Super Bowl counterprogramming

Although it is consistently one of the most watched television programs in the United States annually,[1] broadcasters have sometimes attempted to intentionally counterprogram against the Super Bowl by running new programming against the game as an alternative, such as special episodes of existing series, one-off special presentations, and previews of new series, typically during its halftime break.

The most prominent success of the concept came in 1992, when Fox broadcast a special, live edition of its sketch comedy program In Living Color during halftime at Super Bowl XXVI, taking advantage of the then-unpopular format of Super Bowl halftime shows, successfully drawing 22 million viewers, and prompting the NFL to book more prominent pop music acts to compete.

Broadcasters who do not air original programming against the Super Bowl will typically air reruns of existing programming—sometimes as marathons, prior to and during the game; in recent years, as they all broadcast NFL games or have ties to an outlet who does—and three of them alternate airing the game yearly—the United States' four major television networks have rarely broadcast new programming against the Super Bowl in an effort to protect the game's viewership as a sign of respect.

History

The practice was popularized by Fox: in the 1970s and 1980s, the majority of Super Bowl halftime shows were themed, musical spectacles that often featured marching bands and performance ensembles such as Up with People (who performed in four Super Bowl halftime shows between 1976 and 1986 and performed at the pre-game show of Super Bowl XXV in 1991). The group's halftime shows were described as being "wholesome" and "inoffensive" by critics, but were frequently lambasted for being dated and out of touch with modern popular culture—through this era, halftime shows involving Up With People received heavy critical derision.[2]

As an alternative, the then-fledging Fox aired a special live episode of its popular sketch comedy show In Living Color during halftime at Super Bowl XXVI (which featured a halftime show entitled "Winter Magic", a Winter Olympics-themed show starring Gloria Estefan). The live episode featured football-themed sketches (such as a football version of the recurring Men on...) and a clock counting down to the start of the third quarter. Frito-Lay served as the main sponsor of the broadcast, paying $2 million to hold all national advertising slots, and to help budget and promote the special. The special also included the announcement of a million-dollar winner in an accompanying contest. A CBS executive felt that the concept was "cute", but dismissed concerns that the ambush would have any major impact on the viewership of the Super Bowl. The special drew between 20 million and 25 million viewers; Nielsen estimated that CBS lost 10 ratings points during halftime as a result of the special.[3][4]

The unexpected success of the In Living Color special prompted the NFL to take steps to prevent the further loss of viewers at halftime during future games. Beginning at Super Bowl XXVII on NBC, the league began to invite major pop music performers to perform during the halftime show. The first of these, featuring Michael Jackson, led to a dramatic increase in viewership between halves—the first in the game's history. This practice continued until 2005; after an incident occurred at Super Bowl XXXVIII's halftime show where Justin Timberlake briefly exposed one of Janet Jackson's breasts, a string of subsequent halftime shows featuring a single, headlining classic rock act were held instead, until the return of pop acts in 2011, which was also broadcast on Fox.[3][5]

Even still, the league has continued to stay true to its goal of ensuring that the halftime show is as much of a spectacle as the game itself.[2] Super Bowl halftime shows rank as the most watched non-sports entertainment telecast in the U.S. annually since the 1992-1993 season. Moreover, counterprogramming against the Super Bowl has since been heavily discouraged after in December 1993, Fox acquired rights to the NFL's National Football Conference (NFC). The NFC was previously televised by CBS, and then by Fox beginning in the 1994 season, in a notable coup that helped to establish the network's position as a major network in its own right.[6][7]

As all four major U.S. television networks currently have ties to the NFL and broadcast its games (CBS, Fox, and NBC alternate airing the Super Bowl yearly and air regular season games, and ABC's parent company owns ESPN, which broadcasts Monday Night Football during the regular season, and has simulcast its wild card playoff game on ABC since 2016),[8] Phil Rosenthal of the Chicago Tribune believed that there was a gentleman's agreement between the networks not to air new programming against the Super Bowl. He argued that there was now "zero likelihood some broadcast network is going to launch a broadside against the NFL's showcase." As such, the networks not airing the game will typically air reruns of existing programs.[3][9] Fox provided an exception in 2010, when it aired new episodes of 'Til Death during the game as part of its effort to quietly burn off the series in unconventional time slots (such as having aired a marathon of four new episodes on Christmas Day), in order to reach enough episodes for syndication.[10][11]

