Super Bowl counterprogramming
Encyclopedia
Although it is consistently one of the most watched sports television events in the United States, television networks and television stations channels have often attempted to counterprogram
against the Super Bowl
with original television program
ming. Counterprogramming
is a broadcast programming term and occurs during the halftime period of the game, trying to sway audience
away from the Super Bowl broadcast while the game is not in progress. In addition, despite it being a championship game putting the two best NFL teams against each other, no Super Bowl to date has gone into overtime, nor has any team come back from more than 10 points behind to win.
The first major success at counterprogramming the Super Bowl halftime show came with Fox Broadcasting Company
program of a special live football-themed episode of its popular sketch comedy show In Living Color
during the halftime of Super Bowl XXVI
, which attained a viewership of over 20 million. The most commercially successful counterprogramming of the Super Bowl halftime show has been the annual Lingerie Bowl
, drawing millions of viewers and national American advertisers.
After the Super Bowl XXXVIII halftime show controversy
in 2004, the NFL
began a string of more conservative halftime musical acts from the classic rock
era, such as Paul McCartney
, Tom Petty
, Bruce Springsteen
and The Rolling Stones
; this string was broken in 2011 when the NFL announced The Black Eyed Peas
would perform in Super Bowl XLV
's halftime. Recent recurring programs have included Animal Planet
's Puppy Bowl
, a program featuring dogs playing in a model football stadium (with its own "halftime show" featuring kittens), and the Lingerie Bowl
, a series of pay-per-view
broadcasts of all-female football games played in lingerie
—which was also spun off into its own league
. Cable networks have been known to air marathons
on the night of the Super Bowl.
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.
Counterprogramming
In Broadcast programming, counterprogramming is the practice of offering television programs to attract an audience from another television station airing a major event.-Television:...
against the Super Bowl
Super Bowl
The Super Bowl is the championship game of the National Football League , the highest level of professional American football in the United States, culminating a season that begins in the late summer of the previous calendar year. The Super Bowl uses Roman numerals to identify each game, rather...
with original television program
Television program
A television program , also called television show, is a segment of content which is intended to be broadcast on television. It may be a one-time production or part of a periodically recurring series...
ming. Counterprogramming
Counterprogramming
In Broadcast programming, counterprogramming is the practice of offering television programs to attract an audience from another television station airing a major event.-Television:...
is a broadcast programming term and occurs during the halftime period of the game, trying to sway audience
Audience
An audience is a group of people who participate in a show or encounter a work of art, literature , theatre, music or academics in any medium...
away from the Super Bowl broadcast while the game is not in progress. In addition, despite it being a championship game putting the two best NFL teams against each other, no Super Bowl to date has gone into overtime, nor has any team come back from more than 10 points behind to win.
The first major success at counterprogramming the Super Bowl halftime show came with Fox Broadcasting Company
Fox Broadcasting Company
Fox Broadcasting Company, commonly referred to as Fox Network or simply Fox , is an American commercial broadcasting television network owned by Fox Entertainment Group, part of Rupert Murdoch's News Corporation. Launched on October 9, 1986, Fox was the highest-rated broadcast network in the...
program of a special live football-themed episode of its popular sketch comedy show In Living Color
In Living Color
In Living Color is an American sketch comedy television series, which originally ran on the Fox Network from April 15, 1990 to May 19, 1994. Brothers Keenen and Damon Wayans created, wrote, and starred in the program. The show was produced by Ivory Way Productions in association with 20th Century...
during the halftime of Super Bowl XXVI
Super Bowl XXVI
Super Bowl XXVI was an American football game played on January 26, 1992 at the Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome in Minneapolis, Minnesota to decide the National Football League champion following the 1991 regular season...
, which attained a viewership of over 20 million. The most commercially successful counterprogramming of the Super Bowl halftime show has been the annual Lingerie Bowl
Lingerie Bowl
The Lingerie Bowl is an annual Super Bowl halftime alternative shown on pay-per-view TV. It features a game of full-contact American football with female athletes playing seven-on-seven tackle football. Lingerie Bowl I aired during Super Bowl XXXVIII in 2004 with Team Euphoria losing to the Team...
, drawing millions of viewers and national American advertisers.
