Commentary

NFL Grabs Good Viewership, New Advertisers and A Soapy Dennis Rodman.

Though the NFL had a good season with no wardrobe malfunction, bathtub advertisers are closing in.

The NFL will end the season strong. Its best TV partner is CBS, which gained 2 percent in ratings over a year ago airing the American Football Conference games. CBS' 15.0 million average viewers is just barely under Fox's National Football Conference package which posted 15.4 million viewers -- the closest the two conferences have ever been in viewers. Typically, the NFC has been the stronger of the two leagues in terms of teams and ratings.

Overall, Fox slipped 1 percent vs. a year ago. That's not bad considering Fox's NFC games included some of the weakest teams in the league -- some making the playoffs with not even a winning record.

By contrast, CBS' AFC teams, headlined by the Pittsburgh Steelers, New England Patriots, and New York Jets, possessed some of the strongest teams of the league in years.

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ESPN slipped 1 percent and ABC's "Monday Night Football" was set back 3 percent. Still, NFL games have been the third highest rated program this season - right after CBS' "CSI" and ABC's "Desperate Housewives." No wonder the NFL was able to raise its TV broadcast rights fees.

This seems to be carrying over to the Super Bowl. The game will be aired by Fox on Feb. 6, which is inking deals for an average $2.4 million per 30-second spot, up about $100,000 from a year ago when CBS aired the game.

With the NFL so strong, now small and less visible companies are returning to the big game.

There's Godaddy.com, which sells Internet domain names. Careerbuilders.com is also in; the big job site is owned by a couple of major market newspapers.

The most unusual of this group is Cosentino USA, a Houston-based producer of natural quartz surfacing.

Surfacing? Who knew?

Good smooth surfaces are important to rub up against during the big game.

The ad finds Dennis Rodman, ex-NBAer, relaxing in a natural quartz surfaced bath tub. Other athletes appear as well -- former Chicago Bears coach Mike Ditka and players Jim McMahon and William "Refrigerator" Perry. (Hopefully, not all in the same tub).

Just when TV ad sales executives thought no advertising categories were left to explore for the Super Bowl, there's surfaces to consider.

What's next? We can't wait to see Andre Agassi rub up against some Kitchen cabinet shelf paper or plywood.

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