30 p.m. Premier League News NBCSN
Mon., Jan. 19 2 p.m. Premier League Live NBCSN
Mon., Jan. 19 3 p.m. Everton v. West Brom NBCSN, mun2
Mon., Jan. 19 5 p.m. Goal Zone NBCSN
Mon., Jan. 19 10 p.m. THE MEN IN BLAZERS SHOW NBCSN
Mon., Jan. 19 11:30 p.m. Premier League Review NBCSN
Tues., Jan. 20 12:30 a.m. Premier League Encore NBCSN
Tues., Jan. 20 11:30 p.m. Premier League Encore NBCSN

ESPN and Tennis Channel have released their Australian Open schedules. Here in the States, the Open begins on Sunday in primetime. Tennis Channel will start the coverage each night at 6 p.m. ET with a one-hour pregame show, then the first matches of the day session at 7 p.m. ET. Then ESPN2 will take over most nights at 9 p.m. ET and run until 7 a.m. the next morning provided the night session in Melbourne doesn’t run over.

ESPN will air both the men’s and women’s semifinal as well as the men’s and women’s finals live.

With the 16 hour time difference, day sessions begin at 7 p.m. ET/11 a.m. Australian EDT and the night sessions in the wee hours of the morning at 3 a.m. ET/7 p.m. in Melbourne.

Here’s Tennis Channel’s schedule:

Tennis Channel’s Live Australian Open Coverage (all times ET)

Sunday, Jan. 18 — 6 p.m.-7 p.m., Pre-Tournament Welcome
Monday, Jan. 19 — 6 p.m.-9 p.m., First Round
Tuesday, Jan. 20 — 6 p.m.-9 p.m., Second Round
Wednesday, Jan. 21 — 6 p.m.-9 p.m., Second Round
Thursday, Jan. 22 — 6 p.m.-11 p.m., Third Round
Friday, Jan. 23 — 6 p.m.-9 p.m., Third Round
Saturday, Jan. 24 — 6 p.m.-9 p.m., Round of 16
Sunday, Jan. 25 — 6 p.m.-9 p.m., Round of 16
Monday, Jan. 26 — 6 p.m.-9 p.m., Men’s and Women’s Quarterfinals
Tuesday, Jan. 27 — 6 p.m.-9 p.m., Men’s and Women’s Quarterfinals
Wednesday, Jan. 28 — 6 p.m.-9:30 p.m., TBA
Thursday, Jan. 29 — 10 p.m.-3:30 a.m., Mixed Doubles Semifinal and Women’s Doubles Final
Saturday, Jan. 31 — 5:30 a.m.-8 a.m., Men’s Doubles Final
Sunday, Feb. 1 — 12 a.m.-2 a.m., Mixed Doubles Final

Tennis Channel’s team will consist of Brett Haber as host, Bill Macatee on the play-by-play, Justin Gimelstob and Martina Navratilova will be analysts and Sports Illustrated’s Jon Wertheim will be the insider.

Here’s ESPN/ESPN2’s schedule:

AUSTRALIAN OPEN 2015
(For these charts, all times are Eastern, and each day “begins” at 6 a.m. ET.)

Date Time (ET) Event Network  
Sun, Jan 18 7 p.m. – 7 a.m. Early round play ESPN2 LIVE
Mon, Jan 19 9 p.m. – 7 a.m. ESPN2 LIVE
Tue, Jan 20 3 – 6 p.m. ESPN2 Same-day
  9 p.m. – 7 a.m. ESPN2 LIVE
Wed, Jan 21 3 – 6 p.m. ESPN2 Same-day
  9 p.m. – 7 a.m. ESPN2 LIVE
Thu, Jan 22 3 – 6 p.m. ESPN2 Same-day
  11 p.m. – 7 a.m. ESPN2 LIVE
Fri, Jan 23 3 – 6 p.m. ESPN2 Same-day
  9 p.m. – 7 a.m. ESPN2 LIVE
Sat, Jan 24 9 a.m. – Noon ESPN2 Same-day
  9 p.m. – 2 a.m. Round of 16 ESPN2 LIVE
 Sun, Jan 25 3 – 7 a.m. ESPN2 LIVE
  9 a.m. – 1 p.m. ESPN2 Same-day
  9 p.m. – 2 a.m. ESPN2 LIVE
 Mon, Jan 26 3 – 6:30 a.m. ESPN2 LIVE
  3 – 6 p.m. ESPN2 Same-day
  9 p.m. – 2 a.m. Quarterfinals ESPN2 LIVE
 Tue, Jan 27 3 – 6 a.m. ESPN2 LIVE
  3 – 6 p.m. ESPN2 Same-day
9 p.m. – 2 a.m. ESPN2 LIVE
 Wed, Jan 28 3:30 – 6 a.m. ESPN2 LIVE
  3 – 6 p.m. ESPN2 Same-day
  9:30 p.m. – 2 a.m. Women’s Semifinals ESPN2 LIVE
 Thu, Jan 29 3:30 – 6 a.m. Men’s Semifinal #1 ESPN LIVE
  2 – 6 p.m. Men’s Semifinal #1 ESPN2 Encore
 Fri, Jan 30 3:30 – 6 a.m. Men’s Semifinal #2 ESPN LIVE
  2 – 6 p.m. Men’s Semifinal #2 ESPN2 Encore
 Sat, Jan 31 3 – 5:30 a.m. Women’s Championship ESPN LIVE
  9 – 11 a.m. Women’s Championship ESPN2 Encore
 Sun, Feb 1 3 – 6:30 a.m. Men’s Championship ESPN LIVE
  9 a.m. – Noon Men’s Championship ESPN2 Encore

The on-air team consists of Chris McKendry as host. Chris Fowler, fresh off calling the College Football Playoff National Championship, Cliff Drysdale and Tom Rinaldi calling matches. Analysts include John McEnroe making his Aussie Open debut for ESPN. He’s called the Australian Open on 7 Network and Fox Sports in Australia in the past. Mainstays Patrick McEnroe, Darren Cahill, Chris Evert, Pam Shriver, Mary Joe Fernandez and Brad Gilbert are back. Also making his ESPN tennis debut is former coach Jason Goodall.

ESPN3 will stream some 800 hours of coverage from as many as 13 courts, that’s up from 500 hours last year.

There you have it. A pretty full notebook for today.

About Ken Fang

Ken has been covering the sports media in earnest at his own site, Fang's Bites since May 2007 and at Awful Announcing since March 2013. He provides a unique perspective having been an award-winning radio news reporter in Providence and having worked in local television. Fang celebrates the three Boston Red Sox World Championships in the 21st Century, but continues to be a long-suffering Cleveland Browns fan.

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