The Southern Ontario/WNY Radio-TV Forum » I Know The Super Bowl Is TV's Biggest Show Of The Year But...

RadioActive · January 16, 2024 2:41 pm

...How much is too much?

We don't know who'll be playing in the Big Game yet, but we now know what CBS (and by extension CTV's) plans are for the big weekend. The kick-off takes place around 6:30 PM on Feb. 11th, the biggest rated TV event of the year.

But CBS/Paramount has revealed its plans for the event, and has confirmed its coverage will start at 11:30 AM. That's more than six and a half hours of coverage of a game that won't start until the sun goes down. Now I realize not everybody will watch all of the pre-game ceremonies, with viewers coming and going. But that seems a little much. Six hours plus! Honestly, what is there to say to fill all that time?

And that's not all. The actual event really starts the day before, with several hours of hype at 11 in the morning on Saturday.

Not sure how much of that will end up on Nickelodeon's "slime" coverage on U.S. cable that will also be going on that day, but I don't think kids can pay attention to anything that long.

It's all about selling really expensive commercial time, of course, and I'm guessing we'll soon see the infamous Super Bowl ads begin to turn up online. To me, they're the most entertaining part of the entire thing!

Is it me or is this thing getting longer and longer every year?

torontostan · January 16, 2024 3:01 pm

Aside from selling the ads in the pre-game shows, they want to ensure every possible TV in the United States is tuned to CBS. Every sports bar will have it on at least a few screens, even if there are other games on during the day, etc.

Hansa · January 16, 2024 3:47 pm

The last time I watched the Superbowl was the year of Janet Jackson's wardrobe mishap. Have I missed anything?

Danny Petty · January 16, 2024 5:00 pm

I get this is just another “topic” for the sake of creating one, but you actually answered all your own questions in the naming of the thread. Like any other business, you’re going to focus where the money is, and where the people are. Regardless, I’ll humour you when it comes to coverage hours. The recent Sunday start times (over the air) seem to depend on which network is carrying the game.

2018 – NBC: 12:00 p.m. ET
2019 – CBS: 11:30 a.m. ET
2020 – FOX: 11:00 a.m. ET
2021 – CBS: 11:30 a.m. ET
2022 – NBC: 12:00 p.m. ET (preceded by Olympic coverage)
2023 – FOX: 11:00 a.m. ET

Tomas Barlow · January 16, 2024 10:38 pm

RadioActive wrote:
...How much is too much?

You answered this question yourself a week ago. There's no such thing as too much.

https://gta.boardhost.com/viewtopic.php?pid=81810#p81810

Tomas Barlow · January 16, 2024 10:48 pm

Hansa wrote:
The last time I watched the Superbowl was the year of Janet Jackson's wardrobe mishap. Have I missed anything?

You missed Paul McCartney's wardrobe malfunction the following year. It was so outrageous it has been completely wiped from the internet. You won't find evidence of it anywhere.

mace · January 17, 2024 5:47 am

I don't watch any of the pre-game stuff. I try to time it for the coin toss, which usually happens around 6:37ish.

RadioActive · January 17, 2024 5:20 pm

If you're really, really, really into the NFL playoffs, Pluto TV has just added a 24-hour a day free NFL channel, featuring highlights of previous championship games.

It runs on the streaming service until Feb. 21st. It doesn't seem to be available in Canada, but can be seen with a VPN. (This doesn't surprise me, given that CTV owns the rights here and Global took up the Pluto franchise in Canada.)

Pluto TV Kicks Off New Super Bowl Classics Channel

Pluto.TV NFL Channel

RadioActive · January 18, 2024 3:50 pm

Maybo wrote:
mace wrote:
I don't watch any of the pre-game stuff. I try to time it for the coin toss, which usually happens around 6:37ish.

Bingo! Mind you, if my Lions ever make the big game…. 🤣

This one's for you Chris.

newsguy1 · January 18, 2024 7:53 pm

I grew up watching the BC Lions at the stadium in Vancouver.
Roar Lions, roar!

RadioActive · January 21, 2024 8:18 pm

Maybo wrote:
RadioActive wrote:
Maybo wrote:

Bingo! Mind you, if my Lions ever make the big game…. 🤣
This one's for you Chris.

Haha!! Whenever I heard that song, I would yell, “last place!” at the radio. 🤣

Congrats, Chris. I guess that won't be your response this year! At least, so far.

RadioActive · January 25, 2024 6:42 pm

One other thing worth noting. It's not a first, but CBS expects to keep the post-Super Bowl gravy train rolling long after the game ends. With the year's biggest audience practically guaranteed, the network will not only debut one of its hoped-to-be hottest new series, "Tracker," but it will be followed by a special edition of The Late Show With Stephen Colbert and an episode of its new After Midnight game show.

Both are rarely seen on Sundays.

