L.A., N.Y.: Not So Super

Of the 55 metered markets that Nielsen uses to measure overnight viewing numbers, guess which two finished last and next-to-last in bringing in numbers for Sunday's Super Bowl XLI?
The No. 1 and No. 2 sized markets in all of America, that's who. Not even Prince's puppet show with his phallic-shaped guitar could attract the top eyeballs in the U.S. of A.
Again, those are so-called "fast numbers" released today that don't take into account who's watching the game at a sports bar, dorm room, restaurant, homeless shelter or prison -- more than likely, one of five places you ended up watching the Colts' sloppy win over the hibernating Bears.
Indianapolis, the nation's 25th-biggest TV market, had the highest rating of 55.5 (percentage of all TVs) with a 79 share (percentage of all TVs that were actually turned on). No. 3 market Chicago was only third on the list (50.2/77), mostly because, again, who'd watch the Bears play in the Super Bowl from their home? They had to be on Rush Street somewhere at an unmetered place. No. 2 turned out to be the Orlando, Fla., area (market No. 19), with Kansas City, Minneapolis-St. Paul, Milwaukee, Nashville, Dayton, Jacksonville and Tampa-St. Pete filling out the top 10 of just sheer ratings numbers.
Seattle-Tacoma, at No. 39, was the highest-rated West Coast city (41.3); with San Diego (41st), Sacramento (43rd) and Portland (45th) showing some respectability.
No. 54 of 55: New York, at 35.1/53 (down 5.4 percent from last year).
Dead last: L.A., 33.5/60 (down 2 percent).
Granted, a 33.5 rating in L.A. represents a far greater number of viewers than a 33.5 rating in Nashville. It's a percentage of the population of that city. So take it for what it's worth.
By the way, you remember the weather outside Sunday, right? Gorgeous. We all should have been arrested for locking ourselves indoors to watch anything that day.