Counterprogramming efforts are not limited to television; for Super Bowl XLV in 2011, WCHK-FM, a station in the Green Bay, Wisconsin area announced it would counterprogram the game with dead air, since the hometown Packers were in the game. However, its goal was not to attract listeners from the game, but to do the opposite.[12] The freeform program Anything Anything with Rich Russo has counterprogrammed the Super Bowl with Dr. Demento.[13] Counterprogramming expanded to the internet in 2015, when YouTube announced that it would broadcast an alternative, online halftime show featuring notable personalities from the video sharing service.[14]

List of notable Super Bowl halftime counterprograms

In regards to original programming, recurring Super Bowl counters have included Animal Planet's annual Puppy Bowl, a special featuring dogs at play in a model football stadium (which itself spawned imitators—the Kitten Bowl and Fish Bowl, in 2014),[15][16] and the Lingerie Bowl, a series of pay-per-view broadcasts of all-female football games played in lingerie—proving popular enough to be expanded into its own Lingerie Football League with the Lingerie Bowl as its championship game. The LFL has since re-launched as a more conventional women's football league, the Legends Football League, and moved its season to run during the NFL off-season instead.[17]

During the 1990s, MTV was a recurring provider of counterprogramming, having scheduled new episodes of Beavis and Butt-head against the halftime show on multiple occasions. In 1998 and 1999, MTV aired "Deathbowl" episodes of a new stop-motion animated series, Celebrity Deathmatch, which features celebrities competing in wrestling bouts. The 1998 airing was followed by a series premiere in May: in the spirit of the Super Bowl airings, it was scheduled to air against the series finale of Seinfeld.[18][19][20]

On the day of the Super Bowl, cable channels often air special, and sometimes themed marathons of existing programming prior to and/or during the game, such as Cartoon Network having aired a marathon of 2 Stupid Dogs that it dubbed the "Stupid Bowl",[20] and DIY Network broadcasting a marathon of bathroom-related programming known as the "Toilet Bowl".[21] During Super Bowl XLV, as Canadian Super Bowl broadcaster CTV did not hold rights to Fox's lead-out Glee, series rightsholder Global aired a marathon of Glee-themed programming (including previous episodes, and Glee-themed episodes of other series) against the game to lead into the simulcast of the new episode "The Sue Sylvester Shuffle" after the game.[22]

