Another Week of Split Leadership for CBS and Fox

THE PROGRAMMING INSIDERWednesday, April 7, 2010 Prime-Time Metered Market Tuesday Ratings:Fox Wins; CBS and ABC Also Earn Accolades National Ratings in Prime-Time:Week of March 29, 2010 Ratings Box:What’s Hot/What’s Not On the Air Tonight:Prime-Time Programming Options TV Tidbits:Notes of Interest TV Trivia Time: True or False________________________________________________________________________________ Prime-Time Metered Market Tuesday Ratings:Fox Wins; CBS and ABC Also Earn Accolades Tuesday 4/06/10 HH Rtg/Shr Fox 13.5/20CBS 9.5/15ABC 6.7/10NBC 4.8/ 7CW 1.1/ 2 ---------- -Percent Change From the Year-Ago Evening (Tuesday, April 7, 2009):Fox: +35, ABC: +24, CBS: - 1, NBC: -11, CW: -21 ---------- -Yesterday’s Winners:American Idol (Fox), NCIS (CBS), Dancing With the Stars (ABC), NCIS: Los Angeles (CBS), Lost (ABC), The Good Wife (CBS) -Yesterday’s Losers (excluding repeats):90210 (CW), Melrose Place (CW), V (ABC) ---------- -Ratings Breakdown:American Idol lifted Fox to another overnight Tuesday victory. And Fox will clearly win the evening in total viewers and all key demos. But CBS and ABC also had bragging rights of their own. Beginning with American Idol, another two hour installment, this week featuring the final nine contestants, averaged a healthy 13.5 rating/20 share in the overnights from 8-10 p.m., with the half-hour breakdown as follows: American Idol (Fox)8:00 p.m.: 11.8/18 (#1)8:30 p.m.: 12.7/19 (#1)9:00 p.m.: 14.8/22 (#1)9:30 p.m.: 14.8/22 (#1) Despite the positive feedback last night, I still personally think Tim Urban will be back in the bottom three. And my picks to join him are Aaron Kelly and Siobhan Magnus, who looked like she lost her sheep last night. If Tim Urban is sent packing, and I think he will be, there is a good chance the judges will save him. CBS sensation NCIS remained just that last night, with a second-place 10.7/16 in the overnights at 8 p.m. That led into successful spin-off NCIS: Los Angeles (#2: 9.1/13 at 9 p.m.), followed by compatible (but older skewing) The Good Wife at a dominant 8.7/14 at 10 p.m. As I always say, there is nothing wrong with attracting a seasoned crowd. Despite facing both American Idol and NCIS, the live Dancing With the Stars Show on ABC was on the map at 8 p.m. with a third-place 9.5/15. In total, the three shows -- Idol, NCIS and Dancing With the Stars -- totaled a mammoth 32.4 rating/50 share in the 8 p.m. hour! While it was no surprise to see Buzz Aldrin leave, I was sorry to see one of my personal favorite dancers, Ashly Costa, depart this soon. She was the one, if you recall, you got stuck with Master P in season two. Next on ABC was demo friendly Lost at a third-place 6.8/10 in the overnights at 9 p.m., which will translate into a solid second-place finish among adults 18-49, followed by week two of the return of V at a disappointing (and last-place) 4.0/ 7 at 10 p.m. One week earlier, V averaged a 5.1/ 9 on March 30. Chances of V returning next fall now seem nil. Over at NBC, The Biggest Loser is not having one of its highest rated seasons. But considering the severity of the competition, a 5.0/ 8 in the overnights from 8-10 p.m. (with growth in every half-hour) is certainly not a bust. Take a look: The Biggest Loser (NBC)8:00 p.m.: 4.5/ 7 (#4)8:30 p.m.: 4.8/ 7 (#4)9:00 p.m.: 5.2/ 8 (#4)9:30 p.m.: 5.6/ 8 (#4) The Biggest Loser led into