Is Brady's Injury a Financial Disaster?

Super Bowl ratings would be even better than normal

(NEWSER) - Sorry, San Diego, but the NFL is rooting for the Patriots. New England and its pursuit of perfection have racked up historic ratings all season: the Patriots' final regular-season game was the most watched TV program of the season, and the highest-rated NFL game since 1995. If they beat the Chargers, Fox might wind up with the most watched Super Bowl of all time, MarketWatch reports. More»

Networks retune their lineup to court young viewers

(NEWSER) - Network TV's big hits—Modern Family, The Cleveland Show, NCIS: Los Angeles—join a pack of losers and losing news: NBC viewership is down 10% among young adults, ABC and CBS have slipped, too, and Eastwick, Hank, and Trauma have already been canceled. The LA Times surveys the playing field, mid-season.

• Comedy rules—kinda: Modern Family has reeled in 10.6 million viewers, but networks are still struggling to find the Friends or Seinfeld of the late aughts.

Zucker trumpets new model; Moonves aims for hit shows

(NEWSER) - America’s oldest TV broadcasters see very different roads ahead as they navigate today’s world of splintering audiences, Advertising Age reports. NBC is carving a new path, dropping five hours of potential scripted shows a week for a nightly Jay Leno show, and banking on its cable channels. CBS, meanwhile, is committed to big broadcast hits to keep viewers watching. More»

Southland , Parks and Recreation lead upturn

(NEWSER) - After years of poor ratings, NBC may be on the rebound with the help of two new series: cop show Southland and Amy Poehler’s comedy Parks and Recreation. Parks scored only 6.9 million total viewers, but it maintained 88% of The Office’s coveted young-adult audience. Southland topped CBS’ Harper’s Island in the 18-to-49 demographic and beat expectations by almost equaling Harper’s Island's total viewership. More»

34.5 million watched game on NFL Network, CBS and NBC

(NEWSER) - The Patriots' final step to an undefeated regular season—Saturday's victory over the Giants—attracted an estimated 34.5 million viewers, according to the Hollywood Reporter. The tally is the largest the NFL has managed since the 1995 Chiefs-Cowboys Thanksgiving game. The millions were divided among CBS and NBC, who were granted last minute rights to air the game, and the NFL Network. More»