The Superbowl’s become this yearly event in America that it draws both hardcore and casual fans in without fail. Even for someone like me who doesn’t like football, we watch because it’s part of the “specialness” of the event, and for the commercials. It will draw in tens of millions of viewers more than anything on for the rest of the year.
How well do counter programming do against this massive juggernaut? Has there been a lot of ratings-grabbers for other networks that are successful in siphoning off the non-Superbowl crowd?
If not, then counter programming seems weird to me. I see commercials every year for shows with special or new episodes on other networks like they have a chance at beating the superbowl. Some shows have advertised as the anti-superbowl. And while I don’t work in TV and probably don’t have the ego of someone who does, isn’t it better if they just give up? Throw up a cheap re-run of something. Let the Superbowl win. Hell, have the Emergency Broadcast Channel on through the entire 3 hours. Why not? You’re not going to beat them or come close. Just have things on before and after, but don’t try to program against it.
Puppy Bowl seems to work because it is easy to switch over for a couple of minutes and then return to the game. They start running it during the pre-game show, which is when I tune in and get my fill of cuteness. Since the ads are as much a part of the experience as the game, switching to another channel, even for a few seconds is frowned upon.
About 20 years ago we always got the Mother-Daughter beauty pageant on TV vs. the Super Bowl. Not sure if that is still around but I don’t see it on TV now.
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Tough call, whether this belongs in the Game Room or Cafe Society. Since it’s basically a discussion of television, I moved it to Cafe Society.
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I remember when MTV and Fox did counter SuperBowl Halftime Show programming one year. I seem to recall an “In Living Color” live sketch show back in the 90’s. Must not have been very successful, though because I’ve never seen anything like it from other networks.
Yeah…, last year I got so caught up on the Puppy Bowl I forgot to change back for the Superbowl commercials. I heard I didn’t miss much, though.
What I think is hilarious is that my church has a Superbowl party in the gymnasium (which has a pretty sweet [homemade] back projected TV). I think they finally gave up on people missing that Sunday, and just decided to embrace it. They have a devotional during the half time show.
One year Bravo had a gay-weddings show and ran a marathon of those, which I thought was brilliant. Puppy Bowl it is, for me - I always look forward to the Kitten Half Time Show, though it’s , uh, very laid back.
I remember MTV running a special “Beavis and Butthead” episode where Pres. Clinton visited their high school. It even had a ticker in the corner that showed how much time was left until the second half started. Supposedly that’s why the Super Bowl tries to have superstars at halftime these days.
TCM had the best counterprogramming–they ran “Gone With the Wind” several years in a row against football earlier this decade. This indicates it’s no longer the case, but “Wuthering Heights” and “Pink Panther” are very good substitutes.
They need to run something against the halftime show. geez THE WHO?? or as mydaughter called em. THe WHoa? Come on… just show some act under 30… please…
i would watch something almost anything against that godawful halftime show..
If the Super Bowl were JUST a sporting event, it would be easy to counterprogram.
To use an example of what I mean, some years back, a Jackie Collins miniseries starring Nicollette Sheridan was broadcast opposite the World Series, and it BEAT the World Series handily in the ratings. That’s because the World Series is purely a sporting event, and is of interest almost exclusively to men, and to men who are passionate sports fans at. That left tens of millions of women who cared little about sports and less about baseball, who wanted to see something else.
But the Super Bowl isn’t like the World Series. Sure, sports fanatics watch the Super Bowl, but so do millions of people who rarely watch sports otherwise. Millions of people who don’t know who Drew Brees and Jim Caldwell are will be watching the game at a party in two weeks.
So, there’s not a large untapped audience on February 7, as there is at World Series time. All you can do is find a small niche market to serve.
