CBS earned a 44.2/63 overnight Nielsen rating for last night's Panthers-Patriots Super Bowl XXXVIII telecast from 6:25pm-10:30pm ET, up 0.9% from the 43.8/62 for Buccaneers-Raiders Super Bowl XXXVII last year on ABC. It is the highest Super Bowl overnight since a 44.4/65 for Broncos-Packers in '98. CBS calls the game the most watched Super Bowl of all time, estimating that over 140 million people watched at least part of the broadcast. An estimated 138.9 million watched last year's game. The game earned a 52.2/78 in Boston, a 49.7/72 in Charlotte and a 51.4/73 in Houston. The highest metered-market rating was a 57.2/71 in K.C. Meanwhile, the premiere episode of CBS' "Survivor: All-Stars" following the Super Bowl from 11:00pm-12:00am ET earned a 20.2/33 overnight, which is 52% better than the 13.3/23 ABC earned for its season premiere of "Alias" last year following the game ( THE DAILY ). ONE FOR THE AGES: In Boston, Bill Griffith writes Panthers-Patriots gave CBS "what it most needed and wanted — a competitive game that went down to the final seconds" ( BOSTON GLOBE, 2/2 ). In Denver, Dusty Saunders writes CBS "scored well covering a game that will go down as a super Super Bowl" ( ROCKY MOUNTAIN NEWS, 2/2 ). In Albany, Pete Dougherty writes, "CBS was rewarded with some of the finest television the NFL has ever produced" ( Albany TIMES UNION, 2/2 ). In Jacksonville, Jeff Elliott writes CBS' coverage "mirrored the play on the field. It was one of the better Super Bowl games played, but possibly not to the extent of this being `the greatest Super Bowl Game in history,' as [CBS' Jim Nantz] called it immediately after the game" ( FLORIDA TIMES-UNION, 2/2 ). In Boston, Bob Ryan: "These teams sure gave us a decent bang for the buck. For a game that remained scoreless longer than any previous Super Bowl, it turned into a wild west shootout with 61 points over the last 33 minutes, with the subplot being the greatest quarterback duel the title game has ever seen" ( BOSTON GLOBE, 2/2 ). In Miami, Greg Cote writes it was a game "to be remembered and put high on any subsequent list of memorable title matches in any sport" ( MIAMI HERALD, 2/2 ). DID CBS MEASURE UP? USA TODAY's Rudy Martzke writes CBS "scored enough points with its coverage to be counted as a winner." The "first-rate coverage of the finish more than offset a couple of earlier CBS miscues," including an "obscured live angle from the end zone that missed Carolina's" blocked field goal and "brief green lines on the screen" before Adam Vinatieri's game-winning kick ( USA TODAY, 2/2 ). But in Chicago, John Jackson writes, "The broadcast didn't always match the quality of the game. ... There were many instances when I wanted to see more replays — especially late in the game" ( CHICAGO SUN-TIMES, 2/2 ). SIMMS & GUMBEL: In Miami, Barry Jackson writes CBS NFL analyst Phil Simms "demonstrated he can carry the weight of a two-man booth, repeatedly offering salient points about strategy and delivering a terrific performance" ( MIAMI HERALD, 2/2 ). The Albany TIMES UNION's Dougherty writes Greg Gumbel and Simms "maintained their understated style through the rough beginning" ( TIMES UNION, 2/2 ). The FLORIDA TIMES-UNION's Elliott writes Simms was "on top of his game from start to finish" ( FLORIDA TIMES-UNION, 2/2 ). In Philadelphia, Bill Fleischman writes Gumbel and Simms "were enjoyable to hear." The duo is "comfortable together providing the necessary information and analysis. When the time was right, they lightened the mood" ( PHILADELPHIA DAILY NEWS, 2/2 ). In S.F., Steve Kroner writes Gumbel "delivered," and after Vinatieri's game-winning field goal, Gumbel "wisely opted for silence." Kroner adds Gumbel, Simms, Producer Mark Wolff and Coordinating Producer Larry Cavolina "gave performances that helped the audience savor the first-rate performances of the Patriots and Panthers" ( S.F. CHRONICLE, 2/2 ). NOT ALL POSITIVE: In Toronto, Chris Zelkovich writes Gumbel "did a solid job," but the rest of the crew "had an erratic night. Its coverage improved with the game" ( TORONTO STAR, 2/2 ). The ROCKY MOUNTAIN NEWS' Saunders writes Simms was "dreadfully dull [and] offered almost snoozer commentary, as he felt the need to overanalyze every play" ( ROCKY MOUNTAIN NEWS, 2/2 ). On Long Beach, Bob Keisser writes CBS treated the Super Bowl as