First, the results of last week's predictions:
— NFL Pro Bowl. Prediction: 4.9; final rating: 4.5.
MORE: Our All-Pro broadcast team for SB 50 | Super Bowl 50 TV info
— NBA regular season, Spurs-Cavaliers. Prediction: 2.6; final rating: 2.1.
— NBA regular season, Bulls-Clippers. Prediction: 2.0; final rating: 1.9.
— NHL All-Star Game. Prediction: 0.8; final rating: 0.9.
— PGA at Torrey Pines, final round. Prediction: 2.0; final rating: 1.5 (rain).
— Australian Open women’s final, Kerber-Williams. Prediction: 0.5; final rating: N/A.
— Australian Open men’s final, Djokovic-Murray. Prediction: 0.5; final rating: 0.4.
— UFC on FOX 18. Prediction: 1.8; final rating: 1.6.
This week's predictions (all times Eastern):
Super Bowl 50 (6:30 p.m. Sunday, CBS). The Super Bowl was already a spectacular television draw 10 years ago, when Steelers-Seahawks earned a 41.6 rating and 90.7 million viewers. At that point, it would have been fair to question how much higher could the numbers go. In the decade since, ratings and viewership for the game have risen 14 and 26 percent, respectively — evidence that there may be no such thing as critical mass when it comes to the "big game." While matchups typically have little impact on the Super Bowl, this year’s pairing of the Panthers and Broncos is unusually attractive. In Cam Newton and Peyton Manning, the game has a narrative-laden battle of star QBs, both of whom have been controversial in recent weeks. Add to that the pomp and circumstance associated with the 50th edition of the game, and one would expect the numbers to top last year’s 47.5 rating, the highest for any TV program since 1986. Prediction: 47.8.
Super Bowl pregame show (2 p.m. Sunday, CBS). Ratings for the pregame show are ridiculously high no matter what, but can change dramatically depending on the show’s time slot. Last year’s pregame had a 7.8 rating on NBC from 1-6 p.m. ET, while the 2014 pregame had a 12.0 on Fox from 2-6:30. The key difference is that Fox included the highly rated 6 p.m. half-hour, while NBC did not. With that in mind, here are two predictions for this year’s CBS coverage: 8.0 (not including the final half-hour); 11.8 (including the final half-hour).
"The Late Show with Stephen Colbert" (10 p.m. Sunday, CBS). For the first time, a late-night talk show gets the coveted post-Super Bowl time slot. Colbert's show has not gotten off to the strongest of starts, with the former "Colbert Report" host well behind Jimmy Fallon’s "Tonight Show" (and occasionally behind Jimmy Kimmel). The post-Super Bowl gig could be seen as a vote of confidence by CBS, or a desperate attempt to give the show much-needed juice. Recent lead-out ratings include a 13.2 for last year’s "The Blacklist" on NBC, a 12.4 for "New Girl" on Fox in 2014, and an 11.6 for "Elementary" on CBS in 2013. Prediction: 11.0.
NFL Honors (8 p.m. Saturday, CBS). The NFL’s annual awards show faces tough competition from the NBA on ESPN this year. Look for ratings to drop from last year’s 2.8, the highest in the short history of the event. Prediction: 2.5.
NBA regular season, Warriors-Thunder (9 p.m. Saturday, ESPN). The Warriors’ final test of the early season comes Saturday night as they host Kevin Durant and the Thunder. As a TV draw, Golden State is no match for the Miami Heat of old, but the team has become the most reliable television draw in the NBA. Look for ratings to double last year’s 1.1 for Clippers-Spurs. Prediction: 2.2.
NBA regular season, Clippers-Heat (2 p.m. Sunday, ABC). For the first time in four years, ABC will air a Super Bowl Sunday NBA game. This matchup is such an obvious dud that one wonders why the network bothered. It would be a surprise if the game managed to crack the 2.0 mark. Prediction: 1.6.
NHL regular season, Flyers-Capitals (12:30 p.m. Sunday, NBC). After a postponement two weeks ago, "NHL on NBC" returns for the first time since the Winter Classic. The last time NBC aired a Super Bowl Sunday game was 2014, when Red Wings-Capitals had a mere 0.7 rating. Look for more of the same this year. Prediction: 0.7.
Paulsen is the founder of Sports Media Watch and a contributor for Sporting News. Follow him on Twitter @Paulsen_SMW .