After the Super Bowl XXXVIII halftime show controversy
Super Bowl XXXVIII halftime show controversy
Super Bowl XXXVIII, which was broadcast live on February 1, 2004 from Houston, Texas on the CBS television network in the United States, was noted for a controversial halftime show in which Janet Jackson's breast, adorned with a nipple shield, was exposed by Justin Timberlake for about half a...
in 2004, the NFL
National Football League
The National Football League is the highest level of professional American football in the United States, and is considered the top professional American football league in the world. It was formed by eleven teams in 1920 as the American Professional Football Association, with the league changing...
began a string of more conservative halftime musical acts from the classic rock
Classic rock
Classic rock is a radio format which developed from the album-oriented rock format in the early 1980s. In the United States, the classic rock format features music ranging generally from the late 1960s to the late 1980s, primarily focusing on the hard rock genre that peaked in popularity in the...
era, such as Paul McCartney
Paul McCartney
Sir James Paul McCartney, MBE, Hon RAM, FRCM is an English musician, singer-songwriter and composer. Formerly of The Beatles and Wings , McCartney is listed in Guinness World Records as the "most successful musician and composer in popular music history", with 60 gold discs and sales of 100...
, Tom Petty
Tom Petty
Thomas Earl "Tom" Petty is an American singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist. He is the frontman of Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers and was a founding member of the late 1980s supergroup Traveling Wilburys and Mudcrutch. He has also performed under the pseudonyms of Charlie T...
, Bruce Springsteen
Bruce Springsteen
Bruce Frederick Joseph Springsteen , nicknamed "The Boss," is an American singer-songwriter who records and tours with the E Street Band...
and The Rolling Stones
The Rolling Stones
The Rolling Stones are an English rock band, formed in London in April 1962 by Brian Jones , Ian Stewart , Mick Jagger , and Keith Richards . Bassist Bill Wyman and drummer Charlie Watts completed the early line-up...
; this string was broken in 2011 when the NFL announced The Black Eyed Peas
The Black Eyed Peas
The Black Eyed Peas are an American pop group , formed in Los Angeles, California, in 1995. The group includes rappers will.i.am, apl.de.ap, and Taboo, and singer Fergie. Since the release of their third album Elephunk in 2003, the group has sold an estimated 56 million records worldwide...
would perform in Super Bowl XLV
Super Bowl XLV
Super Bowl XLV was an American football game between the American Football Conference champion Pittsburgh Steelers and the National Football Conference champion Green Bay Packers to decide the National Football League champion for the 2010 season. The game was held at Cowboys Stadium in...
's halftime. Recent recurring programs have included Animal Planet
Animal Planet
Animal Planet is an American cable tv specialty channel that launched on October 1, 1996. It is distributed by Discovery Communications. A high-definition simulcast of the channel launched on September 1, 2007.-History:...
's Puppy Bowl
Puppy Bowl
The Puppy Bowl is an annual television program on Animal Planet that mimics an American football bowl game similar to the Super Bowl, using puppies. Shown the same afternoon of the Super Bowl, the show consists of footage of a batch of puppies at play inside a model stadium, with commentary on...
, a program featuring dogs playing in a model football stadium (with its own "halftime show" featuring kittens), and the Lingerie Bowl
Lingerie Bowl
The Lingerie Bowl is an annual Super Bowl halftime alternative shown on pay-per-view TV. It features a game of full-contact American football with female athletes playing seven-on-seven tackle football. Lingerie Bowl I aired during Super Bowl XXXVIII in 2004 with Team Euphoria losing to the Team...
, a series of pay-per-view
Pay-per-view
Pay-per-view provides a service by which a television audience can purchase events to view via private telecast. The broadcaster shows the event at the same time to everyone ordering it...
broadcasts of all-female football games played in lingerie
Lingerie
Lingerie are fashionable and possibly alluring undergarments.Lingerie usually incorporates one or more flexible, stretchy materials like Lycra, nylon , polyester, satin, lace, silk and sheer fabric which are not typically used in more functional, basic cotton undergarments.The term in the French...
—which was also spun off into its own league
Lingerie Football League
The Lingerie Football League is a women's 7-on-7 tackle American football league, created in 2009, with games played in the fall and winter at NBA, NFL, NHL and MLS arenas and stadiums. The league was founded by Mitch Mortaza...
. Cable networks have been known to air marathons
Marathon (television)
In television, a marathon is typically the sequential broadcast of a single or a number of related television programs, most notably reflecting a theme....
on the night of the Super Bowl.
Counterprogramming efforts are not limited to television; for Super Bowl XLV
Super Bowl XLV
Super Bowl XLV was an American football game between the American Football Conference champion Pittsburgh Steelers and the National Football Conference champion Green Bay Packers to decide the National Football League champion for the 2010 season. The game was held at Cowboys Stadium in...
in 2011, WCHK-FM
WCHK-FM
WCHK-FM redirects here. For the stations in the Atlanta, Georgia area that previously carried these calls, please see WWVA-FM and WNSY. For the AM station with these calls, please see WCHK ....
