Plenty of releases in the Fang’s Bites inbox and many deal with the NFL. With this being the opening weekend for the NFL, can’t say I blame the various networks and cable outlets to send these out.
Let’s begin with NBC Sports with this release touting that the Thursday night game was the most viewed NFL season opener ever.
TITANS-STEELERS: MOST VIEWED NFL KICKOFF EVER
Most Watched Sports Program Since Super Bowl XLIII; Most Watched Primetime Show Since American Idol Finale
Dominated Primetime Competition By More Than 10 Million Over Second Place Network
NEW YORK – Sept. 11, 2009 – Thursday night’s Titans-Steelers game on NBC Sports was the most watched NFL Kickoff since the inception of the Thursday Night opener according to official national ratings data released Friday by Nielsen Media Research.
The game won by the Steelers 13-10 in overtime, had an average audience of 20.9 million viewers. The previous high in viewers was the 2006 contest between the Steelers and Dolphins – the first Thursday night NFL Kickoff game on NBC – that was seen by 19.2 million people. The game registered a household rating of 12.8 and a 22 share, the highest rating for the Thursday NFL Kickoff since the inaugural game on network television (12.9/22 on ABC in 2003).
BEST SINCE SUPER BOWL: Thursday night’s game had the biggest audience for any sporting event since Super Bowl XLIII, which was the most watched broadcast in U.S. television history. The Titans-Steelers game was also the most watched of any primetime show on any broadcast network since the American Idol finale (28.8 million on 5/20/09).
MOST VIEWED SPORTS PROGRAMS SINCE SUPER BOWL XLIII
1. NFL Kickoff (Titans-Steelers) 20.9 million NBC
2. NCAA Championship (Mich. St-UNC) 17.6 million CBS
3. Kentucky Derby 16.1 million NBC
T4. NBA Finals, Gm. 4 (Lakers-Magic) 16.0 million ABC
T4. Daytona 500 16.0 million Fox
6. MLB All Star Game 14.6 million Fox
7. NCAA Semifinal (Villanova-UNC) 14.5 million CBS
8. Masters Final Round 14.3 million CBS
9. NBA Finals, Gm. 3 14.2 million ABC
T9. NBA Finals, Gm. 5 14.2 million ABC
- DOMINATED PRIMETIME: NBC dominated primetime (8-11 p.m.) with 18.5 million viewers overall, establishing a 137 percent margin of victory over CBS’s second-place 7.8 million and more than quadrupling each of the other key broadcast networks — CW, 4.2 million; ABC, 3.9 million; Fox, 3.8 million.
- NBC’s 18.5 million average in total viewers from 8-11 p.m. ET is the highest non-Olympic Thursday average for NBC since the night of the “Friends” finale (May 6, 2004).
- UP 55% OVER LAST YEAR IN VIEWERS: Thursday’s game had a viewership of 20.9 million, up 55 percent from the 2008 NFL Kickoff (Giants-Redskins, 13.5 million), which started early to allow coverage of the Republican National Convention, up 11 percent from the 2007 NFL Kickoff (Colts-Saints, 17.8 million) and up two percent from the 2006 NFL Kickoff (Dolphins-Steelers, 19.2 million).
NFL KICKOFF – THURSDAY NIGHT SEASON OPENERS VIEWERSHIP:
2009: NBC 20.9 million (Pittsburgh 13 – Tennessee 10)
2008: NBC 13.5 million (NY Giants 16 – Washington 7)
2007: NBC 17.8 million (Indianapolis 41 – New Orleans 10)
2006: NBC 19.2 million (Pittsburgh 28 – Miami 17)
2005: ABC 18.0 million (New England 30 – Oakland 20)
2004: ABC 16.9 million (New England 27 – Indianapolis 24)
2003: ABC 19.1 million (Washington 16 – NY Jets 13)
2002 ESPN 10.8 million (San Francisco 16 – NY Giants 13)
- UP 49% IN HH RATING: Thursday’s game had a household rating of 12.8, 22 share million, up 49 percent from the 2008 NFL Kickoff (Giants-Redskins, 8.6/15), up 11 percent from the 2007 NFL Kickoff (Colts-Saints, 11.5/20) and up two percent from the 2006 NFL Kickoff (Dolphins-Steelers, 12.6/21).
TOP 10 METERED MARKETS FOR THURSDAY NIGHT’S GAME
- Pittsburgh, 49.6/70
- Nashville, 40.1/56
- Baltimore, 20.5/33
- Las Vegas, 20.0/32
- New Orleans, 18.8/27
- Cleveland, 18.7/30
- Memphis, 18.2/25
- Knoxville, 18.0/27
- Washington D.C., 17.3/29
Then Verizon announced some features the NFL Network’s RedZone channel for Fios subscribers.
