So you wanted the Harbaugh Bowl? While sibling rivalries are really fun to put on a national stage, is that what the suits at the National Football League office wanted? If this was the NBA or MLB, the conspiracy theorists would be shouting from the tops of very tall buildings. And people might lend an ear to them, but conspiracy theorists have no room at the table in the NFL. While the NBA or MLB rely heavily on the matchups in the championship series to drive TV ratings, the NFL does not rely on the matchups to drive the ratings.
The Neilson Company shows that the most watched television shows of all-time, and the recent Super Bowls top the list.| Program | Date | Network | Avg. # of Viewers (000) |
| Super Bowl XLV | February 6, 2011 | FOX | 111,010 |
| Super Bowl XLIV | February 7, 2010 | CBS | 106,476 |
| M*A*S*H Special | February 28, 1983 | CBS | 105,970 |
| Super Bowl XLIII | February 1, 2009 | NBC | 98,732 |
| Super Bowl XLII | February 3, 2008 | FOX | 97,448 |
| Super Bowl XXX | January 28, 1996 | NBC | 94,076 |
The Giants vs. Patriots matchup in 2008 was understandably a record setting matchup. The Patriots were looking to become the first team to finish an entire season undefeated since the 1972 Dolphins. They had just beaten the Giants in the last week of the regular season. Tom Brady was striving for perfection. But in his way was Peyton’s little brother. It became the most viewed Super Bowl of all time.
The next year could be argued was a down year in terms of media markets making the Super Bowl. The Cardinals representing the (602) are the 15th largest media market. Pittsburgh is the 23rd largest market, nothing like the previous year with NY (1st) and Boston (9th). But that game set higher records than the previous year’s game.
In 2010, a couple other small market teams faced each other. Imagine the ratings in the NBA Finals if the Pacers played the Hornets. Talk about a media nightmare. But the Colts vs. Saints set another record of viewership based for a Super Bowl. In fact, this game became the most watched television program of all time.
In 2011, in $1 billion Jerry World (also known as Cowboy Stadium), a new record was set. The matchup between the Green Bay Packers (118th in media market size) played the Pittsburgh Steelers. Again, another record.
Why is it that the NFL can continually post record setting TV ratings? The NFL differs between the two franchises by sharing all media revenues equally across teams. This allows these small market teams, often historic franchises, to compete with the large market franchises. The NBA and MLB allow teams to sign exclusive media deals in addition to league wide contracts. Thus the Yankees, Red Sox, and Mets capture huge revenues from media rights while other teams based in small markets are left struggling for local media revenues. As such, these leagues need large market teams to make the championship games to capture the television ratings. But not the NFL. And because of the number of viewers who watch the big game, we all can enjoy the ads.
