Brett Favre (Getty Images)
Since the TV season began last September, there has been only one game in town — the NFL. It’s no longer just the players on the field shattering records. A dramatic increase in viewers has given football its highest ratings in a quarter century.
It started last February, when the Super Bowl became the most-watched TV show ever, and it hasn’t shown any signs of slowing down.
NBC’s “Football Night in America” is the most-watched show in prime time, surpassing 20 million viewers seven times so far.
In 29 of the top 30 cities in the US, the NFL telecasts are the highest-rated broadcast of each week.
When the perennially pathetic Detroit Lions’ Thanksgiving game is CBS’ highest rated Turkey Day contest in 12 years, something is going on besides people who hate to make small-talk with their relatives.
Football has been a TV staple since the 1950s, so why all of a sudden the huge spike?
Here are a few theories as to what’s driving the NFL ratings boom:
No shortage of compelling storylines, both on and off the field.
This season has already featured the collapse of the Cowboys and Vikings, the rise of the Jets and Falcons, and the resurgence of the Patriots and Packers.
Riveting personality stories have ranged from the messy Eagles/Donovan McNabb divorce to soap opera-worthy sagas that jumped out of the sports pages into the news section, including celebrity gossip (Brett Favre’s sext-capades), crime blotter reports (Ben Roethlisberger’s sexual assault allegations), Oprah-esque tales of personal redemption (Michael Vick’s remarkable second act) and rules-of-engagement changes (the league’s crackdown on violent helmet-on-helmet hits).
A steady diet of must-see matchups.
Don’t look any farther than this week’s Jets-Patriots Monday night contest. Football has made for the most gripping drama on TV this fall.
DVRs and on-demand options have made watching most weekly series something that can be postponed for days, if not weeks. Live sports is one of those rare things on TV that — like Oprah’s “Favorite Things” show or the Macy’s Thanksgiving parade — you either watch while it’s happening, or you don’t watch at all.
Three-quarters of all the teams in the NFL are still alive for a playoff spot.
That’s 24 of 32 teams with a realistic chance. No juggernauts. Seems like the whole league is 7-4.
Four letters — HDTV.
“We’ve seen some statistics where people who have HDTVs are 40 percent more likely to watch sports,” says Bill Wanger, executive vice president of programming and research for Fox Sports.
With its hypnotic barrage of instant replays and multiple camera angles, football is uniquely suited to a 24-hour media cycle. The drumbeat of pre-game hype and post-game analysis builds to a fever pitch over the week, culminating in a virtual holiday every Sunday.
People are out of work — or nearly so
Football on TV is a welcome and cheap distraction and, for the unfortunate 10 percent who are unemployed, there’s the hidden advantage that enables them to stay up late watching games Thursday, Sunday and Monday nights. No work the next day.
* Giants v. Redskins
Sun., 1 p.m., FOX
* Jets v. Patriots
Mon., 8:30 p.m., ESPN