NBC’s OK in Ratings Arena
NBC’s venture into the world of indoor football had moderate ratings success nationwide, but network and league executives were generally pleased with the numbers they saw.
NBC’s four regional Arena Football League telecasts Sunday generated a 2.2 overnight Nielsen rating with a 5% share of the audience. An overnight rating is the average for the nation’s 55 largest markets.
By comparison, the NHL All-Star game on ABC got a 2.4 overnight rating with a 5 share.
NBC is counting on high-scoring games and lots of action to generate interest and ratings.
In the four AFL games on NBC, the total number of points scored was 359, or 89.9 a game.
In Los Angeles, NBC’s regional coverage of the San Jose SaberCats’ 49-28 victory over the Arizona Rattlers drew a 0.9 rating with a 2 share.
The cable rating for the Avengers’ 60-58 victory over the Las Vegas Gladiators at Staples Center on Fox Sports Net 2 won’t be available until later in the week.
NBC got its highest AFL rating in Denver, where the expansion Crush’s 68-57 loss to the Indiana Firebirds got an 11.8/24. Those numbers beat the Pro Bowl, which got a 9.1/15 on ABC in Denver, and the NHL All-Star game, which had a 5.7/12.
In L.A., the Pro Bowl got a 6.9/11, the NHL All-Star game a 2.1/5, and the Bob Hope golf on CBS a 3.2/6.
As for attendance, the AFL’s eight opening weekend games averaged 13,064 fans a game, up 26% from 10,389 for the opening weekend last season.