Macy's prices some of its specials at or below cost to drive traffic, said Martine Reardon, the chain's executive vice president of marketing and advertising.
"Jackson's death came up in just about every conversation I had from Thursday to Sunday, and yet only 5 million people tuned in to some of those broadcast specials, " Media Life magazine's Fitzgerald observed.
The network shows eight games a year on Thursday and Saturday nights, in addition to some CFL games and various highlights and specials from places like the NFL Films archives.
For those that generally like to shun Thanksgiving shopping but might like to sneak in some time on the computer before dinner, nearly half of those 97% will offer online specials on Thanksgiving Day itself.