Parenthood, which was below-average at 10 p.m. with a distant second-place 4.3/ 7. Although CBS’ competing The Good Wife actually beat Parenthood and V combined in the overnights by five percent, its advantage over Parenthood among adults 18-49 will be considerably smaller. Last, and very least, was The CW’s losing combination of already renewed 90210 (#5: 1.3/ 2) and waiting-to-be axed Melrose Place (0.9/ 1). Source: Nielsen Media Research data (R = repeat)_____________________________________________________________________________ National Ratings in Prime-Time:Week of March 29, 2010 It was another week of split leadership, with CBS first in households and total viewers, and Fox No. 1 in the three key demos – adults 18-49, adults 25-54 and adults 18-34. But both networks slid year-to-year by double-digit percentages in the five surveyed categories. Losses for Fox are a partial result, no doubt, of softer returns for American Idol, which finished second overall in total viewers (for the Tuesday edition) behind the season-premiere of ABC’s Dancing With the Stars. This was, in fact, the first time in almost five years (since the week of May 16, 2005) that a regularly scheduled series drew a larger audience than American Idol. CBS had one night, Saturday, of the ongoing NCAA Basketball Championship in the mix. Growing ABC finished second in households, total viewers and adults 18-34 (and third elsewhere), with gains of as much as 20 percent among adults 25-54 from the year-ago week. Comparably, and excluding The Academy Awards, this was ABC’s strongest non-Oscar week wince the week of Jan. 4, 2010. NBC ranked fourth across-the-board with losses of 12 to 21 percent from one year earlier, while perennial cellar dweller The CW dipped by as much as 14 percent in households. In series-premiere news, CBS drama Miami Medical opened with 7.49 million viewers (#31) and a 2.3 rating/7 share among adults 18-49 (#48t) in the Friday 10 p.m. hour. While the positive news was time period dominance and double-digit growth out of lead-in Medium (Viewers: #40, 6.20 million; A18-49: #67t, 1.3/ 5 at 9 p.m.), comparably this was only on par with a repeat installment of year-ago occupant Num3rs. In season-premiere news, ABC’s deteriorating Wife Swap needs to call it quits at this point, with just 3.48 million viewers (#74) and a 1.2/ 5 in the demo (#73t) in the Friday 8 p.m. anchor position. In a potential test, CBS Thursday occupants CSI and The Mentalist flipped time periods, and both remained compatible as follows: CBS/Thursday 9:00 p.m. – The Mentalist Viewers: 14.11 million (#6), A18-49: 2.7/ 8 (#22) 10:00 p.m. – CSIViewers: 13.35 million (#9), A18-49: 2.8/ 8 (#17t) As for the freshman midseason scorecard, CBS’ feel good Undercover Boss, the Extreme Makeover: Home Edition of the corporate world, continues to stand well above the rest. Take a look: Undercover Boss (CBS) – Sunday 9 p.m.Viewers: 13.18 million (#10), A18-49: 4.0/11 (#7)Grade: A Human Target (Fox) – Wednesday 8 p.m.Viewers: 8.23 million (#25), A18-49: 2.3/ 8 (#28t)Grade: B Miami Medical (CBS) – Friday 10 p.m. (series premiere)Viewers: 7.49 million (#31), A18-49: 1.6/ 5 (#48t)Grade: C Parenthood (NBC) – Tuesday 10 p.m.Viewers: 6.23 million (#38), A18-49: 2.5/ 7 (#26)Grade: C+ Who Do You Think You Are? (NBC) – Friday 8 p.m. (8 episode renewal for 2010-11)Viewers: 5.87 million (#45), A18-49: 1.4/ 5 (#57t)Grade: C- Minute