NBC Sticking With The Irish Through 2015

Thursday, June 19, 2008


I remember a post from last year where everyone hammered NBC for hanging with Notre Dame. Last year's ratings for the partnership were just abysmal and for that NBC has decided to re-up with the University....

NBC Sports Chairman Dick Ebersol and Notre Dame President Rev. John I. Jenkins announced an extension of the TV contract to broadcast Irish football games on NBC through 2015.

2015 will mark the 25th year for Notre Dame on NBC.

“We are thrilled to continue this landmark partnership with Notre Dame," Ebersol said during a conference call. “Notre Dame defines who we at NBC Sports are: from the Olympics, to the U.S. Golf Open to Notre Dame.”

The new deal officially begins in 2011, and will allow NBC to broadcast 8 Notre Dame games, 7 of which will be played at Notre Dame Stadium and the 8th to be played off-site in primetime.

An off-site game will also be broadcasted by NBC in 2009 (Washington State) and 2010.

“This is a great day for Notre Dame," Father Jenkins said in the same conference call. "Our fans get to see 8 games broadcast across the nation in their living rooms on NBC.”
I know NBC is loaded with great shows in primetime, but what the hell happened to Sports on the network? If you're openly admitting that your three best draws are the Olympics, the U.S. Open and Notre Dame Football....you might have a problem. Just saying.

Notre Dame, NBC Sports extend football contract thru 2015 (WNDU.com)
Notre Dame Football Ratings On NBC Are Ridiculously Low (Awful Announcing)

Posted by Awful Announcing- at 1:32 PM

23 Comments:

Huh? The US Open does better ratings than the NBA & MLB playoffs, save for the championship series.

And Notre Dame football is a function of how good the team is. In 2005 & 2006, ND games were consisently the highest rated college football game of the week. People love trashing ND and point at last season, while ignoring what happens when they're good. NBC is taking a gamble that ND will be ranked and relevant. And when they are, they get the best ratings. Look it up.

Anonymous said...
Jun 19, 2008, 1:53:00 PM  

Ummm sorry Sean but the US Open didn't come that close to the NBA Playoffs. On Sunday Golf got an 8.5 while Game Five got a 12.1. That's about four million households my friend.

I understand that the ratings are good when the team is good, but the team IS NOT going to be good any time soon. College Football is obviously better when they are good, but you've got to face the facts.

Jun 19, 2008, 1:56:00 PM  

great news, with the money from the contract makes a lot of scholarships hopefully one for me

Anonymous said...
Jun 19, 2008, 2:15:00 PM  

nbc sports died after they lost the NFL (in 1997 to CBS), the MLB (in 2000), the NBA (in 2002). They tried to cover XFL and Arena League. NBC is relevant only a few weekends a year (Debry, Preakness, Sunday Football, US Open, Wimbeldon and NHL finals [probably a strech]

Anonymous said...
Jun 19, 2008, 2:45:00 PM  

"Ummm sorry Sean but the US Open didn't come that close to the NBA Playoffs. On Sunday Golf got an 8.5 while Game Five got a 12.1. That's about four million households my friend."

I said save for the championship series. The US Open outdrew the playoffs before that.

Anonymous said...
Jun 19, 2008, 2:55:00 PM  

Ebersol said: "from olympics to ND football". So, between them are SNF and NHL.

Anonymous said...
Jun 19, 2008, 3:08:00 PM  

"I understand that the ratings are good when the team is good, but the team IS NOT going to be good any time soon. College Football is obviously better when they are good, but you've got to face the facts."

A 7-5 Notre Dame outdraws the 330 ABC and CBS games. From NBC's perspective, why not take the risk? ND has a higher ceiling than any other college football team/conference with the exception of USC. All ND has to do is win 8 games, get the talking heads going crazy and their game because the highest-rated of the weekend.

Since 1993, I believe the top 5 rated regular season games all involve ND except for the OSU/Michigan 1/2 game.

Anonymous said...
Jun 19, 2008, 3:27:00 PM  

The US Open outdrew the playoffs before that.

Why would early round playoff MLB/NBA series ever outdraw the last round of a golf major with Tiger in contention?

Anonymous said...
Jun 19, 2008, 3:28:00 PM  

Notre Dame & the Olympics both have something in common: they matter every four years.

Anonymous said...
Jun 19, 2008, 3:37:00 PM  

Top 5 recruiting class the last 3 years they will be good for years to come...

The fact everyone talks about them every year whether they are good or bad means they are still relevant

Anonymous said...
Jun 19, 2008, 3:43:00 PM  

The fact everyone talks about them every year whether they are good or bad means they are still relevant

When did Notre Dame become the college football version of the New York Knicks?

Anonymous said...
Jun 19, 2008, 3:50:00 PM  

Ha...good call Anon. Look people I understand your love for your team, but ND's ratings were in the 2's last year. That's about what Euro 2008 is getting for ESPN.

Jun 19, 2008, 3:53:00 PM  

You'd think Ebersol would mention Sunday Night Football, and that their network has the next Super Bowl.

Anonymous said...
Jun 19, 2008, 4:10:00 PM  

Fuck Touchdown Jesus!

GMoney said...
Jun 19, 2008, 4:13:00 PM  

So we have to wait until 2015 now for Notre Dame to join the 21st Century and join a bleeping conference and help facilitate a playoff?

Morgan Wick said...
Jun 19, 2008, 4:37:00 PM  

If anyone cares, the 8th game in 2011 will be at the Cowboys stadium in Arlington, TX vs. Arizona State.

Anonymous said...
Jun 19, 2008, 4:52:00 PM  

@morgan wick:

All you have to wait for is for Jim Delaney to retire, since his Pac-10 counterpart is retiring in 2009. Besides, I don't think the Insight Bowl will be in the BCS rotation by 2015, so Notre Dame won't be a factor, either.

Jun 19, 2008, 6:48:00 PM  

Why do ratings from last year matter? When you are as horrible at football as that team was of course ratings will be down. The thing is that it can only go up from that and ratings will steadily rise...you can't argue with their recruiting classes there will be plenty of talent there for several years.

Only thing that is the problem is the fat/arrogant coach who can only win with taped signals.

Drew said...
Jun 19, 2008, 9:07:00 PM  

AA...I think you're a bit off the mark...
NBC is loaded with great shows? They are? In primetime they have ER, Earl, The Office, that show with Tina Fey and that's it...the rest sucks with a capital S...Trust me...I SOLD those shows!

And saying NBC's best sports draws are the Olympics, the US Open and ND football is pretty foolish...see they air this thing on Sunday Nights during the fall...maybe you've heard of the National Football League...

Next time you decide to post, lay off the bottle, OK AA?

Anonymous said...
Jun 19, 2008, 9:37:00 PM  

Read the post again my friend...I wasn't the one who said those were NBC's best Sports draws. Some guy named Ebersol said it....you may have heard of him.

Jun 19, 2008, 9:43:00 PM  

NBC is in the gutters right now, and this just proves it. ABC has no sports but at least their primetime shows are successful, NBC gets low ratings on everything.

Anonymous said...
Jun 19, 2008, 11:09:00 PM  

¿Ebersol? Yes, Christa Miller uncle.

Anonymous said...
Jun 20, 2008, 1:10:00 AM  

NBC and Notre Dame deserve each other...

Anonymous said...
Jun 30, 2008, 6:12:00 PM  

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