ABC, CBS and Fox Share Weekly Dominance

THE PROGRAMMING INSIDERThursday, November 19, 2009 Prime-Time Metered Market Wednesday Ratings:CBS Wins, Wednesday 8 p.m. Continues to Limp Along National Ratings in Prime-Time:Week of November 9, 2009 Ratings Box:What’s Hot/What’s Not On the Air Tonight:Prime-Time Programming Options TV Tidbits:Notes of Interest TV Trivia Time: Benjy and Moose ________________________________________________________________________________ Prime-Time Metered Market Wednesday Ratings:CBS Wins, Wednesday 8 p.m. Continues to Limp Along Wednesday 11/18/09 HH Rtg/Shr CBS 7.1/12ABC 4.7/ 8NBC 4.6/ 8Fox 4.0/ 7CW 2.0/ 3 ---------- -Percent Change From the Year-Ago Evening (Wednesday, November 19, 2008):NBC: +12, ABC: + 7, CBS: -13, CW: -26, Fox: -27 ---------- -Yesterday’s Winners:Criminal Minds (CBS), CSI: NY (CBS) -Honorable Mention:In the Spotlight with Robin Roberts: Janet Jackson (ABC) -Expected to Generate Interest Among Adults 18-49:Modern Family (ABC), Cougar Town (ABC), Glee (Fox) -Occupants in One of the Softest Hours in Primetime:The New Adventures of Old Christine (CBS), Gary Unmarried (CBS), The Middle (ABC), Mercy (NBC), So You Think You Can Dance (Fox), America’s Next Top Model (CW) -Yesterday’s Losers:America’s Next Top Model clips show (CW) ---------- -Ratings Breakdown:CBS led the overnight troops on this third Wednesday in November, with a hefty 51 percent advantage over second-place ABC. Third overall was NBC, followed by Fox and The CW, which featured the season-finale of tired America’s Next Top Model. As always, Wednesday at 8 p.m. remains one of the softest hours in primetime, with top-rated Mercy on NBC at a lackluster 4.6 rating/8 share in the overnights. CBS’ The New Adventures of Old Christine finished first in the 8 p.m. half-hour, with a 4.5/ 8 (one-tenth of a rating point ahead of the first half of Mercy), followed by compatible Gary Unmarried at a second-place 4.3/ 7 at 8:30 p.m. ABC opened the evening with a repeat of Modern Family (#3: 3.9/ 7) in place of canceled Hank, followed by The Middle at a third-place 4.0/ 6 at 8:30 p.m. Capping off the 8 p.m. hour was the live So You Think You Can Dance Results Show on Fox (3.6/ 6), followed by the aforementioned season-finale of America’s Next Top Model on The CW (2.7/ 5). One year earlier, Top Model concluded its fall season with a considerably stronger 3.7/ 6 on Nov. 19, 2008. Comparably, that’s a loss of 27 percent. If there is a lesson to be learned, it is to avoid the gimmicks. Moving to 9 p.m., CBS’ Criminal Minds stood well above the competition, with a dominant 8.5/13 in the overnights. But ABC comedies Modern Family (#3: 5.0/ 8) and Cougar Town (#3: 4.7/ 7) are expected to generate interest among adults 18-49. Also occupying the hour was NBC’s Law & Order: SVU (#2: 5.5/ 9), Fox’s comfortable Glee (#4: 4.5/ 7) and an America’s Next Top Model clips show (1.4/ 2). Worth positively noting for Glee was growth of 22 percent out of the second half of So You Think You Can Dance (3.7/ 6 at 8:30 p.m.). Dominant in the 10 p.m. hour was CBS’ CSI: NY at an 8.5/15 in the overnights. Next was ABC special In the Spotlight with Robin Roberts: Janet Jackson (5.2/ 