Super Bowl Year Outlet Program Notes
XXVI 1992 Fox In Living Color "Doritos Zaptime/In Living Color Super Halftime Party"[3][23]
XXVIII 1994 MTV Beavis and Butt-head "Butt Bowl"[19]
XXIX 1995 MTV Beavis and Butt-head "Party", "Wet Behind The Rears"[19]
XXX 1996 MTV Beavis and Butt-head[20]
XXXI 1997 MTV Beavis and Butt-head "Butt, Butt, Hike!", "Vaya Con Cornholio"[20]
XXXII 1998 MTV Celebrity Deathmatch "Deathbowl '98":[18] Howard Stern vs. Kathie Lee Gifford; Pamela Anderson vs. RuPaul; Hanson vs. The Spice Girls.[24]
XXXIII 1999 USA WWF Sunday Night Heat "Halftime Heat": Empty arena "I Quit" match between The Rock and Mankind.[25][26]
MTV Celebrity Deathmatch "Deathbowl '99": Dolly Parton vs. Jennifer Lopez; Mike Tyson vs. Evander Holyfield.[26]
XXXIV 2000 USA WWF Sunday Night Heat "Halftime Heat": featured an interview with Stone Cold Steve Austin as he recovered from neck surgery.[27]
XXXVI 2002 NBC Fear Factor Playboy Playmates edition; 11.4 million viewers[9][23]
XXXVII 2003 NBC Saturday Night Live, Dateline NBC Weekend Update with Jimmy Fallon and Tina Fey, aired during halftime before the final half-hour of a 90-minute Fear Factor rerun. NBC promoted that this was the first time in SNL history that the show had been broadcast live across the entire country. Fear Factor was also followed by a new Dateline NBC, and an airing of Law & Order: Criminal Intent to counter the series premiere of Alias on ABC after the game[9][23][28]
XXXVIII 2004 PPV Lingerie Bowl An all-female football game played in lingerie, shoulder padding, and helmets, between teams of models and actresses (Team Dream and Team Euphoria) captained by Angie Everhart and Nikki Ziering, with Mike Goldberg and Amy Weber on play-by-play.[29][30]
XXXIX 2005 PPV Girls Gone Wild "Girls Gone Wild Halftime Games"; promoted with the tagline "Wardrobe Malfunctions Guaranteed" (in reference to the previous year's halftime show) and co-hosted by Doug Stanhope and Zane Lamprey, the hour-long PPV special featured four teams of women participating in "nudity-inducing" obstacle challenges.[31][32]
Animal Planet Puppy Bowl[23][33]
XL 2006 Animal Planet Puppy Bowl II[23][33]
PPV Lingerie Bowl II[34]
XLI 2007 Animal Planet Puppy Bowl III[23][33]
Fuse Pants-Off Dance-Off "Pancer Bowl I", featuring dancers stripping football clothing to the music of Super Bowl halftime performer Prince. Fuse also broadcast a "Wardrobe Malfunction Marathon" of the program on the day of the game.[35][36][37]
Hallmark Channel From the Heart: Favorite Commercials from Hallmark Cards Aired during a marathon of Little House on the Prairie[35]
PPV Lingerie Bowl III Lingerie Bowl III would be the final Lingerie Bowl before a three-year hiatus, resulting from the cancellation of Lingerie Bowl IV due to having reached a new, non-PPV broadcasting deal, the cancellation of Lingerie Bowl V citing "[limited] possibilities in neighboring cities" after failing to receive permits for planned side events in Scottsdale, Arizona, and the cancellation of Lingerie Bowl VI after conflicts with the host, a nudist resort, over exceptions to its clothing-optional policies.[34][38][39][40] A web-based PPV of Lingerie Bowl VII was to be aired during halftime of Super Bowl XLV, but was not available to stream until an hour after the game due to server capacity problems.[41]
PPV Howard Stern's Stupid Bowl III A flag football game between the staff of The Howard Stern Show and a group of drag queens.[42]
