The Office Likely To Be Seen By 25 Million After Super Bowl

Categories: Broadcast TV,TV Ratings Reference

(139) Comments - Add Yours!

1. Julia

   Posted January 8, 2009 at 11:30 AM

   I voted 25-30, but that’s definitely the upper limit. The Office won’t be breaking any records, that’s for sure.

2. Plutonic Dude

   Posted January 8, 2009 at 11:37 AM

   With special guest stars such as Jessica Alba and Jack Black, The Office should easily get 25 million viewers. I don’t think it will get over 35 million though — it’s not a mega hit show like Friends or Grey’s Anatomy. If Third Rock From the Sun was able to get 30+ million viewers, I don’t see why The Office can’t.

   The special 3D episode of Chuck should get 12-13 million viewers. I think a lot of families with young kids will tune in; similar to those Christmas Cartoon Specials.

3. johnthemon

   Posted January 8, 2009 at 11:50 AM

   I’m thinking it will definitely top 20 million. No way will it get over 35.

4. Matt

   Posted January 8, 2009 at 11:54 AM

   It’s gonna beat Alias that’s for sure. It’ll probably beat Malcolm in the Middle and The Simpsons. So I’m thinking round 25 million? I’m hoping for more but I’m trying not to get my hopes to high up. Definately in 20-25, but here’s hoping it’s higher.

   Jack Black & Jessica Alba should help get football fans to stick around.

5. R.G.

   Posted January 8, 2009 at 12:41 PM

   Ahhh ’86 & 89…Original movies were aired…those were the days!

6. Daniel

   Posted January 8, 2009 at 12:42 PM

   I think it will be a lot but it doesn’t necessarily mean that 25-35 million people are actually watching it, it is probably just going to be background noise for super bowl parties, and people that have to work early may just turn their TV off but their cable/dish box is still on so it is going to say that they watched it but they actually didn’t.

7. R.G.

   Posted January 8, 2009 at 12:53 PM

   Oh and this is the first time in 10 years NBC will have the Superbowl…they must be drooling at the mouth…well becoming more like the CW next year…
   (you know leno- 5 nights a week)

8. Joleen

   Posted January 8, 2009 at 12:54 PM

   Watch Wipeout instead………

9. Ricardo

   Posted January 8, 2009 at 1:17 PM

   Why isn’t Chuck after Super Bowl? They have the 3D episode!

10. Bill Gorman

    Posted January 8, 2009 at 1:20 PM

    Ricardo, writing as someone who originally (mistakenly) posted this with the story “3-D Chuck after the Super Bowl likely to be seen…”, I agree! What was NBC thinking!

11. Robert Seidman

    Posted January 8, 2009 at 1:22 PM

    NBC was probably thinking this: we’re not going to promote a show that’s not produced by NBC Universal after the Super Bowl. Chuck is Warner Brothers produced. Although House (which is an NBCU produced show!) aired on FOX last year after the Super Bowl, I think Fox didn’t really have an option, especially with the WGA Strike.

12. Julia

    Posted January 8, 2009 at 1:25 PM

    I think it’s more a question of why are they bothering with 3D Chuck than why The Office. While in the long term, airing a new show or trying to promote a lower rated show would be a wise choice, The Office is more likely to get 25 mil+ after the Super Bowl, and NBC wants to cash in on that. I just don’t think Chuck would be able to get what The Office will post-Super Bowl, and I guess NBC agrees with me.

13. TheoreticalPsychic

    Posted January 8, 2009 at 1:25 PM

    Yeah, I’m not seeing massive numbers for this either and I don’t think it will do anything for Office viewership in the future.

14. Julia

    Posted January 8, 2009 at 1:30 PM

    Robert, I disagree. It may be WB produced, but the ad dollars go to NBC. If airing Chuck after the Super Bowl meant that its regular ratings could increase significantly, NBC would be the beneficiary of that. Why wouldn’t NBC want that?

15. Anthony

    Posted January 8, 2009 at 1:31 PM

    In an archived Programming Insider issue, the 1989 NBC movie after the Super Bowl was actually Part 1 of a mini-series (remember those on TV?) entitled “Brotherhood of the Rose” which drew 31.97 million viewers.

16. Robert Seidman

    Posted January 8, 2009 at 1:42 PM

    Julia, I’m not a big believer that anything NBC could do — including airing after the Super Bowl would change Chuck’s (or any other show’s) ratings for the long-term. It won’t bump the Office’s ratings over the long haul either, but for that Sunday they could probably sell the ads for it for a bit more than they could Chuck’s. Plus, promoting The Office is somewhat by default promoting The Office on DVD which has done pretty well.

    Unfortunately NBC isn’t working with very much. I don’t think 30 Rock has ever been expanded to an hour where The Office has frequently. None of the Law & Orders work because if they air right after the Super Bowl on all coasts as House did last year, it’s too early for Law & Order: SVU on the west coast. It seems like Office, Chuck, and Biggest Loser were the only options. In terms of maximizing profits, I think they made the right choice.

17. Anthony

    Posted January 8, 2009 at 1:43 PM

    You sure 24.821 million viewers watched the 1992 60 Minutes special, which featured Bill & Hillary Clinton? According to Marc Berman in 2003 (http://www.mediaweek.com/mw/esearch/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1805239), it attracted 33.96 million.

18. Bill Gorman

    Posted January 8, 2009 at 1:50 PM

    Anthony, that table was copied directly from the Nielsen data, so no typo potential from me. Other than that I cannot explain the difference.

19. Robert Seidman

    Posted January 8, 2009 at 1:52 PM

    Anthony, while we honestly aren’t sure, we ARE sure that in the spreadsheet Nielsen provides called “Program after the Super Bowl” the data listed above is what’s in it. Even for the 1992 60 Minutes.

20. Robert Seidman

    Posted January 8, 2009 at 1:52 PM

    too slow…