Fox wasn’t the only big ratings winner on Sunday. MULTICHANNEL NEWS reports that Animal Planet’s “Puppy Bowl” also fetched record numbers of viewers.

Over 8 million pet-lovers tuned in to the 12-hour marathon, watching cute li’l doggies run around a small specially-made field while chewing on toys, referee dolls, and each other. Viewership was up 35% from last year’s telecast, as this season’s Bowl was the first to be shown in HD.

With those kind of numbers, maybe Gary Bettman should re-think his deal with Versus.