Football’s Here This Weekend – So is NFL RedZone on Verizon FiOS TV
Easy On-Screen Ordering and Unique Interactive Widget Give FiOS TV Subscribers Game-Day Experiences Cable Can’t MatchNEW YORK – Verizon FiOS TV is now taking orders for the NFL RedZone channel – and for real football fans, subscribing is as easy as clicking their TV’s remote control.NFL RedZone takes viewers around the
league every Sunday afternoon for live coverage of critical plays when any team is inside its opponent’s 20-yard line.
The easiest way for FiOS TV subscribers to put themselves in “the zone” is to tune to the NFL RedZone channel and click the remote. Viewers subscribe by using Verizon’s unique on-screen ordering. Just click, confirm and catch all the action in a matter of minutes. The NFL RedZone is carried in high definition on FiOS channel 835 and in standard definition on channel 335. The service also can be ordered either online by visiting www.verizon.com/fiostvcentral or by calling Verizon at 888-553-1555.
The NFL RedZone channel launches on FiOS TV on Sunday (Sept. 13) and is available every Sunday during the season, from 1 p.m. to 8 p.m. The season subscription is $49.99.
“We’re making it easy for our subscribers to order the hottest ticket in televised sports with onscreen ordering for NFL RedZone,” said Michael Ritter, chief marketing officer for Verizon Telecom. “With a few clicks of your remote you’re immediately subscribed to the channel and enjoying all the action with the stunning picture-and-sound quality that only FiOS delivers. That’s something cable can’t do.”
Also starting this weekend, FiOS TV subscribers* will see the new RedZone Widget – one stop for easy access to NFL stats and the RedZone channel. Customers who subscribe to the NFL RedZone channel also can use a unique feature of Verizon’s new RedZone Widget to set on-screen alerts for whenever a team is moving into the 20-yard line. Once set, the alerts will pop up at the bottom of the TV screen while a subscriber is watching any channel on FiOS TV.
The alert shows a list of teams currently in the red zone, including the yard line where the football is located. When they see an alert, subscribers can choose to press the “OK” button on their remote control to jump to the NFL RedZone channel and catch the live action. Alerts can be enabled and disabled through the main RedZone Widget menu.
The RedZone Widget is a free service located in FiOS TV’s Widget Bazaar applications marketplace. All FiOS TV subscribers have full access to the Widget’s other many features — including instant access to real-time NFL stats, scores, news headlines from around the league, and more — without missing a moment of the game or show they are watching. The application is displayed on the right side of the screen or can be viewed in full-screen mode.
For screenshots and a full description of Verizon’s new RedZone Widget, visit http://verizon.mediaseed.tv/Story.aspx?story=36984.
“We’re again taking TV viewing where cable can’t with the new RedZone Widget,” said Ritter. “This innovation simplifies a sports fan’s life by quickly and easily bringing all the latest NFL information to the TV screen without interrupting the game. There’s no need to wait for the news or go to your computer to check a sports site for the latest scores. And for our NFL RedZone channel subscribers, the Widget’s special alerts feature ensures they’ll never miss a game-changing touchdown or critical play within the 20 yard line.”
Then the NFL Network announced that it got another pick up for RedZone from AT&T U-Verse.
AT&T U-VERSE TO CARRY NFL NETWORK’S NEW “NFL RedZone” CHANNELAnother Major Distributor to Carry The New Channel That Brings Fans The Crucial Plays and Touchdowns on Sunday Afternoons
AT&T U-verseSM TV has agreed to carry NFL Network’s new NFL RedZone channel this season beginning this Sunday, September 13, it was announced today.
“We are thrilled to announce that AT&T U-verse will carry our new NFL RedZone channel,” said Kim Williams, chief operating officer for NFL Network. “We continue to sign up distributors and look forward to announcing more distribution deals for one of the most exciting new products now available.”
“AT&T U-verse just got better, again. NFL RedZone is a new and exciting way to stay on top of Sunday football, and we’re proud to kick off the NFL football season by adding this channel to our lineup,” said Dan York, executive vice president of content and programming AT&T U-verse. “U-verse TV football fans will truly enjoy tuning to NFL RedZone to watch the touchdowns and the biggest plays as they happen on their big screen TV.”
AT&T U-verse is another major distributor to add NFL RedZone channel for its subscribers this season. NFL Network previously announced distribution deals with Comcast, DISH Network and Verizon FiOS. Additional deals with other distributors have also been signed.
NFL RedZone is hosted by Scott Hanson from the new state-of-the-art NFL RedZone studio at NFL Network’s headquarters in Los Angeles and debuts on Sunday September 13 at 1:00 PM ET/10 AM PT when the 2009 NFL season begins.
Produced by NFL Network, NFL RedZone whips around every NFL game on Sunday afternoons delivering the touchdowns and most exciting moments as they happen and in high definition. When a team goes inside the 20-yard line, fans see the crucial plays live. The channel keeps fans up-to-date in real time, switching from game to game with live look-ins, highlights and a chance to see every important play.
