One Crazy Weekend for the NFL and TV

The NFL came back with a bang.

The World Champion Eagles won the Thursday night opener, but the love-em or hate-em Cowboys showed they were still relevant, even without their traded pass-rushing star Micah Parsons. People will tune in to see what those Cowboy's do next.

The seismic event for the TV and sports business was Friday’s game which put a live NFL game on YouTube. That’s the most popular TV programming on the most-watched video streaming platform. It was the Pat Mahomes-Travis Kelce Swift Chiefs against the Los Angeles Chargers.  Will things ever be the same?

Technically, the game seemed to go off without a hitch. I was able to find the game pretty easily on both my TV and my laptop. I got a clean, clear picture on both devices. And the game broadcast–produced by NBC Sports–looked like a professional job.

YouTube star MrBeast showed up pregame. As part of his bit, he found a big Chargers fan and an enthusiastic Chiefs fan. He said the fan of the winning team would get Super Bowl tickets. The loser would be shot out of a “cannon,” fly through a set of inflatable goal posts into a pool. After the game, the disappointed Chief fan dutifully submitted, flew through the air, splashed down and didn’t seem much worse for wear.

During the game, there was a lot of promotion for Google and YouTube products, most importantly YouTube TV and NFL Sunday Ticket. (We saw a lot of Jason Kelce, Sunday Ticket spokesman, all weekend and Travis scored too.)

It was funny to hear that “YouTube welcomes you to this presentation of the National Football League.” We’re more used to YouTube bringing us homemade videos, not million-dollar athletes.

Other familiar NFL advertisers turned out for the game. The first quarter was “brought to you by” Jeep, Bud Light, Capital One and Nationwide.

Also streaming spots were Air BNB, Arby’s Buffalo Wild Wings, Volkswagen, Nike, Dunkin (which sponsored Skycam), NFL+, Lucid, Experion, Downy and several movies.  Some media companies jumped into the stream, including Disney’s ESPN Bundle and Warner Bros. Discovery touting the new CNN streaming service.

Many of Sunday’s game were pretty wild, capped by the Bills coming back from a 15-point fourth-quarter deficit to beat the Ravens. 

I don’t have to tell you to tune in for the rest of the season. I think we’ll be seeing some record viewing and I can’t wait to see the numbers, especially the ones for YouTube. 

Unfortunately, numbers for the YouTube game will not be coming from Nielsen. Instead, whatever numbers we’ll see will be coming from YouTube and the NFL. That gameplan is often called “grading your own homework.”

The top ratings guy at Fox, Mike Mulvihill, went to X to complain that Nielsen does not plan to share its estimate of YouTube viewing of the Chief and Chargers with its other clients.Mulvihill called the plan “a slap in the face to long-standing clients amd assert that “.hen it comes to streamers the rules simply don’t apply.”

He added that “Nielsen’s strength isn’t in perfect accuracy, and I don’t say that in a snarky way. Their value comes from impartiality and transparency. When they move away from those tenets they undermine what makes them the only essential data source in media.”

ESPN’s senior VP for research Flora Kelly added that “the latest wrinkle [is] a custom methodology that Nielsen created for YouTube's NFL game.   Not the same approach as the rest of us, nor MRC accredited.  Conclusion ... their rating is not a fair comp.”

Game on.

SAME OLD JETS

My brother was visiting me in Chicago from the West Coast and on Sunday we got to sit down and watch the Jets, the team we’ve been rooting for–and getting disappointed by–since we were kids.

The Jets played the Steelers and former Steelers (and Bears) quarterback Justin Fields threw some great passes, ran for three TDs, and the Jets were winning. Then I made the mistake of turning the channel during a commercial to the Giants-Commanders game. Terry McLaurin dove for a pass and the refs called it incomplete. McLaurin insisted he caught the ball and coach Dan Quinn asked for a replay. I waited to see how the review would turn out and, after another bunch of commercials, the call was upheld.

When I turned back to the Jets game a 26-24 lead had disappeared and the Jets were losing. 31-26. Fields let the Jets back into the lead, but Aaron Rogers, who killed the Jets when he played for them, took the Steelers into field goal range. Kicker Chris Bowell cleared the crossbar with several yards to spare from 60 yards out. And the Jets lost again, 34-32. Ugh. Some things don’t change.

BRONX CHEER IN QUEENS

Donald Trump grew up in Queens, N.Y.  He now calls Florida and Washington home, but he returned to Queens on Sunday and got (mostly) booed at the U.S. Open.  

Trump decided he and a few of his White House buddies should see some tennis at Arthur Ashe Stadium and they attended as guests of sponsor Rolex. (Will Trump buy a watch? Did he buy a Tesla?)

The extra security meant the Final match was delayed nearly an hour.

Before the match it was reported that the United States Tennis Association requested that broadcasters “refrain from showcasing any disruptions or reactions in response the the president’s attendance in any capacity.”

Some called that censorship; the USTA said it regularly asks broadcasters to refrain from showing off-court disruptions.

Either way, viewers heard what New Yorkers on ABC/ESPN. 

The New York Times said Trump stayed for the entire match and the trophy presentation. He autographed a few caps for fans, and stood and clapped for both players during their speeches before leaving the stadium.

Will the president send troops to N.Y. next? As Rick said in Casablanca, “There are certain sections of New York that I wouldn't advise you to invade.”