FOOTBALL TELECAST HIGHEST RATED SINCE FEBRUARY

The runover of Sunday’s NFL on CBS game between the Dallas Cowboys and the Denver Broncos may have drawn nearly 30 million viewers (29.02 million), according to preliminary figures released by the network earlier today (Monday). If the figures hold, it was the highest-rated program aired by any network since the Academy Awards telecast last February 24. The telecast also skewed ratings for the shows that followed. Nielsen put the audience for 60 Minutes, which followed the game, at 24.75 million for its first half hour and 17.03 million for its second. Meanwhile, NBC’s own NFL coverage with Sunday Night Football fell to 14.35 million viewers from 18.47 a week ago.