9), which was a vast improvement over regularly scheduled occupant Eastwick, followed by NBC’s struggling The Jay Leno Show at a 3.7/ 6. Source: Nielsen Media Research data (R = repeat) National Ratings in Prime-Time:Week of November 9, 2009 Three networks – ABC, CBS and Fox -- dominated this eighth week of the 2009-10 season. CBS finished first overall in households and total viewers, ABC topped the adult 18-49 and adult 25-54 charts, and Fox was the primary force among adults 18-34. Both ABC and Fox built over the comparable year-ago period, with CBS on the downside, particularly in the demos. Even so, CBS has now ranked first in total viewers for seven of the last eight weeks. Comparably, and excluding Oscar week, ABC rose to its most-watched week since the week of Sept. 22, 2008, with a seven-week high among adults 18-49. Excluding a fourth-place finish among adults 25-54, football-ignited NBC ranked third (tied with CBS in adults 18-49), finishing close to year-ago levels. Last-place The CW continues to exhibit year-to-year gains, but keep in mind that low-rated Sunday was factored into the year-ago mix. In the specials department, The 43rd Annual CMA Awards led ABC to its largest Wednesday audience with non-sports programming for the night since Sept. 21, 2005 and highest adult 18-49 rating since Nov. 17, 2007. The CMA Awards averaged 17.2 million viewers and a 5.3 rating/14 share among adults 18-49, building year-to-year by 1.30 million viewers and six percent in the demo. While not necessarily “special,” CBS’ CSI franchise featured recent cast addition Laurence Fishburne on episodes of CSI: Miami, CSI: NY and parent show CSI for a three-part crossover. See rankings below for the positive results, which included a season high for CSI. Here are the final national ratings for the week of November 9, 2009 (with percent change versus the comparable year-ago week in parentheses), followed by the freshman series results (including The Jay Leno Show being broken out separately), and the top 30 rated programs of the week. -Households:CBS: 7.2 rating/12 share (- 6), ABC: 7.0/11 (+ 4), NBC: 5.1/ 8 (+ 6), Fox: 4.8/ 8 (+17), CW: 1.5/ 2 (+ 7) -Total Viewers: CBS: 11.47 million (- 7), ABC: 11.15 (+ 6), NBC: 8.12 (+ 5), Fox: 8.02 (+19), CW: 2.35 (+10) -Adults 18-49:ABC: 3.2 rating/9 share (+ 3), Fox: 3.1/ 8 (+15), NBC: 2.8/ 8 (- 3), CBS: 2.8/ 8 (-15), CW: 1.1/ 3 (+10) -Adults 25-54:ABC: 3.9/10 (+ 5), CBS: 3.7/ 9 (-14), Fox: 3.3/ 8 (+14), NBC: 3.2/ 8 (no change), CW: 1.0/ 2 (+11) -Adults 18-34:Fox: 3.0/ 9 (+15), ABC: 2.5/ 8 (+15), NBC: 2.4/ 7 (- 8), CBS: 1.9/ 6 (-14), CW: 1.4/ 4 (+17) -------------------- Freshman Series Results (in order of total viewers)Pre-empted this week: ABC’s The Middle, Modern Family, Cougar Town and Eastwick; and Fox’s Brothers. NCIS: Los Angeles (CBS) – Tuesday 9 p.m. ET Viewers: 16.23 million (#6), A18-49: 3.7/ 9 (#21t)Grade: A The Good Wife (CBS) – Tuesday 10 p.m. ETViewers: 13.35 million (#14), A18-49: 2.8/ 8 (#37t)Grade: B+ V (ABC) – Tuesday 8 p.m. ET Viewers: 10.70 million (#24), A18-49: 3.8/10 (#18t)Grade: A- FlashForward (ABC) – Thursday 8 p.m. ETViewers: 8.28 million (#38), A18-49: 2.6/ 7 (#39)Grade: B- Three Rivers (CBS) – Sunday 9 p.m. ET Viewers: 8.19 million (40#), A18-49: 1.8/ 4 (#58t)Grade: C- Accidentally on Purpose (CBS) – Monday 8:30 p.m. ETViewers: 7.89 million (#43), A18-49: 2.9/ 7 (#35t)Grade: C Glee (Fox) – Wednesday 9 p.m. ETViewers: 7.53 million (#44), A18-49: 3.4/ 9 (#26t)Grade: B The Cleveland Show (Fox) – Sunday 8:30 p.m. ETViewers: 7.13 million (#51), A18-49: 3.4/ 8 (#26t)Grade: B Mercy (NBC) – Wednesday 8 p.m. ETViewers: 6.68 million (#52), A18-49: 1.7/ 5 (#61t)Grade: D The Jay Leno Show (NBC) – Tuesday 10 p.m. ETViewers: 5.81 million (#58), A18-49: 1.9/ 5 (#56t)Grade: D Trauma (NBC) – Monday 9 p.m. ETViewers: 5.35 million (#65), A18-49: 1.8/ 4 (#58t)Grade: F Community (NBC) – Thursday 8 p.m. ETViewers: 5.09 million (#67), A18-49: 2.1/ 6 (#49t)Grade: D The Jay Leno Show (NBC) – Thursday 10 p.m. ETViewers: 4.75 million (#71), A18-49: 1.6/ 4 (#64t)Grade: F The Jay Leno Show (NBC) – Wednesday 10 p.m. ETViewers: 4.71 million (#72), A18-49: 1.4/ 4 (#71t)Grade: F The Jay Leno Show (NBC) – Friday 10 p.m. ETViewers: 4.65 million (#74), A18-49: 1.2/ 4 (#76t)Grade: F The Vampire Diaries (CW) – Thursday 8 p.m. ETViewers: 4.10 million (#78), A18-49: 1.9/ 5 (#56t)Grade: B+ The Jay Leno Show (NBC) – Monday 10 p.m. ETMonday: Viewers: 4.05 million (#79), A18-49: 1.2/ 3 (#76t)Grade: F Melrose Place (CW) – Tuesday 9 p.m. ET Viewers: 1.27 million (#90), A18-49: 0.7/ 2 (#88)Grade: F --------------- Top 30 Rankings -Total Viewers:Sunday Night Football: New England/Indianapolis (NBC): 22.39 million, NCIS (CBS): 20.96, Dancing With the Stars – Monday (ABC): 17.62, CSI (CBS): 17.38, The 43rd Annual CMA Awards (ABC): 17.18, Dancing With the Stars – Tuesday (ABC) and NCIS: Los Angeles (CBS): 16.23 each, The Mentalist (CBS): 16.17, Grey’s Anatomy (ABC): 14.87, Desperate Housewives (ABC): 14.72, CSI: NY (CBS): 14.51, Two and a Half Men (CBS): 14.44, CSI: Miami (CBS): 14.38, The Good Wife (CBS): 13.35, House (Fox): 13.31, 60 Minutes (CBS): 13.08, Survivor: Samoa (CBS): 12.94, The Big Bang Theory (CBS): 12.80, Criminal Minds (CBS): 12.77, The OT (Fox): 12.24, Football Night in America, part 3 (NBC): 11.92, Extreme Makeover: Home Edition (ABC): 11.71, The Amazing Race (CBS): 11.39, V (ABC): 10.70, Private Practice (ABC): 10.25, Bones (Fox): 10.22, Brothers & Sisters (ABC): 10.09, Castle (ABC): 9.82, The Biggest Loser (NBC): 9.65, Cold Case (CBS): 9.59 -Adults 18-49:Sunday Night Football: New England/Indianapolis (NBC): 8.6 rating/22 share, Grey’s Anatomy (ABC): 5.6/14, The 43rd Annual CMA Awards (ABC): 5.3/14, House (Fox): 5.3/13, Desperate Housewives (ABC): 5.0/12, The OT (Fox): 4.9/14, The Big Bang Theory (CBS): 4.7/11, Two and a Half Men (CBS): 4.6/11, NCIS (CBS): 4.4/12, The Simpsons (Fox): 4.3/11, The Office (NBC) and Family Guy (Fox): 4.2/10 each, Football Night in America, part 3 (NBC): 4.1/11, CSI (CBS): 4.1/10, CSI: Miami (CBS) and Survivor: Samoa (CBS): 4.0/11 each, Private Practice (ABC): 3.9/11, V (ABC), The Biggest Loser (NBC) and CSI: NY: 3.8/10 each, NCIS: Los Angeles (CBS) and Extreme Makeover: Home Edition (ABC): 3.7/ 9 each, The Mentalist (CBS): 3.6/10, Dancing With the Stars – Tuesday (ABC) and How I Met Your Mother (CBS): 3.5/ 9 each, Criminal