The end result wasn’t what Patriots fans were hoping for, but Super Bowl XLVI did give Boston one milestone, a ratings record. According to Nielsen, the local rating for the Big Game between the Patriots and Giants was a 56.7 with an 81 share. That means 56.7% of all Boston homes were watching the game and 81% of homes with a TV had the game on. Boston was the highest rated local market for the game.

This broke the previous high for Super Bowl XXXVI on Fox in 2002 which received a 56.1/78.

Nationally, the game received a 47.0/71 final rating making it the 12th highest rated TV program in history. however, with an average of 111.3 million, it becomes the most watched TV program ever.

New York received a 49.7 rating finishing 18th. Super Bowl host city Indianapolis finished 2nd behind Boston.

Published by Bruce Allen

Automattician.

15 thoughts on “Super Bowl XLVI Sets Boston Ratings Record”

  1. Share is the percentage of households watching television, not the percentage of households with televisions. I think more than 70% of households in greater Boston have a television set.

    Like

  2. See where Jackie MacMullen is getting alot of props (from WHO ELSE? other MEDIA MEMBERS) for this column > http://espn.go.com/boston/nfl/story/_/id/7548732/… While I agree with the overall gist of the column, it also PISSED ME OFF…..I mean really, lecturing "THE FANS" on playing the "Blame game"???…..WHO THE HELL plays the "blame Game" more than the FREEKING MEDIA???…..give me a freeking break, just love it when one of these mediots trys to talk down to us like a where a bunch of little kids. Especially over something THEY DO with regularity…….YET ANOTHER case of the Media judging the MAJORITY of the fan base by the MINORITY who call talk radio.

    Then there is the fact that fans who DON'T want to play the "Blame Game" get labled as , "Fanboys" or "Pom-Pom wavers" by THE SAME MEDIA. These media people really do want it both ways, don't they?

    Like

  3. If you are a fan of moronic sports radio today is your lucky day. From Glenn Ordway to Jermaine Wiggins it's been a cornucopia of stupidity. Let's look at three great example:

    1) Glenn Ordway – Ordway, inexplicably, has been guest hosting the Dan Patrick show for the past couple of days. Patrick is out due to knee surgery. The rest of the country was able to see what New England puts up with five days per week. Ordway threw this beauty out today, "People in Boston have been blaming Brady for the throw to Welker because they do not like what Gisele had to say about the receivers or fans are worried that Welker will not sign with the Patriots if they blame him for the play." It just shows why Ordway has become completely irrelevant in Boston. Glenn thinks we are just dumb fanboys who cannot have a reasonable take on a play. Glenn is so smart, if you don't believe me just ask him. Ordway must have pictures of Patrick somewhere.

    2) Tony Masserotti – Maz started his show saying, "I'm concerned about how the fans are looking at Brady and I'm not talking about the play to Welker only but where he stands in history." Really Maz, were you concerned about how you treated Brady when you wrote that awful piece after Brady got in a meaningless argument with Bill O'Brien? I believe you basically called him a prima donna. Looks like you did not think too much about Tom Brady then. Also what fans are saying Tom Brady's legacy is diminished? I have not heard anybody say this. I can tell you has, MiChael Felger, Maz's partner.

    Later on, F&M were talking about Greg Bedard's article which breaks down all 169 targets to Wes Welker. Bedard is trying to show why the throw by Brady was bad. You may disagree, but Bedard does Alex Speier type work in proving his point. Maz's response, "I don't care, the ball was in his hands." Good job by Maz to prove Bedard is wrong. Here is Bedard's article. http://www.boston.com/sports/football/patriots/ex…

    3) Jermaine Wiggins – Wiggins started out F&M with the old, "I played the game and you didn't." argument which always makes you sound petulant and you lose credibility. He then tries to tell us that the Manningham play is far more difficult then the Welker catch. There is no question both plays are difficult, but maybe the fact that Eli Manning put the ball right in Manningham's hands made it a little easier. I wonder if Brady put the ball in Wes Welker's bread basket then maybe he has a better chance of catching it?

    Another way to lose credibility is when you make up your own words. Wiggins said the word "caughten"(pronounced cotton). As you can tell, we are not talking about the plant that is grown in the south which is used in making fibers. Using Wiggins speak, he means, "Welker should have caughten the ball." What a genius.

    Like

    1. 1.) DP has an arsenal of potential guest hosts.. and he picks Glenn? Sorry, I've been intentionally missing his show lately but if I knew he was guest hosting, I would not have tuned in anyways. Why not get Bonnie Bernstein back on? He's had even Tom Curran host who was pretty good.

      3.) Yeah, I heard that as well. The sad thing is that the arrogant athlete argument is almost as lame as the "I have more Twitter followers than you" Rovell-ian argument. What I wonder is if he were to go up to someone like Greg Cosell or a pro-scout and give his same argument? The sad thing is that Wiggens is about as articulate as Smerlas.

      I've also noticed that with Wiggens when he fudges words before… what I've always wondered is why such an educated/intellectually snobbish town tolerates it? It's not a knock on former players but if you're going to be in broadcasting or representing a product/some product/a company, you NEED to be articulate. It's not limited to this market at all but I thought that producers around here would be more mindful of this.

