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IT'S A LOSE-LOSE
PLAYOFFS WITHOUT PATS, JETS OR COWBOYS COULD SPELL RATINGS GLOOM
No Cowboys, no Jets and no Patriots in this season's NFL playoffs could mean less-than-stellar ratings for Fox, NBC and CBS.
The NFL playoffs do not suffer from the same kind of dependence on big name teams as Major League Baseball (unless you live in Minneapolis or Kansas City, really how interesting is a game between the Twins and the Royals?) But the presence of one of the great NFL teams in a playoff game guarantees great ratings from a sport that is already the most-watched on TV.
Love them or hate them, nearly every Dallas game aired this year was top-rated, and thanks to the Patriots' record as Super Bowl champs, network brass could always count on New England delivering a massive audience.
Meanwhile, with the Jets' final fizzle Sunday, the playoffs this year will be deprived of one of the best turnaround story lines of the season. That they were defeated by Miami - led by their former teammate Chad Pennington - made the loss even more dramatic.
Even more troubling - especially for NBC, this year's Super Bowl broadcaster - is the possibility of a championship game between the Carolina Panthers and the Tennessee Titans, two talented small-market teams with small national followings.
NBC Sports executives could not be reached for comment yesterday.
Aside from the Giants, Miami Dolphins and maybe the Pittsburgh Steelers, the remaining teams do not have the same kind of national appeal that draws casual viewers to games in the kind of numbers the networks crave.
The Cowboys have for years been a major national draw - despite not having won a playoff game since 1996.
"In the late 70s, early 80s we followed the mantra, 'When in doubt, bring in Dallas,' " says former CBS Sports chief Neal Pilson. "Those were the glory years when the nation fell in love with 'America's Team' and while Dallas hasn't been dominant in recent years, there's still a residual affection for the team and interest from viewers when they play."
In the long run, it appears NBC officials may be quietly pulling for a Super Bowl brawl between the Giants and the Steelers, according to network sources.
The Giants not only are the defending champs, but are home in the largest TV market in the US. And while Pittsburgh may not have as many TVs as some other markets, the team has a storied history and a fairly large national following.
PLAYOFFS WITHOUT PATS, JETS OR COWBOYS COULD SPELL RATINGS GLOOM
No Cowboys, no Jets and no Patriots in this season's NFL playoffs could mean less-than-stellar ratings for Fox, NBC and CBS.
The NFL playoffs do not suffer from the same kind of dependence on big name teams as Major League Baseball (unless you live in Minneapolis or Kansas City, really how interesting is a game between the Twins and the Royals?) But the presence of one of the great NFL teams in a playoff game guarantees great ratings from a sport that is already the most-watched on TV.
Love them or hate them, nearly every Dallas game aired this year was top-rated, and thanks to the Patriots' record as Super Bowl champs, network brass could always count on New England delivering a massive audience.
Meanwhile, with the Jets' final fizzle Sunday, the playoffs this year will be deprived of one of the best turnaround story lines of the season. That they were defeated by Miami - led by their former teammate Chad Pennington - made the loss even more dramatic.
Even more troubling - especially for NBC, this year's Super Bowl broadcaster - is the possibility of a championship game between the Carolina Panthers and the Tennessee Titans, two talented small-market teams with small national followings.
NBC Sports executives could not be reached for comment yesterday.
Aside from the Giants, Miami Dolphins and maybe the Pittsburgh Steelers, the remaining teams do not have the same kind of national appeal that draws casual viewers to games in the kind of numbers the networks crave.
The Cowboys have for years been a major national draw - despite not having won a playoff game since 1996.
"In the late 70s, early 80s we followed the mantra, 'When in doubt, bring in Dallas,' " says former CBS Sports chief Neal Pilson. "Those were the glory years when the nation fell in love with 'America's Team' and while Dallas hasn't been dominant in recent years, there's still a residual affection for the team and interest from viewers when they play."
In the long run, it appears NBC officials may be quietly pulling for a Super Bowl brawl between the Giants and the Steelers, according to network sources.
The Giants not only are the defending champs, but are home in the largest TV market in the US. And while Pittsburgh may not have as many TVs as some other markets, the team has a storied history and a fairly large national following.
