FOOTBALL SCORES HUGE WEEKEND RATINGS

And they say that there is no audience for television on Saturdays anymore! Well, how do “they” explain the fact that an average of 30.09 million viewers turned in for NFL Football Wild Card Saturday? The number of viewers who watched the game between the New Orleans Saints and the Philadelphia Eagles actually peaked in the 8:00 p.m. half hour with 34.92 million. But if you think that number is huge, consider the fact that Fox’s NFL overrun on Sunday drew 41.51 million viewers in the 7:00 p.m. hour and 35.84 million during the 7:30-8:00 half hour. With that kind of lead-in, Fox’s The Simpsons became the second-highest-rated show for the night, with 12.04 million viewers. NBC, however, without Sunday Night Football in its Sunday-night lineup for the first time since September, once again retreated to last place in the ratings (tied with ABC) for the night.