      Like

      1. bsm Bonnie will be on Thursday and Friday. Chris Mannix will be on tomorrow. Both are significant upgrades from Ordway.

        Like

  4. Jerry Thornton at Barstool Sports and WEEI.com has been on fire lately. Eric Wilbur of Boston.com has backtracked from his Sunday rip job of Tom Brady. Thornton does a terrific job showing how little the media understands its target market. Gerry Callahan and Tony Masserotti are in Thornton's cross-hairs. You may disagree with his take on Barstool Sports but the rest of it is dead on. http://boston.barstoolsports.com/m/random-thought…

    P.S. Since Greg Bedard has stopped complaining about getting information from Bill Belichick and has been focused on his work, he has become one of the finest Patriots writers around.

    Like

    1. Wow, I read that post. Right on spot.

      Quote:

      Eric Wilbur on Boston.com – To the hundreds that have demanded my immediate dismissal, the fan who hoped I got clipped by the Green Line, and even the Neanderthal who wished cancer upon me, I issue a mea culpa. Clearly, I never intended Sunday night’s column, written in the immediate aftermath of the Patriots’ loss in Super Bowl XLVI, to garner quite the widespread attention – and negativity – it happened to find over the course of the next 24 hours. Despite what has been theorized out there in various circles, it was not premeditated, nor was it a “joke post.” It wasn’t a sparkling display by any means either. As I’ve tried to convey, perhaps with illustrious failure, the over-the-top tone of the piece was intentional, meant to convey the frustration that Patriots fans had to be feeling after the crushing loss to the Giants… It backfired. Tremendously.

      Allow me to translate for you: “At the end of Agony Bowl II I saw an opening to pounce on Tom Brady and carry out a vendetta over some personal beef I have with him in an insane, over-the-top rant that made no sense to anyone but me. It blew up in face like a cartoon cigar and now here I am scrambling to claim I didn’t mean any of it in order to save what shred of dignity I have left. Please forget I ever said anything.”

      This is just Exhibit 175 in the case I’ve been making that much of the media in this town hasn’t the first goddamned clue about how their target audience is.

      ——-

      Spot on. A+. The torching of the usual suspects is also great. I really wish they listened. And, one of the commenters:
      —-
      Will we get the Bob Hohler article accusing Belichick of abusing prescription medication this week or next?
      —
      Bonus points.

      Like

      1. I know that there are people that dislike Barstool Sports but Thornton and the Rear Admiral are absolute must reads. Both are funny and very informative.

        Like

  6. So, the latest "media attacking media" is Steve DeOssie?

    "After a viral video surfaced of Steve Deossie "dishing" on the Patriots at a Giants rally in Indianapolis, Patriot fans are not exactly happy with Steve's outspokenness about the subject."
    http://audio.weei.com/a/51638602/steve-deossie-ba…

    Really?

    What happens when they go show off about playing some Pro-Am with Brady or someone else?

    He's a fan of a team he played for and his son is on? MY GOD THE CRIME! LOCK HIM UP AND THROW AWAY THE KEY! BLASPHEMY!

    It is hilarious hearing John Dennis screaming at the top of his lungs about credibility…

    Like

    1. I do think DeOssie deserves to take some shots for that, to be honest bsm. It's fine that he is an alumni of the Giants and his son plays for them — the issue isn't whether or not he should be supportive of either. The issue is going to a pep rally and taking some slight but obvious shots ("I've struggled in New England") at the area that has rewarded his broadcast career and stakehouse, as well as the team that basically employs him (doesn't Kraft Sports produce Patriots Gameday on WBZ?). None of that seems very smart to me — but then again, maybe he just isn't very smart?

      Like

      1. Doc,

        I did take a second take on this after hearing more. I thought that the story was DeOssie was just giving a shout out to his son and former team, even with it "conflicting" interests up here. After I did some more digging for the original video and looked at some of the posts here, it seems like he went beyond the paternal love. Bruce updated a post on there and I'll continue the debate/tread there.

        Like

    2. Doesn't "dishing" on someone mean letting all their secrets out? "Dissing" is when you slam someone publicly.

      Like

  7. Patriots.com posted an entry today on the schedule:
    http://www.patriots.com/news/article-1/2012-Patri…

    Besides the usual home/away within the div,

    Home: 49ers, Texans, Broncos, Cards, Colts
    Away: Ravens, Titans, Seahawks, Jags, Rams (London?)

    ——-
    Rapsheet was on D C @ 9:05 (audio will be up) but projects that 85 is gone, they'll draft 2xWR, probably sign one and spend the rest of the picks on D. He said there is a good chance that Brandon Lloyd will follow Josh McDaniels. Article on that and free agent WRs here: http://www.turfshowtimes.com/2012/2/6/2775315/201…

    Great video showing a horrid Tebow pass to Lloyd this year: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uw_u7Om4cjY

    Like

    1. Thanks for the links. I know anything can happen — but honestly that schedule looks very similar to this season. Out of division is very workable with just one really tough road game (Ravens instead of Steelers) and two difficult games at home (49ers, Texans).

      Rap is dead on about the WR's too. Would love to see them go for Michael Floyd from ND though he's probably going to go too high, though one mock draft I've seen has him slipping to about 26….would be a good "value" pick at that price.

      Like

Comments are closed.