Minds (CBS) and Glee (Fox): 3.4/ 9 each, Dancing With the Stars – Monday (ABC), The Amazing Race (CBS) and The Cleveland Show (Fox): 3.4/ 8 each, 30 Rock (NBC): 3.0/ 7 Source: Nielsen Media Research data (R = repeat) Ratings Box:What’s Hot/What’s Not -Improved Melrose Place:It still has a long way to go. But the arrival of Heather Locklear on Melrose Place on Tuesday lifted the struggling revival to its best performance in total viewers (1.57 million), women 18-34 (1.6 rating/5 share) and women 18-49 (1.1/ 3) in six weeks. Compared to one week earlier, Melrose Place increased by 23 percent in total viewers and as much as 38 percent among adults 18-34 (1.1/ 3). -Sarah Successfully Meets Oprah:CBS Television Distribution’s Oprah scored its best single episode rating on Monday, Nov. 16 as a result of the Queen of Daytime’s sit-down with Sarah Palin. Oprah averaged an 8.7 rating/13 share in the metered markets -- it’s highest since Nov. 9, 2007 when the Osmond family was present. -Playhouse Disney Standouts:Based on the final Live Plus Same Day ratings for the week of Nov. 9, Playhouse Disney Saturday occupants Mickey Mouse Clubhouse and Imagination Movers each reached a new zenith. Mickey Mouse Clubhouse scored a record 2.99 million total viewers at 9 a.m. ET, finishing first overall for the week among all preschoolers. Results in target kids 2-5 was its second best in the demo, with 1.20 million. Imagination Movers at 10 a.m. ET posted series highs in total viewers (2.71 million) and kids 2-5 (1.01 million). -National Ratings in Syndication – Week of November 2:What follows are the top 20 rated programs in syndication for the week of November 2 based on households: Wheel of Fortune (CBS Television Distribution): 7.2 rating, Jeopardy (CBS): 5.9, Oprah (CBS) and Two and a Half Men (Warner Bros.): 4.9 each, Entertainment Tonight (CBS): 4.7, Judge Judy (CBS): 4.6, Family Guy (Twentieth): 3.6, Inside Edition (CBS): 3.2, CSI: NY (CBS) and Law & Order: Criminal Intent (NBC Universal): 3.1 each, Dr. Phil (CBS) and The Office (NBCU): 2.9 each, Dr. Oz (Sony Pictures Television), Live With Regis & Kelly (Disney-ABC) and Bones (Twentieth): 2.7 each, Everybody Loves Raymond (CBS), George Lopez (Warner Bros.), Seinfeld-Weekend (SPT), Two and a Half Men – Weekend (Warner Bros.) and Wheel of Fortune – Weekend (CBS): 2.6 each ---------- -Updated Cable Rankings:What follows are the top 10 rated basic cable networks in prime-time for the week of November 9. ESPN’s hefty victory is a result of 16.00 million viewers tuning into the Steelers/Broncos NFL Football match-up on Monday. Total Viewers:ESPN: 3.67 million, USA: 2.97, Fox News: 2.24, TBS: 2.02, Nick at Nite: 1.90, TNT: 1.80, Cartoon Network: 1.53, A&E: 1.46, FX: 1.35, Syfy: 1.32 -Adults 18-49:ESPN: 1.88 million, USA: 1.24 million, TBS: 1.13 million, TNT: 897,000, FX: 859,000, Spike TV: 778,000, A&E: 652,000, Syfy: 639,000, Discovery: 617,000, truTV: 573,000 -Adults 25-54:ESPN: 1.89 million, USA: 1.29 million, TBS: 1.03 million, TNT: 908,000, FX: 774,000, Syfy: 724,000, A&E: 694,000, Spike TV: 690,000, Fox News: 592,000, Discovery: 591,000 -Adults 18-34: ESPN: 876,000, TBS: 621,000, USA: 541,000, Spike TV: 439,000, FX: 