XLII 2008 Animal Planet Puppy Bowl IV[23][33] Seen by an average of 1.1 million viewers, an increase of 35% from the previous year.[43]
Spike Major League Eating Chowdown Joey Chestnut eating 7.01 pounds (3.18 kg) of ham and Erik Denmark eating 61 hard-boiled eggs, both in 8 minutes. With average viewership of 863,000 viewers, this was Spike's highest-rated Major League Eating special.[43]
Oxygen Deion & Pilar: Prime Time Love A "super-sneak preview" of the then-upcoming series starring Deion Sanders was aired against the halftime show during a marathon of Snapped. Seen by 220,000 viewers.[43][44]
XLIII 2009 ABC Wipeout "Cheerleaders vs. Couch Potatoes". The half-hour special was followed by a full episode, "Wipeout Bowl I", airing at 10:00 p.m. ET/PT after the game. ABC averaged 4.2 million viewers from 8:00 p.m. to 11:00 p.m. throughout the night.[21][45][46]
CBS CBS Reports: The Road to the White House A CBS News special chronicling the inauguration of President Barack Obama.[45]
Animal Planet Puppy Bowl V
XLIV 2010 Animal Planet Puppy Bowl VI
Fox 'Til Death The fourth season of 'Til Death was produced solely so it could be burned off by Fox, as its distributor would then have enough episodes to syndicate the low-rated sitcom. With 1.7 million viewers, Fox finished third behind the Super Bowl itself and a rerun of America's Funniest Home Videos in the 7:00 p.m. hour.[10][11]
XLV 2011 Animal Planet Puppy Bowl VII Seen by 9.2 million viewers across all of its airings throughout the day.[47]
PPV Lingerie Bowl VII Los Angeles Temptation vs. Philadelphia Passion at the Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas.[48][49]
XLVI 2012 Animal Planet Puppy Bowl VIII Seen by a total of over 10 million viewers, and was the 2nd most popular program of the day on social media behind the Super Bowl itself.[50]
XLVII 2013 Animal Planet Puppy Bowl IX[50]
XLVIII 2014 Animal Planet Puppy Bowl X[51]
Hallmark Channel Kitten Bowl As a feline parallel to the Puppy Bowl, the broadcast consisted of kittens at play[15]
Nat Geo Wild Fish Bowl As an aquatic parallel to the Puppy Bowl, the 4-hour broadcast consisted of a goldfish swimming in a bowl.[16][52]
XLIX 2015 Animal Planet Puppy Bowl XI[53]
YouTube YouTube Halftime Show Co-produced by Collective Digital Studio and hosted by Epic Meal Time's Harley Morenstein, the special featured contributions by twenty YouTube "creators and musicians", and served to promote the site's AdBlitz channel.[14][54]
Hallmark Channel Kitten Bowl II All of the participating kittens were named in reference to NFL players and officials. The special also featured a halftime show with "Katy Furry" in reference to the actual halftime show.[55][56]
Discovery Life, Discovery Family, TLC Toddler Bowl Featured a group of toddlers competing in physical and mental challenges.[55][57]
Nat Geo Wild Fish Bowl II Filmed in the setting of the Nat Geo Wild series The Incredible Dr. Pol (a marathon of Dr. Pol aired before the special as well), the second Fish Bowl was expanded to add a clownfish and farm animals as accompanyment.[55][57]
50 2016 Animal Planet Puppy Bowl XII [58]
Hallmark Channel Kitten Bowl III [59]
Nat Geo Wild Fish Bowl XXL [60]
Fox The X-Files During the halftime period, Fox briefly posted preview footage on its website and social media channels for the revival's season finale.[61]

