Counting eyeballs
Maybe the recession is keeping more sports fans at home. Or perhaps recent games simply have provided increased appeal.
Whatever, Nielsen audience ratings machines have cranked out the following numbers:
• Last week’s “Monday Night Football” game (Green Bay at Minnesota) was the most- watched program in cable tele- vision history, drawing 21.8 million viewers. Call it the “Brett Favre Super Bowl.”
• Tuesday’s play-in game (Detroit at Minnesota) on TBS was the most-watched regular- season major-league game of 2009 — cable or broadcast. It drew 6.5 million viewers.
• The Rockies’ 151-game schedule on FSN Rocky Mountain averaged a record-breaking 65,000 viewers during the regular season. The most-watched game: The Dodgers’ 5-0 victory over the Rockies on Oct. 3, which drew 150,000 viewers.
How long will it be before every major national and local sporting event will be aired on cable television?
