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Oh, sweet nostalgia,
bowling's revival
Where on ESPN celebs shoe up. Very very 50s.
By Toni Fitzgerald
Four years ago celebrity poker seemed like a
ridiculous idea. Now networks as disparate as E! and Bravo have their own
versions following the success of poker shows on Travel Channel, ESPN and
FSN.
Get ready for what ESPN hopes will be the next poker-like
craze. “Bowling Night,” a show featuring celebrity bowlers such as
Philadelphia Eagle Terrell Owens and WNBA star Alana Beard, debuts Tuesday
at 8 p.m. on a night when ESPN has successfully launched several shows.
That’s where the controversial but highly rated “Playmakers”
aired two years ago. And it’s also where last summer’s “World Series
of Poker” drew record ratings.
ESPN will hope for ratings similar to “Poker” for “Bowling.”
That show averaged more than 1.5 million households in its debut and was
especially strong among men 18-49 and 18-34.
“Bowling Night’s” success may ultimately depend on how
entertaining the various celebrities can be. But even if Beard shows up in
a towel and runs off with TO, it’s hard to envision any new
fringe-appealing cable show averaging more than a 1.0 household rating
when it airs in the same timeslot as Fox’s “American Idol.”
That’s the biggest hurdle in the show’s way. When
“Playmakers” and “Poker” aired, “Idol” was off the air. Even
though “Bowling Night” will target a different audience than “Idol’s”
teen base, it’s still a rough timeslot.
Bowling does not have the rabid fan base that poker
does, but pro bowling ratings have actually increased year-to-year for the
past three seasons.
Through last month, ESPN’s Professional Bowlers Association
event ratings were up 16.2 percent over the 2003-'04 season to an
average 823,000 households.
The previous season averaged 709,000 households, up 6.5
percent over 2002-’03, which averaged 666,000. Bowling ratings tend to
rise slightly in the winter and spring, when the Saturday and Sunday
afternoon events don’t air opposite NFL games.
According to the PBA, there are 55 million bowlers in the
United States, making it the nation’s top participatory sport. That
includes 21 million youth bowlers. A 1996 study, the most recent
available, found that Americans spend $10 billion per year on bowling.
But will a regular league bowler really want to watch
TO and Alana knock down pins? Hard to say, based on the results for
celebrity poker shows.
While being bounced around Bravo’s schedule, “Celebrity
Poker” has drawn respectable but not outstanding ratings. The third
season last summer averaged 631,000 adults 18-49, which means it’s far
from a top-20 basic cable show.
And E!’s recent “Hollywood Hold ‘Em,” which
features C-list stars to “Celebrity Poker’s” A- and B-list, hasn’t
generated much buzz.
In other sports ratings news last week, Monday’s NCAA men’s
basketball title game between North Carolina and Illinois averaged a 15.0
household rating and 23 share, up 36 percent over last year’s 11.0/18.
CBS says 45.6 million people saw at least some of the game, a
21.6 percent increase over last year’s 37.5 million and the best
audience since 48 million watched Kentucky and Utah in 1998.
CBS finished with its best tournament since 1998, averaging a
6.9/15, up 11 percent over last year.
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NETWORK
SPORTS
Ranked on Households
Week Ending March 27 |
|
# |
PROGRAMS |
Net |
Episode |
Households |
Persons 2+ |
|
US Rtg% |
Shr |
(000) |
(000) |
|
1 |
CBS NCAA BSKBL
CHAMP SA-2(S)-4/2 |
CBS |
UNC VS
MICH ST |
10.9 |
19 |
11937 |
17548 |
|
2 |
CBS NCAA BSKBL
CHAMP-SA-1(S)-4/2 |
CBS |
ILL VS
LOUISVILLE |
10.0 |
20 |
10961 |
15657 |
|
3 |
FOX NASCAR
NEXTEL CUP |
FOX |
LIVE FROM
BRISTOL |
6.3 |
16 |
6907 |
9750 |
|
4 |
WWE SMACKDOWN! |
UPN |
|
3.6 |
6 |
3956 |
5506 |
|
5 |
BELLSOUTH
CLASSIC
GOLF-SU(S)-4/3 |
NBC |
|
2.4 |
6 |
2616 |
3474 |
|
6 |
PLAYERS CHAMP
-MON(S)-3/28/ |
NBC |
FINAL
ROUND |
2.2 |
6 |
2380 |
2885 |
|
7 |
BELLSOUTH
CLASSIC GOLF-SA(S)-4/2 |
NBC |
|
2.2 |
5 |
2456 |
3271 |
|
8 |
NBA ON ABC
SUN 2 |
ABC |
DALLS AT CVLND/
MINN AT SCRMNTO |
2.1 |
5 |
2344 |
2846 |
|
9 |
NBA ON ABC
SUN 1 |
ABC |
PHILA. AT
BOSTON |
1.8 |
5 |
1998 |
2335 |
|
10 |
FLA.
DERBY(S)-4/2 |
ABC |
|
1.7 |
4 |
1850 |
2249 |
|
11 |
CBS SPORTS
SPECT.-SA |
CBS |
NASDAQ 100
OPEN
TENNIS-WMN
FNL |
1.5
|
4 |
1631 |
2014 |
|
12 |
CBS SPORTS
SPECT.-SU |
CBS |
NASDAQ 100 OPEN
TENNIS-MEN FNL |
1.5 |
4 |
1594 |
1955 |
|
13 |
NBC ARENA
FOOTBALL |
NBC |
LA AT ORLANDO/
PHIL AT COLUMBUS |
0.7 |
2 |
785 |
1012 |
|
14 |
PURINA INCR
DOG CHAL
3/31(S |
PAX |
|
0.4 |
1 |
490 |
629 |
|
15 |
REAL PRO
WRESTLING |
PAX |
|
0.1 |
0 |
118 |
140 |
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Source: Nielsen Media Research |
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April 11, 2005
©
2005
Media Life
- Toni
Fitzgerald is a staff writer for Media Life.
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