The NFL playoffs delivered more awesome ratings with a pair of down-to-the-wire finishes on Sunday, while the WB got off to a strong start with the debut of reality series "High School Reunion."
According to metered-market overnight ratings from Nielsen, Sunday's late National Football League wildcard game between the New York Giants and San Francisco 49ers (4:45-8:15 p.m. ET) drew a whopping 21.6 rating/24 share -- the highest for a wildcard contest on any net since a Green Bay Packers-49ers game four years ago (24.2/40).
Game, which saw the victorious 49ers rally from a 24-point second-half deficit, peaked with a 28.8 rating in the final 15 minutes. Its top three local market scores came from New York (31.1/46), San Francisco/Oakland (32.6/62) and Tampa (34.8/48), which was keenly interested because its Buccaneers were set to play the winner of the Giants-49ers tussle.
This result marked a 21% improvement over last year's Sunday late game (17.9/32 for Baltimore-Miami on CBS) and was 18% better than Fox's early Sunday game last year (18.3/38 for San Francisco-Green Bay).
Earlier in the day, another thrilling wildcard finish -- the Pittsburgh Steelers rallying for four touchdowns in the final 19 minutes to win 36-33 -- averaged a big 20.2/39 on CBS, the best rating for an early Sunday wildcard game in eight years (22.0/47 for New England-Cleveland on NBC in January 1995).
It generated a 50.1/70 in Pittsburgh and a 42.0/65 in Cleveland. Just two days earlier, the college football championship game on ABC (featuring Ohio State) pulled down a 42.7/58 in the Cleveland market.
For the weekend, the NFL's four wildcard contests totaled 75.3 ratings points in the metered-market overnights, up 13% vs. last year (66.7) and 14% better than two years ago (66.3).
Fox, with the 49ers-Giants overrun and original episodes of its comedies, dominated Sunday primetime in all key measures, but the WB was able to enjoy some success with "High School Reunion."
The limited-run series, which reunites 17 former classmates from a high school in Illinois, averaged a 4.3 rating/6 share in overnight household ratings, retaining 93% of its strong lead-in from a firstrun "Charmed" (4.6/7). Delivery is the Frog's best in the 9 o'clock hour since September 1999.
"High School" will be replayed each week Thursday nights at 8, part of the net's revamped lineup that includes the new "Surreal Life" at 9:30.
Contact Rick Kissell at
rick.kissell@variety.com