, a station in the Green Bay, Wisconsin
Green Bay, Wisconsin
Green Bay is a city in and the county seat of Brown County in the U.S. state of Wisconsin, located at the head of Green Bay, a sub-basin of Lake Michigan, at the mouth of the Fox River. It has an elevation of above sea level and is located north of Milwaukee. As of the 2010 United States Census,...
area announced it would counterprogram the game with dead air
Dead air
Dead air is an unintended interruption in a radio broadcast during which no sound is transmitted.The term is most often used in cases where program material comes to an unexpected halt, either through operator error or for technical reasons, although it is also used in cases where a broadcaster...
, since the hometown Packers
Green Bay Packers
The Green Bay Packers are an American football team based in Green Bay, Wisconsin. They are members of the North Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The Packers are the current NFL champions...
were in the game.
List of Super Bowl counters
| Super Bowl | Year | Network | Program | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| XXVI Super Bowl XXVI Super Bowl XXVI was an American football game played on January 26, 1992 at the Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome in Minneapolis, Minnesota to decide the National Football League champion following the 1991 regular season... |
1992 | Fox Fox Broadcasting Company Fox Broadcasting Company, commonly referred to as Fox Network or simply Fox , is an American commercial broadcasting television network owned by Fox Entertainment Group, part of Rupert Murdoch's News Corporation. Launched on October 9, 1986, Fox was the highest-rated broadcast network in the... |
In Living Color In Living Color In Living Color is an American sketch comedy television series, which originally ran on the Fox Network from April 15, 1990 to May 19, 1994. Brothers Keenen and Damon Wayans created, wrote, and starred in the program. The show was produced by Ivory Way Productions in association with 20th Century... |
20 million viewers |
| XXVIII Super Bowl XXVIII Super Bowl XXVIII was an American football game played on January 30, 1994, at the Georgia Dome in Atlanta, Georgia, to decide the National Football League champion following the 1993 regular season. The National Football Conference champion Dallas Cowboys defeated the American Football... |
1994 | MTV MTV MTV, formerly an initialism of Music Television, is an American network based in New York City that launched on August 1, 1981. The original purpose of the channel was to play music videos guided by on-air hosts known as VJs.... |
Beavis and Butt-head Beavis and Butt-Head Beavis and Butt-head is an American animated television series created by Mike Judge. The series originated from Frog Baseball, a 1992 short film by Judge. After seeing the short, MTV signed Judge to develop the concept. Beavis and Butt-head originally aired from March 8, 1993 to November 28, 1997... |
"Butt Bowl I" |
| XXIX Super Bowl XXIX Super Bowl XXIX was an American football game played on January 29, 1995 at Joe Robbie Stadium in Miami, Florida to decide the National Football League champion following the 1994 regular season... |
1995 | MTV | Beavis and Butt-head | "Butt Bowl II" |
| XXX Super Bowl XXX Super Bowl XXX was an American football game played on January 28, 1996 at Sun Devil Stadium in Tempe, Arizona to decide the National Football League champion following the 1995 regular season... |
1996 | MTV | Beavis and Butt-head | "Butt Bowl III" |
| XXXII Super Bowl XXXII Super Bowl XXXII was an American football game played on January 25, 1998 at Qualcomm Stadium in San Diego, California to decide the National Football League champion following the 1997 regular season... |
1998 | MTV | Celebrity Deathmatch Celebrity Deathmatch Celebrity Deathmatch is a claymation television show that depicts celebrities against each other in a wrestling ring, almost always ending in the loser's gruesome death. It was known for its excessive amount of blood used in every match and exaggerated physical injuries... '98 |
Howard Stern Howard Stern Howard Allan Stern is an American radio personality, television host, author, and actor best known for his radio show, which was nationally syndicated from 1986 to 2005. He gained wide recognition in the 1990s where he was labeled a "shock jock" for his outspoken and sometimes controversial style... vs. Kathie Lee Gifford Kathie Lee Gifford Kathie Lee Gifford is an American television host, singer, songwriter and actress, best known for her 15-year run on the talk show Live with Regis and Kathie Lee, which she co-hosted with Regis Philbin... ; Pamela Anderson Lee vs. RuPaul RuPaul RuPaul Andre Charles , best known as simply RuPaul, is an American actor, drag queen, model, author, and singer-songwriter, who first became widely known in the 1990s when he appeared in a wide variety of television programs, films, and musical albums. Previously, he was a fixture on the Atlanta... ; Hanson Hanson (band) Hanson are an American pop rock band formed in Tulsa, Oklahoma, by brothers Isaac , Taylor , and Zac Hanson . They are best known for the 1997 hit song "MMMBop" from their major label debut album Middle of Nowhere, which earned three Grammy nominations... vs. The Spice Girls. |
