Trietley: Other television options during Super Bowl

Nearly 163 million people watched at least some of last year’s Super Bowl between the… Nearly 163 million people watched at least some of last year’s Super Bowl between the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Green Bay Packers, according to Nielsen. Of all the televisions that were on that night, 71 percent of them were tuned to the game.

So what about the other 29 percent?

Indignant vows made by fans of losing teams surely account for some of that total. “I’m not going to watch this Super Bowl if it’s the Patriots and Giants,” a 49ers fan, some Steelers fans and a Broncos backer probably said this year. Whether it’s an empty pledge or a true promise will be revealed this Sunday.

There are more people that watch something other than the Super Bowl (29 percent) in America than there are Catholics (23.9 percent), African Americans (12.2 percent) or children under the age of 15 (20.2 percent).

A portion of that 29 percent might be advertising executives who mistakenly bought airtime on the wrong network. After all, who keeps track of what station the game is on each year? It’s NBC this time around.

Bars and restaurants usually provide several viewing options, so perhaps just three of every four of their televisions will feature NBC this weekend. The fourth … well, what else is on?

Repeats cover the airwaves from 7 p.m. until the local news at 11 p.m. ABC has “Modern Family” and “America’s Funniest Home Videos.” TV Guide says the 8 p.m. showing of “AFV” includes “a dog swiping a cupcake at a birthday party, a woman filming a bear from a vulnerable vantage point and a montage of fishing mishaps.” A must-see!

Fox has its animation lineup, highlighted by an hour of “The Cleveland Show.” The silent 29 percent of America that doesn’t watch the Super Bowl might overlap completely with the demographic that watches the poorly reviewed “Family Guy” spin-off.

Comedy Central has a “Tosh.0” marathon.

CBS has its staples, “CSI: Miami” and “NCIS.”

“America’s Most Watched Network” — on every night except for this Sunday — also has an episode of “60 Minutes” on, but there is currently “no press info” available for it on the CBS website. After years of having football cut into its Sunday programming, keeping the world guessing whether the show will be new or a rerun must be “60 Minutes”’ revenge.

PBS knows what’s up. It has an attention-grabbing “Nova” documentary entitled “Ice Age Death Trap.” That’s arguably more exciting than football. The network, though, follows it with a rerun of an episode of the period drama “Downton Abbey.”

“‘Downton Abbey’ continues with Matthew and William engaging in a fierce battle at the front, Vera striking a cruel blow against Bates and Anna, and Daisy facing the severest test of her life,” TV Guide writes. Somehow that all refers to love.

Telemundo will air a two-hour variety show called “Pa’lante con Cristina,” which must translate to “victims attack buttock injector’s assistant on TV.” That’s a headline brought on by a fight during a recent taping of the show.

All cinephiles, or at least the ones who enjoy sequels, must love Super Bowl Sunday. Disney Channel has both the second and third “High School Musicals,” FX has “Ice Age” 2 and 3, IFC has “Alien” and “Alien 3,” and Cartoon Network has “Spy Kids 3: Game Over,” which was game over until the fourth one came out last year.

Country Music Television has a marathon of “Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders: Making the Team.” For the rare person who hates football but loves football cheerleaders, “the rookie candidates are given makeovers and perform with the veteran cheerleaders. Also: The girls attend a nutrition seminar to improve their eating habits,” in the 9 p.m. show, according to TV Guide.

Animal Planet has a repeat of the eighth annual Puppy Bowl, which will originally air at 3 p.m. Sunday. It “features puppies romping on a miniature football field, a kitten halftime show, aerial views from a blimp piloted by hamsters, a piggy pep squad and live tweets from Meep the bird,” according to TV Guide.

A hamster-piloted blimp? Forget the Super Bowl rematch between the Giants and Patriots. Watch the Puppy Bowl twice.