Where Have All the Viewers Gone?

In case America missed it, and apparently it did, the Olympics in Sydney and the World Series in New York provided some compelling drama, great stories of individual and team achievement.

With most folks occupied watching reruns of “The Honeymooners” and “You Bet Your Life,” or logging on to whateveryouwant.com, television ratings for these glamour sports events were abysmal.

And with the money the networks are tossing around to show what were once automatic blockbusters, this is no small concern.

NBC prime-time Olympic coverage averaged 13.8, the lowest rating for Winter or Summer Games since 1968, forcing the network to provide countless paybacks--free spots--for advertisers. The network paid $705 million for the rights to the Sydney Games, part of a $3.5 billion fee for five Olympics.

Fox, which paid $2.5 billion for six years of baseball in September, got a worst-ever 12.4 rating for the World Series.

That means that CBS, which will be showing the Super Bowl in January--the next sports biggie--ought to be wringing its corporate hands right about now.

Nothing, however, could be further from the truth.

For one thing, the game won’t be on tape and for another, it won’t end after midnight.

Maybe that’s why the Super Bowl has been immune from ratings blues for years, and remains a consistent winner with numbers over 40. Last season’s game between St. Louis and Tennessee--hardly traditional powerhouse teams--drew a whopping 43.3 for ABC.

That leads to a basic fact of life that Sean McManus, president of CBS Sports, is happy to relate.

“If the Super Bowl is on your network, you know you have the highest-rated, highest-grossing day in television when you’re charging $2 million for each 30-second commercial,” he said.

And if you have a TV phenomenon like “Survivor” programmed to follow it, as CBS does on Jan. 28, well, it could be the highest sales day in television history.

But there’s no need to hold a benefit for the networks whose numbers dip. That’s because, with all the other options out there, all ratings are declining and the drop in sports viewers from a percentage standpoint is not all that dramatic by comparison.

The sad-sack numbers for sports events are still dominant when compared with other prime-time shows. And that is the most important barometer.

The theory among TV executives is that fringe viewers have been drawn away by the sudden explosion of options. So, while the hardcore sports fans remain wedded to the events, the overall numbers were bound to decrease.

That means that even though they might not be earning as much money as they once did, the bottom line is still black not red.

Network bosses are not in the business of altruism.

“The mentality is different,” McManus said. “We’re all under strict orders not to lose money on sports.”

And they don’t. But instead of making the old break-the-bank dollars, they’ve learned to settle for less. The lure of sports, however, remains undiminished in the advertising canyons of Manhattan, where these decisions are made.

Paul Schulman, who buys TV time for advertisers, said sports remain a good buy.

“There’s no reason to turn away,” he said. “They’re not as dominant unless Tiger Woods is involved. If Tiger Woods is involved, it can cause higher numbers than previously. He’s the only one who can do that.”

Since Woods skipped the Olympics and World Series, the numbers were disappointing. Overall, though, the marriage between sports and television is solid.

“There’s something about network television and sports that still makes it a must-buy,” McManus said. “Advertisers are still willing to step up to the plate and pay the rates. Big events are still sold effectively. And generally, the dollars generated by ad sales cover the fees.

“All of us involved in sports television are concerned when ratings go down. But those decreases are factored in and not a surprise. They are still the most attractive properties.

“If it didn’t make sense, advertisers wouldn’t buy time and we wouldn’t buy the rights. For some reason, it all still seems to be working.”