| XXXIII Super Bowl XXXIII Super Bowl XXXIII was an American football game played on January 31, 1999, at Pro Player Stadium in Miami, Florida to decide the National Football League champion, following the 1998 regular season. The American Football Conference champion Denver Broncos defeated the National Football... |
1999 | USA USA Network USA Network is an American cable television channel launched in 1971. Once a minor player in basic cable, the network has steadily gained popularity because of breakout hits like Monk, Psych, Burn Notice, Royal Pains, Covert Affairs, White Collar, Monday Night RAW, Suits, and reruns of the various... |
WWF Sunday Night Heat WWE HEAT WWE Heat was a professional wrestling television program produced by World Wrestling Entertainment... |
"Halftime Heat": The Rock vs Mankind Mick Foley Michael Francis "Mick" Foley, Sr. is an American semi-retired professional wrestler, author, comedian, actor, voice actor and former color commentator. He has worked for many wrestling promotions, including WWE, WCW, ECW and TNA. He is often referred to as "The Hardcore Legend", a nickname he... ; 5 million viewers |
| XXXVII Super Bowl XXXVII Super Bowl XXXVII was an American football game played on January 26, 2003 at Qualcomm Stadium in San Diego, California to decide the National Football League champion following the 2002 regular season... |
2003 | NBC NBC The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago... |
Weekend Update Weekend Update Weekend Update is a Saturday Night Live sketch that comments on and parodies current events. It is the show's longest running recurring sketch, having been on since the show's first broadcast, and is typically presented in the middle of the show immediately after the first musical performance... |
aired live with Jimmy Fallon Jimmy Fallon James Thomas "Jimmy" Fallon, Jr. is an American actor, comedian, singer, musician and television host. He currently hosts Late Night with Jimmy Fallon, a late-night talk show that airs Monday through Friday on NBC... and Tina Fey Tina Fey Elizabeth Stamatina "Tina" Fey is an American actress, comedian, writer and producer, known for her work on the NBC sketch comedy series Saturday Night Live , the NBC comedy series 30 Rock, and films such as Mean Girls and Baby Mama .Fey first broke into comedy as a featured player in the... |
| NBC | Fear Factor Fear Factor Fear Factor is an American stunt/dare reality game show. The original Dutch version was called Now or Neverland. When Endemol USA and NBC adapted it to the American market in 2001, they changed the name to Fear Factor. The show pits contestants against each other in a variety of stunts for a... |
Playboy Playmates edition; 11.4 million viewers | ||
| Bravo | Gay Weddings Gay Weddings Gay Weddings is a 2002 American reality television series that aired on Bravo. The series, created by openly gay producers Kirk Marcolina and Douglas Ross, followed two lesbian and two gay couples as they prepared for their wedding ceremonies... |
The success of Bravo's Gay Weddings marathon led the network to create additional gay-themed programming, including Queer Eye Queer Eye Queer Eye is an American reality television series that premiered on the Bravo cable television network in July 2003. The program's name was changed from Queer Eye for the Straight Guy after the third season to broaden the scope of its content... and the gay dating show Boy Meets Boy Boy Meets Boy (TV series) Boy Meets Boy is an American reality television show in which a gay man meets and chooses a mate from a group of 15 potential male suitors. The show was made more novel by the fact that the "leading man" did not know that the mix of suitors included both gay and straight men.The show premiered July... . |
||
| XXXVIII Super Bowl XXXVIII Super Bowl XXXVIII was an American football game played on February 1, 2004 at Reliant Stadium in Houston, Texas to decide the National Football League champion following the 2003 regular season.... |
2004 | PPV Pay-per-view Pay-per-view provides a service by which a television audience can purchase events to view via private telecast. The broadcaster shows the event at the same time to everyone ordering it... |
Lingerie Bowl Lingerie Bowl The Lingerie Bowl is an annual Super Bowl halftime alternative shown on pay-per-view TV. It features a game of full-contact American football with female athletes playing seven-on-seven tackle football. Lingerie Bowl I aired during Super Bowl XXXVIII in 2004 with Team Euphoria losing to the Team... |
|
| XXXIX Super Bowl XXXIX Super Bowl XXXIX was an American football game played on February 6, 2005, at Alltel Stadium in Jacksonville, Florida, to decide the National Football League champion following the 2004 regular season... |