For more information on NFL RedZone, visit www.nfl.com/redzonetv.
On Monday, ESPN hosts the first in its season-long Monday Night Football “Chalk Talk” series at Foxboro in advance of the Bills-Patriots game. Your humble blogger has been invited to attend and I
hope to file a report from there during the event.
ESPN, NFL and New England Patriots to Host Monday Night Football Chalk Talk
September 14 at The Hall at Patriot Place in Foxborough
Members of Patriots’ 50th Anniversary Team to Participate and be RecognizedESPN, the NFL and the New England Patriots will celebrate the kickoff of the 40th season of Monday Night Football and the Patriots’ 50th Anniversary with a Chalk Talk luncheon at The Hall at Patriot Place (adjacent to Gillette Stadium) in Foxborough, Mass., on Sept.14 at 11:30 a.m. ET in advance of the Buffalo Bills-Patriots MNF game at 7 p.m.
MNF play-by-play commentator Mike Tirico will be joined by MNF broadcasting legend and Pro Football Hall of Famer Frank Gifford for opening remarks. ESPN studio host Stuart Scott and Boston-based reporter Wendi Nix will serve as emcees.Expected Participants/Attendees:
- NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell, Patriots’ Chairman and CEO Robert Kraft, and ESPN President George Bodenheimer;
- Alumni players from the Patriots and Bills will discuss the MNF matchup and other NFL topics, including: Members of the Patriots 50th Anniversary Team and Pro Football Hall of Famers Nick Buoniconti (class of 2001), Mike Haynes (class of 1997) and Andre Tippett (Class of 2008); Buffalo Bills Pro Football Hall of Famers Bruce Smith (class of 2009) and Jim Kelly (class of 2002);
- Members of the Patriots 50th Anniversary team will be in attendance and introduced during the program: Julius Adams, Houston Antwine, Bruce Armstrong, Troy Brown, Rich Camarillo, Gino Cappelletti, Ben Coates, Sam Cunningham, Irving Fryar, Rodney Harrison, Ty Law, Fred Marion, Jon Morris, Stanley Morgan, Rachel Nance (daughter of Jim Nance), Steve Nelson and Mosi Tatupu.
The program will also include recognition of two local organizations with the “Fans Helping Fans” community relations award. Team ESPN, the corporate outreach program of ESPN, will join the NFL and the Patriots in recognizing the Special Olympics of Massachusetts, and Dick’s Sporting Goods will honor Good Sports.
ESPN is hosting MNF Chalk Talk Series events in nine cities during the 2009 NFL season.
Here’s a first. Our very first press release from NBC’s Today Show which tells us that it will live from the new Cowboys Stadium on Friday in advance of the very first NFL regular season game to be played there next Sunday. And I guess one of the Bush twins is making her debut as a correspondent for Today. Oh joy.
‘TODAY’ AT COWBOYS STADIUM
Matt Lauer and Al Roker Broadcast Live From The Cowboys’ New Home Friday, September 18
Jenna Bush Hager Debuts Her First “Today” Show Story
NEW YORK – September 10, 2009 – – America’s favorite morning program will learn the true meaning of “Everything is bigger in Texas” and will travel to America’s newest and largest NFL stadium. On Friday, September 18, Matt Lauer and Al Roker will broadcast live from the new Cowboys Stadium before the much-anticipated home opener against the New York Giants, which airs Sunday, September 20 on NBC’s “Football Night in America” (7 p.m. ET).
Lauer and Roker will get and exclusive behind-the-scenes tour of Cowboys Stadium given by Cowboy great Emmitt Smith. They will explore the 3 million square foot, $1.12 billion dollar engineering marvel, which is taller than the Statue of Liberty and features the largest HD screens in the world as well as biggest retractable roof on the planet. During the special broadcast, Lauer will talk to Cowboy’s owner Jerry Jones, and Roker will catch up with the iconic Dallas Cowboy Cheerleaders. NBC Sports’ Cris Collinsworth will talk about his new job taking over John Madden’s iconic role in the booth, and he will preview the big game. Lauer and Roker will also sample the game-day cuisine that fans can enjoy at the new stadium.
Also live from Dallas, “Today’s” new contributing correspondent, Jenna Bush Hager, will debut her first piece since joining the program. Hager will profile Dalton Sherman, an 11-yr-old motivational speaker from Dallas who made headlines across the country last year after giving an inspiring speech at his school’s pep rally. Additionally, Hager’s first day on “Today” will be Thursday, September 17 in Studio 1A where Matt, Meredith, Al and Ann will welcome her to the “Today” team.
Jim Bell is the executive producer of “Today” (Monday-Friday, 7-11 a.m.).
I do have one more press release post coming up before the links.