References

  1. ↑ "Super Bowl 2nd-most watched show ever". MSNBC.com. Associated Press. February 7, 2006. Retrieved January 15, 2007.
  2. 1 2 Williams, Doug. "When Up With People dominated halftime". ESPN. Retrieved February 1, 2013.
  3. 1 2 3 4 "Goal of spectacle colors NFL's thinking about Super Bowl halftime show". Chicago Tribune. February 6, 2011. Retrieved January 30, 2013.
  4. ↑ Weinstien, Steve. "Fox Tackles Super Bowl With Sly Plan : Television: The 'rebel network' hopes to siphon off viewers from CBS with a halftime show of its own featuring the gang from 'In Living Color.'". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 15 November 2016.
  5. ↑ Sandomir, Richard (June 30, 2009). "How Jackson Redefined the Super Bowl". The New York Times. Retrieved February 1, 2013.
  6. ↑ "NBC Gets Final N.F.L. Contract While CBS Gets Its Sundays Off". The New York Times. The New York Times Company. December 21, 1993. Retrieved March 16, 2015.
  7. ↑ "CBS, NBC Battle for AFC Rights // Fox Steals NFC Package". Chicago Sun-Times. Adler & Shaykin. December 18, 1993. Retrieved March 16, 2015 – via HighBeam Research.
  8. ↑ Boren, Cindy. "NFL wild-card game will be simulcast by ESPN on ABC". Washington Post. Retrieved 12 May 2015.
  9. 1 2 3 Paul, Gough. "NBC Antes Up New Programming Against Super Bowl". MediaPost. Retrieved 9 January 2016.
  10. 1 2 "TV ratings: Super Bowl on pace for a record audience". Zap2It. Retrieved January 11, 2014.
  11. 1 2 "Fox finally finds a way to kill "'Til Death"". Variety. Retrieved January 11, 2014.
  12. ↑ "Green Bay Packers fan "Chuck FM" will play "nothing during the game" Sunday". Radio-Info.com. February 4, 2011. Retrieved February 6, 2011.
  13. ↑ Hansen, Barrett (February 2, 2013). Dr Demento on radio Sunday, Feb. 3. DrDemento.com. Retrieved June 1, 2014. Also: "DR. DEMENTO ON THE RADIO SUPER BOWL SUNDAY" from February 5, 2011.
  14. 1 2 "YouTube Will Produce Its Own Super Bowl Halftime Show". Bloomberg. Retrieved 20 January 2015.
  15. 1 2 "Kitten Bowl 2014 lineup, streaming, TV schedule and more". SB Nation. Retrieved 2 February 2014.
  16. 1 2 "Now it's getting silly: 'Fish Bowl' to air opposite Super Bowl". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved January 11, 2014.
  17. ↑ Mitchell, Houston (January 11, 2013). "Lingerie Football League changes name; players to wear uniforms". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved January 11, 2013.
  18. 1 2 "The Battle For Celebrity Deathmatch, Part 3". Animation World Network. Retrieved 26 January 2016.
  19. 1 2 3 "'BEAVIS & BUTT-HEAD' A HALFTIME STUNT". New York Daily News. January 24, 1995. Retrieved 26 January 2016.
  20. 1 2 3 4 "IF YOU HATE FOOTBALL, TIME TO PLAY THE FIELD.". Los Angeles Daily News. Retrieved 26 January 2016.
  21. 1 2 Schwartz, Bruce (January 30, 2009). "Football not your thing? Tee up these televised 'bowls'". USA Today. Retrieved January 30, 2013.
  22. ↑ "CTV Picks 'Flashpoint' For Coveted Post-Super Bowl Slot". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 28 January 2016.
  23. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Hibberd, James (December 8, 2008). "'Wipeout' special set for Super Sunday". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved December 26, 2008.
  24. ↑ "MTV's 'Celebrity Deathmatch': Wickedly Funny Feats in Clay". Los Angeles Times. May 14, 1998. Retrieved 26 January 2016.
  25. ↑ "WWE Should Bring Back "Halftime Heat" During the Super Bowl Halftime Show". Bleacher Report. Retrieved 24 June 2015.
  26. 1 2 "Alternatives, If You Don't See The Super Bowl, Or Halftime, As Super". Philadelphia Inquirer. Retrieved 26 January 2016.
  27. ↑ "Highlights". Washington Post. January 29, 2000. Retrieved 29 February 2016.
  28. ↑ "NBC blitzes Bowl with 'SNL'". Variety. Retrieved 26 January 2016.
  29. ↑ "Lingerie bowl full of . . . surprises". Chicago Tribune. February 2, 2004. Retrieved 27 January 2016.
  30. ↑ Caple, Jim. "Are you ready for some football?". Page 2. ESPN. Retrieved 27 January 2016.