2005 | PPV | Girls Gone Wild Girls Gone Wild The Girls Gone Wild franchise, created by Joe Francis, is a video series by the production company Mantra Films, Inc., which is headquartered in Santa Monica, California.-Content:... |
"Halftime Games" |
| Animal Planet Animal Planet Animal Planet is an American cable tv specialty channel that launched on October 1, 1996. It is distributed by Discovery Communications. A high-definition simulcast of the channel launched on September 1, 2007.-History:... |
Puppy Bowl Puppy Bowl The Puppy Bowl is an annual television program on Animal Planet that mimics an American football bowl game similar to the Super Bowl, using puppies. Shown the same afternoon of the Super Bowl, the show consists of footage of a batch of puppies at play inside a model stadium, with commentary on... |
|||
| XL Super Bowl XL Super Bowl XL was an American football game pitting the American Football Conference champion Pittsburgh Steelers against the National Football Conference champion Seattle Seahawks to decide the National Football League champion for the 2005 season... |
2006 | Animal Planet | Puppy Bowl II | |
| PPV | Lingerie Bowl II | |||
| XLI Super Bowl XLI Super Bowl XLI was an American football game that featured the American Football Conference champion Indianapolis Colts and the National Football Conference champion Chicago Bears to decide the National Football League champion for the 2006 season... |
2007 | Animal Planet | Puppy Bowl III | |
| PPV | Lingerie Bowl III | |||
| PPV | Howard Stern Howard Stern Howard Allan Stern is an American radio personality, television host, author, and actor best known for his radio show, which was nationally syndicated from 1986 to 2005. He gained wide recognition in the 1990s where he was labeled a "shock jock" for his outspoken and sometimes controversial style... 's Stupid Bowl III |
"Boys vs. Girls" | ||
| Hallmark Channel Hallmark Channel The Hallmark Channel is a cable television network that broadcasts across the United States. Their programming includes a mix of television movies/miniseries, syndicated series, and lifestyle shows that are appropriate for the whole family... |
From the Heart | "Favorite Commercials from Hallmark Cards" | ||
| XLII Super Bowl XLII Super Bowl XLII was an American football game on February 3, 2008 that featured the National Football Conference champion New York Giants and the American Football Conference champion New England Patriots to decide the National Football League champion for the 2007 season... |
2008 | Animal Planet | Puppy Bowl IV | |
| PPV | Lingerie Bowl IV | |||
| Spike | Major League Eating Major League Eating Major League Eating is a franchise that sanctions professional competitive eating events and competitive eating television specials. The purported mission of Major League Eating is to maintain a safe environment for all events, while also seeking to create a dynamic and enjoyable fan experience... Chowdown |
Ham 'n Eggs | ||
| Oxygen Oxygen (TV channel) Oxygen is an American cable television specialty channel with television programming marketed towards women, with a format similar to Lifetime.- History :... |
Deion & Pilar: Prime Time Love Deion & Pilar: Prime Time Love Deion & Pilar: Prime Time Love is a weekly reality television show that focuses on the home life of former professional athlete Deion Sanders and his wife Pilar Biggers. The program is on the Oxygen network and debuted in April 2008... |
"Supersneak" | ||
| XLIII Super Bowl XLIII Super Bowl XLIII was an American football game pitting the American Football Conference champion Pittsburgh Steelers against the National Football Conference champion Arizona Cardinals to decide the National Football League champion for the 2008 season. The game was played on February 1, 2009,... |
2009 | ABC American Broadcasting Company The American Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. Its first broadcast on television was in 1948... |
Wipeout | "Wipeout Bowl I"/"Superball Sunday"; Halftime edition drew 6 million viewers. |
| Animal Planet Animal Planet Animal Planet is an American cable tv specialty channel that launched on October 1, 1996. It is distributed by Discovery Communications. A high-definition simulcast of the channel launched on September 1, 2007.-History:... |
Puppy Bowl V | |||
| XLIV Super Bowl XLIV Super Bowl XLIV was an American football game between the American Football Conference champion Indianapolis Colts and the National Football Conference champion New Orleans Saints to decide the National Football League champion for the 2009 season. The Saints defeated the Colts by a score of... |
2010 | Animal Planet | Puppy Bowl VI | |
| XLV Super Bowl XLV Super Bowl XLV was an American football game between the American Football Conference champion Pittsburgh Steelers and the National Football Conference champion Green Bay Packers to decide the National Football League champion for the 2010 season. The game was held at Cowboys Stadium in... |
2011 | Animal Planet | Puppy Bowl VII | 9.2 million viewers, aggregated over six airings |
| PPV | Lingerie Bowl VIII |