if it was "a Week 15 game between two teams out of the NFL playoff race." Gumbel's voice "never deviated, never climbed the emotional ladder despite so many unexpected twists and out-of-nowhere offensive bursts." Simms "never really took a big bite into a game" ( PRESS TELEGRAM, 2/2 ). TECHNOLOGY: CBS used EyeVision during the pre-game on-field concert as well as for replays in each of the four quarters ( THE DAILY ). In N.Y., Bob Raissman writes that during the end of the game, CBS should "be applauded for making this wild ride simple. CBS resisted the toys at its disposal. ... There was no squeezing the screen to promo something during game action. And ... there was only one in-game appearance by a sideline reporter" ( N.Y. DAILY NEWS, 2/2 ). In Ft. Lauderdale, Jim Sarni writes CBS "played it straight, using conventional camera angles for live action and saving the fancy stuff — CableCam and EyeVision — for enhanced replays. CBS promised an improved EyeVision, and the images were sharper" ( Ft. Lauderdale SUN-SENTINEL, 2/2 ). The PRESS TELEGRAM's Keisser writes Wolff and Cavolina "missed nary a thing photo-wise and made good decisions on replays" ( PRESS TELEGRAM, 2/2 ). The MIAMI HERALD's Jackson: "From a technical standpoint, CBS wisely did not use its controversial [CableCam] on live action. But EyeVision, offering different perspectives on replays, left viewers dizzy" ( MIAMI HERALD, 2/2 ). The S.F. CHRONICLE's Kroner adds EyeVision "hardly ever delivered any real insight" ( S.F. CHRONICLE, 2/2 ). In San Diego, Jay Posner writes, "There were a few times during the game when a situation cried out for a replay and none was forthcoming" ( SAN DIEGO UNION-TRIBUNE, 2/2 ). In Charlotte, Chris Grandstaff writes the three-dimensional introductions "were a hit" ( CHARLOTTE OBSERVER, 2/2 ). NEWSDAY's Steve Zipay notes for "five or six minutes after the 2 p.m. opening of `The Super Bowl Today,' the New York HD-cast had no sound. The audio briefly vanished again during the Patriots' first drive" ( NEWSDAY, 2/2 ). PREGAME HOOPLA: In L.A., Mike Penner writes CBS' pregame show "was twice too long for anybody's good. CBS had its on-site studio analysts `stretch' during a painfully long procession ... that included Nantz wearing a cowboy hat, Nantz and Deion Sanders riding steers in the parking lot outside Reliant Stadium, Dan Marino fondling an armadillo, Nantz and the gang shilling for Pizza Hut" ( L.A. TIMES, 2/2 ). In N.Y., Richard Sandomir writes of the four-hour "The Super Bowl Today": "No sport should ever program more than one hour for a big game." Sandomir adds analysis from Dan Marino, Deion Sanders and Boomer Esiason "was scattered and did not offer enough to be memorable, and the best possible analytic segment had the wrong focus" ( N.Y. TIMES, 2/2 ). The SUN-TIMES' Jackson: "I've always wondered if a four-hour pregame show was watchable. (Here's a scoop: It's not)" ( CHICAGO SUN-TIMES, 2/2 ). In Orlando, Jerry Greene writes the "best football piece of the long, long day belonged to —- Sanders," who interviewed Panthers WR Steve Smith and Pats CB Ty Law. Also, CBS "played its ace in the hole with a live interview with President Bush" ( ORLANDO SENTINEL, 2/2 ). The UNION-TRIBUNE's Posner writes Simms' film session with Titans coach Jeff Fisher was "a huge disappointment. ... Even Deion Sanders ripped Fisher for stating the obvious" ( SAN DIEGO UNION-TRIBUNE, 2/2 ). The MIAMI HERALD's Jackson notes CBS "did not address ESPN's report that [Dan] Marino was having second thoughts about joining the Dolphins." CBS officials "privately believe there was nothing to the story and did not want to acknowledge it" ( MIAMI HERALD, 2/2 ). LINGERIE BOWL: In Chicago, Heidi Stevens notes the Lingerie Bowl "began several minutes prior to Super Bowl halftime, so if you tuned in at 6:40 [CT] for kickoff of the Lingerie Bowl, you actually missed all the scoring in the first half of the [Super Bowl]" ( CHICAGO TRIBUNE, 2/2 ). In Detroit, Mike Duffy writes the Lingerie Bowl "may have left anyone who paid $19.95 feeling ripped off. ... The Lingerie Bowl was a sucker bet for those who wasted their money" ( DETROIT FREE PRESS, 2/2 ). What grade do you give CBS' Super Bowl telecast?Vote in THE DAILY POLL
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CBS' Four-Hour Pregame
Show Dubbed "Too Long" |