434,000, TNT: 415,000, Comedy Central: 342,000, MTV: 333,000, A&E: 303,000, Discovery: 302,000 Source: Nielsen Media Research data (R = repeat) On the Air Tonight:Prime-Time Programming Options Thursday 11/19/09Night 22 of the Nov. 2009 Sweep ABC: 8:00 p.m. FlashForward 9:00 p.m. Grey’s Anatomy 10:00 p.m. Private Practice CBS: 8:00 p.m. Survivor: Samoa 9:00 p.m. CSI 10:00 p.m. The Mentalist NBC: 8:00 p.m. Community 8:30 p.m. Parks and Recreation 9:00 p.m. The Office 9:30 p.m. 30 Rock10:00 p.m. The Jay Leno Show Fox: 8:00 p.m. Bones 9:00 p.m. Fringe CW 8:00 p.m. The Vampire Diaries 9:00 p.m. Supernatural ______________________________________________________________________ TV Tidbits:Notes of Interest -NBC Moves Up The Emmys:Traditionally, The Emmy Awards airs one day before the official start of the TV season. But The 62nd Annual Primetime Emmy Awards will be telecast on NBC on Sunday, August 29 due to the network’s Sunday night football franchise. -More Real Time with Bill Maher:HBO has renewed Real Time with Bill Maher for an eighth season, with the new hour-long episodes set to begin on Friday, Feb. 19 at 9 p.m. ET. -Campus PD on G4:Cable net G4, the destination for young males, has ordered 10 episodes of a reality/docudrama called Campus PD, which will focus on officers on duty at five different college towns. It premieres on Wednesday, Dec. 9. -Third Season for Andrew Young Presents:Sewee Entertainment has picked-up Emmy winning Andrew Young Presents for a third season, with clearances to-date in more than 85 percent of the country for 2010 (including 35 of the top 40 markets). _________________________________________________________________________ TV Trivia Time:Benjy and Moose Which one of the following series featured a pair of characters named Benjy and Moose? a) Born Free b) Happy Daysc) Movin’ Ond) Northern Exposure e) The Rocky and Bullwinkle Show The answer to yesterday’s question… Four of the following five sitcoms was set in Washington, D.C. Which one was not? a) A Different Worldb) Get Smartc) Murphy Brownd) That’s My Mamae) Wanda at Large Is: a) A Different World, which took place in neighboring state Virginia. All together now… I know my parents love me, Stand behind me come what may. I know now that I'm ready, Because I finally heard them say It's a different world form where you come from. Here's a chance to make it, If we focus on our goals. If you dish it we can take it, Just remember you've been told It's a different world from where you come from. It's a different world from where you come from.-Current kudos goes to:Steve Albright, Gerry Bixenspan, Barbara Bloomfield, Larry Collins, Audrey Davis, Reid Davis, Phyllis Epstein, John Ferlazzo, Arleen Fong, Maureen Goldman, Geoffrey Gordon, Bob Ingersoll, Ken Jobe, Dineen Jones, Tom Kilgallon, Kristofer Koller, Synda Kollman, Steven Kurtzer, Stephen LaRue, Charmaine Leary, Patty Lynch, Jim Moore, Michael Murphy, David Powell, Gordon Purcell, Colleen Roth, Joe Rubi, Maxine Schulman, Robyn Swart, Jodi Tiktin, Ted Zawislak

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ABC, CBS and Fox Share Weekly Dominance

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