  31. ↑ "Wardrobe Malfunctions at Halftime -- Guaranteed". Los Angeles Times. February 6, 2005. Retrieved 27 January 2016.
  32. ↑ "Girls Gone Wild Halftime Games Announce Team Lineups". PRNewswire. Retrieved 27 January 2016.
  33. 1 2 3 4 Ryzik, Melena (February 2, 2008). "'Just Fine as Tackles, but They Can't Pass". The New York Times.
  34. 1 2 "The Truth is Not Always Sexy: Inside the Legends Football League". Vice Sports. Retrieved 27 January 2016.
  35. 1 2 "The Super Bowl isn't for everyone; here are choices". Houston Chronicle. Retrieved February 1, 2013.
  36. ↑ "Prince to perform at Super Bowl halftime". SuperBowl.com. December 10, 2006. Archived from the original on December 14, 2006. Retrieved December 10, 2006.
  37. ↑ "More reality for 3 cable shows". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 15 January 2016.
  38. ↑ "Lingerie Bowl canceled over dispute with Caliente nudist resort". Tampa Bay Times. January 27, 2009. Retrieved February 11, 2013.
  39. ↑ "Lingerie Bowl a no-show". East Valley Tribune. Archived from the original on February 1, 2008. Retrieved 27 January 2016.
  40. ↑ "'Lingerie Bowl' to coincide with Super Bowl week". East Valley Tribune. Retrieved 27 January 2016.
  41. ↑ Salazar, Jo-Ryan (February 7, 2010). "The Biggest Loser of Super Bowl Sunday: The Lingerie Bowl". Bleacher Report. Retrieved February 23, 2010.
  42. ↑ "Super Alternatives To The Super Bowl". Film.com. Retrieved March 23, 2013.
  43. 1 2 3 "Cable's Super Bowl halftime shows score". The Hollywood Reporter. Associated Press. February 7, 2008. Retrieved 26 January 2016.
  44. ↑ "Oxygen Slates 'SuperSneak'". Broadcasting & Cable. Retrieved 4 February 2014.
  45. 1 2 "Ratings: On Super Bowl Sunday, 'Wipeout' Earns Runner-Up Status". The New York Times. February 2, 2009. Retrieved 27 January 2016.
  46. ↑ "'Wipeout Bowl' takes on Super Bowl". Newsday. Retrieved 19 March 2015.
  47. ↑ Hibberd, James. "Puppy Bowl draws 9.2 million viewers". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved February 3, 2013.
  48. ↑ Kantowski, Ron. Lingerie Bowl: Outfits of little substance, but style of play serious, Las Vegas Review-Journal, February 7, 2011. Accessed December 12, 2013.
  49. ↑ "Lingerie Bowl VIII is Sunday's other football game". GameOn (USA Today). Retrieved 28 January 2016.
  50. 1 2 Chandler, Rick (January 17, 2013). "Hedging a Super Bowl Bet Is One Thing, But What About Hedgehog Cheerleaders?". Lake Tahoe Action. Retrieved January 22, 2013.
  51. ↑ "Puppy Bowl books Keyboard Cat for halftime show (plus Lil Bub, penguin cheerleaders, more) -- EXCLUSIVE". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved January 8, 2014.
  52. ↑ "Nat Geo Wild Announces Fish Bowl: Stand Down, Puppies". The Wrap. Retrieved January 11, 2014.
  53. ↑ "Puppy Bowl XI: Meet Team Ruff and Team Fluff". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved 20 January 2015.
  54. ↑ "Catch the big ads from the Big Game all month long". YouTube Official Blog. Google. Retrieved 20 January 2015.
  55. 1 2 3 "Who needs the Super Bowl when you've got puppies, kitties, fish and toddlers?". Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Retrieved 14 January 2016.
  56. ↑ "Hallmark Channel's Kitten Bowl goes to the Lions". Crain's Detroit Business. Retrieved 28 January 2015.
  57. 1 2 "Super Bowl Counterprogramming Hits Puberty". Deadline. Retrieved 14 January 2016.
  58. ↑ Ryan, Patrick. "'Puppy Bowl' unleashes virtual-reality experience". USA Today. Retrieved 14 January 2016.
  59. ↑ "Four-legged fur balls take to the field in Kitten Bowl III". KRQE News 13. Associated Press. Retrieved 9 February 2016.
  60. ↑ "Nat Geo Wild To Air Supersized Fish Bowl, Adds Talk Show, Saturday Kids Block & More – TCA". Deadline.com. Retrieved 26 January 2016.
  61. ↑ "Fox Banks on 'X-Files' to Upstage Coldplay, Beyonce During Super Bowl 50 Halftime Show". TheWrap. Retrieved 8 February 2016.
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