RATINGS BLOCKBUSTER
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James Joyner | Tuesday, November 18, 2003 |
Yahoo! Sports reports that
The New England Patriots’ 12-0 victory over the Dallas Cowboys was the most watched cable television program in eight years and the fifth-largest audience in the history of cable television.The game featured a matchup between coaches Bill Belichick of New England and Bill Parcells of Dallas, who spent 15 years coaching together, including four seasons with the Patriots, when Parcells was the head coach and Belichick his top assistant.
Even though there was little excitement on the field, the coaching story was enough to draw a 9.6 rating and 15 share on ESPN on Sunday night, or approximately 8.45 million households.
***
The most-watched show in cable history was CNN’s debate over the North American Free Trade Agreement on Nov. 9, 1993. The rest of the shows in the top 10 are all NFL games.
Pretty impressive, given the sheer number of programs on cable. Still, an early season Monday Night Football game last year between the then-woeful Cowboys and the still-woeful Redskins outdrew a deciding game in the MLB playoffs.
(Hat tip: Steven Taylor)
About the Author: James Joyner is the publisher of Outside the Beltway and the managing editor of the Atlantic Council. He's a former Army officer, Desert Storm vet, and college professor with a PhD in political science from The University of Alabama. He lives just outside the Beltway in Alexandria, Virginia with his wife and infant daughter.
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