It's not clear what Global might do about this. They own the rights to Colbert in Canada, but because it follows the Big Game, an hour long series and a late local news in the U.S., it's impossible to know exactly when it will start - except it will be very, very late. Will they still try to simulcast it?

As mentioned, Super Bowl coverage begins as early as 11:30 AM. By the time "Midnight" is over, that will have made for one unbelievably long day of television.

‘The Late Show With Stephen Colbert’ & ‘After Midnight’ To Air On Super Bowl Sunday

Walter · January 25, 2024 7:14 pm

RadioActive wrote:
One other thing worth noting. It's not a first, but CBS expects to keep the post-Super Bowl gravy train rolling long after the game ends. With the year's biggest audience practically guaranteed, the network will not only debut one of its hoped-to-be hottest new series, "Tracker," but it will be followed by a special edition of The Late Show With Stephen Colbert and an episode of its new After Midnight game show.

Both are rarely seen on Sundays.

It's not clear what Global might do about this. They own the rights to Colbert in Canada, but because it follows the Big Game, an hour long series and a late local news in the U.S., it's impossible to know exactly when it will start - except it will be very, very late. Will they still try to simulcast it?

As mentioned, Super Bowl coverage begins as early as 11:30 AM. By the time "Midnight" is over, that will have made for one unbelievably long day of television.

‘The Late Show With Stephen Colbert’ & ‘After Midnight’ To Air On Super Bowl Sunday

Never understood why the network would 'premier' their top new show immediately after the Super Bowl. Anybody still awake by the end of a 4 hour-plus game is probably too drunk to bother watching, or remembering, whatever comes on next

torontostan · January 25, 2024 7:56 pm

Walter wrote:
Never understood why the network would 'premier' their top new show immediately after the Super Bowl. Anybody still awake by the end of a 4 hour-plus game is probably too drunk to bother watching, or remembering, whatever comes on next

Because that time slot is, by far, the largest audience any regular entertainment program will get all year.

Walter · January 25, 2024 8:39 pm

torontostan wrote:
Walter wrote:
Never understood why the network would 'premier' their top new show immediately after the Super Bowl. Anybody still awake by the end of a 4 hour-plus game is probably too drunk to bother watching, or remembering, whatever comes on next

Because that time slot is, by far, the largest audience any regular entertainment program will get all year.

In theory. I doubt it.

torontostan · January 25, 2024 11:37 pm

Walter wrote:
In theory. I doubt it.

Doubt what? There's about 40 years of evidence to prove it. What do you suggest they do? Play the anthem and go to bed?

Tomas Barlow · January 26, 2024 3:47 am

The biggest non-football TV rating of the year in the US is always the show that follows the Super Bowl. It’s true.

Walter · January 26, 2024 9:58 am

Tomas Barlow wrote:
The biggest non-football TV rating of the year in the US is always the show that follows the Super Bowl. It’s true.

I'll definitely be watching the game, but I won't be watching whatever comes on after the game just because it's on the same channel. I guess it makes sense that it's a high TV rating slot, though. Go Lions.

Last edited by Walter (January 26, 2024 10:08 am)

RadioActive · January 26, 2024 11:56 am

There's no doubt the post-Super Bowl slot is the biggest hour of television of the entire broadcast year. Especially with streaming diminishing the audience in modern times. So networks almost always put out the one series they believe deserves the most exposure. CBS is very high on "Tracker," and this will give it a huge boost. Which doesn't guarantee success, but it helps.

So what was the biggest show ever broadcast in that post-game time slot? It depends on which numbers you look at. A special episode of "60 Minutes," aired after Super Bowl XIV in 1980, drew more than 40 million viewers and a 50 share. That's unbelievable, even for pre-Internet days.

But a Friends special episode on NBC garnered more than 52 million pairs of eyeballs and a 46 share after the game in 1986. Survivor got 45 million people to stay up late in 2001. All In The Family also made a big splash post-Bowl, with 35 million viewers and a 47% share. That was in 1978.

Wikipedia has a really interesting list not only of all the U.S. shows that have followed the Super Bowl, but those in Canada, as well. That list shows not all of the programs that have been put there are simulcasts. You can see both the American and Canadian shows here.

One last thing - generally, the shows picked to lead out of the Super Bowl are well known entities, but occasionally - like this year - networks will use the coveted slot to launch a new series they believe will be a big hit. (ABC did it with The Wonder Years.)

But it doesn't always work that way. Ever hear of "The Last Precinct?" How about "Grand Slam" or "Davis Rules?" All followed the big game and all disappeared without a trace once they took their regular weekly time slots.

Here's a look at the sizzling smashes and the failing flops. Imagine getting the biggest slot in all of TV and people tuning out in droves when your series debuts in its regular timeslot. That's a special kind of failure.