to Win It (NBC) – Sunday 8 p.m. (10 episode renewal for 2010-11)Viewers: 5.55 million (#50), A18-49: 1.8/ 5 (#41t)Grade: C The Marriage Ref (NBC) – Thursday 10 p.m. (13 episode renewal for 2010-11)Viewers: 5.40 million (#53), A18-49: 2.3/ 7 (#23t)Grade: C+ Jamie Oliver’s Food Revolution (ABC) – Friday 9 p.m. Viewers: 4.33 million (#63), A18-49: 1.5/ 5 (#50t)Grade: D Sons of Tucson (Fox) – Sunday 9:30 p.m.Viewers: 3.13 million (#77), A18-49: 1.4/ 4 (#57t)Grade: F Fly Girls (CW) – Wednesday 9 p.m.Viewers: 1.12 million (#89), A18-49: 0.4/ 1 (#89t)Grade: F High Society (CW) – Wednesday 9:30 p.m. Viewers: 745,000 (#92), A18-49: 0.3/ 1 (#91)Grade: F Here are the final national ratings for the week of March 29, 2010 (with percent change versus the comparable year-ago week in parentheses), followed by the top 20 rated programs of the week and the top rated networks on basic cable. -Households:CBS: 6.2 rating/11 share (-18), ABC: 5.4/ 9 (+17), Fox: 5.0/ 9 (-12), NBC: 3.7/ 7 (-18), CW: 1.2/ 2 (-14) -Total Viewers: CBS: 10.12 million (-18), ABC: 8.53 (+19), Fox: 8.47 (-13), NBC: 5.77 (-16), CW: 1.87 (-12) -Adults 18-49:Fox: 2.9 raring/9 share (-19), CBS: 2.6/ 8 (-24), ABC: 2.5/ 8 (+19), NBC: 1.9/ 6 (-21), CW: 0.9/ 3 (-10) -Adults 25-54:Fox: 3.4/ 9 (-17), CBS: 3.4/10 (-19), ABC: 3.0/ 8 (+20), NBC: 2.3/ 6 (-21), CW: 0.8/ 2 (-11) -Adults 18-34:Fox: 2.3/ 8 (-26), ABC: 1.9/ 7 (+19), CBS: 1.7/ 6 (-29), NBC: 1.5/ 5 (-12), CW: 1.0/ 4 (- 9) -------------------- Top 20 Rankings -Total Viewers:Dancing With the Stars – Monday (ABC): 22.97 million, American Idol – Tuesday (Fox): 21.84, American Idol – Wednesday (Fox): 20.49, NCAA Basketball Championship – Saturday (CBS): 15.82, Dancing With the Stars – Tuesday (ABC): 14.28, The Mentalist (CBS): 14.11, NCAA Basketball – Bridge (CBS): 14.03, Castle (ABC): 13.86, CSI (CBS): 13.35, Undercover Boss (CBS): 13.18, Survivor: Heroes vs. Villains (CBS): 11.26, Two and a Half Men R (CBS): 10.98, NCIS R (CBS): 10.90, NCIS: Los Angeles R (CBS): 10.20, Lost (ABC): 10.13, Cold Case (CBS): 10.10, Law & Order: SVU (NBC): 10.08, Grey’s Anatomy (ABC): 9.87, The Big Bang Theory R (CBS): 9.80, Modern Family (ABC): 9.51, The Amazing Race (CBS): 9.12, Bones (Fox): 8.68, 60 Minutes (CBS): 8.52, 24 (Fox): 8.48, Human Target (Fox): 8.23, CSI: Miami R (CBS): 8.01, The Good Wife R (CBS): 7.98, Criminal Minds R (CBS): 7.95, Private Practice (ABC): 7.82, Extreme Makeover: Home Edition (ABC): 7.75 -Adults 18-49:American Idol – Tuesday (Fox): 7.7 rating/21 share, American Idol – Wednesday (Fox): 6.7/19, Dancing With the Stars – Monday (ABC): 5.6/16, NCAA Basketball Championship – Saturday (CBS): 4.7/16, NCAA Basketball – Bridge (CBS): 4.2/16, Lost (ABC): 4.1/11, Undercover Boss (CBS): 4.0/11, Modern Family (ABC): 3.9/11, Two and a Half Men R (CBS): 3.8/10, Survivor: Heroes vs. Villains (CBS): 3.5/13, Grey’s Anatomy (ABC): 3.5/11, Castle (ABC): 3.5/10, The Big Bang Theory R (CBS): 3.5/ 9, Dancing With the Stars – Tuesday (ABC): 3.0/ 9, Rules of Engagement (CBS): 3.0/ 8, Law & Order: SVU (NBC): 2.9/ 9, The Biggest Loser (NBC), V (ABC, return), CSI (CBS), The Amazing Race (CBS) and The Celebrity Apprentice (NBC): 2.8/ 8 each, The Mentalist (CBS): 2.7/ 8, Cougar Town (ABC): 2.6/ 8, 24 (Fox): 2.6/ 7, Parenthood (NBC): 2.5/ 7, Bones (Fox): 2.4/ 8, Human Target (Fox): 2.3/ 8, The Marriage Ref (NBC) and Extreme Makeover: Home Edition (ABC): 2.3/ 7 each, Cold Case (CBS): 2.3/ 6 -------------------- CABLE What follows are the top 10 rated networks on cable in prime-time for the week of March 29 based on total viewers and the three key demos: Total Viewers:USA: 3.14 million, Fox News; 1.96, Nick at Nite: 1.70, TBS: 1.64, History: 1.63, TNT: 1.60, ESPN: 1.53, A&E: 1.30, Discovery and Cartoon Network: 1.25 each Adults 18-49:USA: 1.27 million each, TBS: 991,000, History: 717,000, TNT: 697,000, FX: 630,000, Discovery: 628,000, ESPN: 599,000, A&E: 593,000, Comedy Central: 581,000, Food Network: 539,000 Adults 25-54:USA: 1.37 million, TBS: 872,000, History: 807,000, TNT: 722,000, A&E: 629,000, ESPN: 618,000, Discovery: 603,000, Syfy: 580,000, Food Network and FX: 547,000 each Adults 18-34:USA: 553,000, TBS: 539,000, MTV: 384,000, Comedy Central: 365,000, FX: 352,000, Discovery: 320,000, TNT: 315,000, ESPN and History: 307,000 each, ABC Family: 270,000 Source: Nielsen Media Research data (R = repeat) Ratings Box:What’s Hot/What’s Not -Record Tori & Dean:The fifth season-premiere of Oxygen mainstay Tori & Dean: Home Sweet Hollywood kicked-off on Monday with a record performance in total viewers (816,000), adults 18-49 (554,000), women 18-49 (436,000) and women 18-34 (216,000) at 10 p.m. ET. Compared to the season four opener in May 2009, Tori & Dean was up by as much as 10 percent among adults 18-34. -Updated National Ratings in Syndication:What follows are the top 20 rated programs in syndication (first-run and off-network) based on households for the week of March 22: Wheel of Fortune (CBS Television Distribution): 6.4 rating, Jeopardy (CBS): 5.4, Two and a Half Men (Warner Bros.): 4.8, Entertainment Tonight (CBS): 4.7, Judge Judy (CBS): 4.6, Oprah (CBS): 3.6, CSI: NY (CBS): 3.4, Family Guy (Twentieth): 3.3, Inside Edition (CBS) and Everybody Loves Raymond (CBS): 3.0 each. The Office (NBC Universal): 2.9, Seinfeld (Sony Pictures Television): 2.8, George Lopez (Warner Bros.) and Law & Order: Criminal Intent (NBCU): 2.7 each, Two and a Half – Weekend (Warner Bros.): 2.6, Dr. Phil (CBS), Dr. Oz. (SPT), King of the Hill (Twentieth) and CSI: Miami (CBS): 2.5 each Source: Nielsen Media Research data (R = repeat) On the Air Tonight:Prime-Time Programming Options Wednesday 4.07/10 ABC: 8:00 p.m. Modern Family (R) 8:30 p.m. The Middle 9:00 p.m. Modern Family 9:30 p.m. Cougar Town 10:00 p.m. Ugly Betty CBS: 8:00 p.m. The New Adventures of Old Christine 8:30 p.m. Accidentally on Purpose 9:00 p.m. Criminal Minds 10:00 p.m. CSI: NY NBC: 8:00 p.m. Minute To Win It 9:00 p.m. Law & Order: SVU (R)10:00 p.m. Law & Order: SVU Fox: 8:00 p.m Human Target 9:00 p.m. American Idol CW 8:00 p.m. America’s Next Top Model 9:00 p.m. Fly Girls 9:30 p.m. High Society______________________________________________________________________ TV Tidbits:Notes of Interest -TLC to Revive American Chopper:Just two months after calling it quits, veteran American Chopper will return on TLC for a seventh season, which will be confirmed at Discovery Channel’s upfront presentation in New York City tomorrow. -Oxygen Programming Initiatives:Female driven cable net Oxygen has announced four new non-scripted series for the 2010-11 season: Jersey Couture, Hair Battle Spectacular, The Russell Simmons Project and House of Glam. Jersey Couture, which premieres on Tuesday, June 1 at 10 p.m. ET, is set at an over-the-top dress shop run by a no-nonsense New Jersey family. Hair Battle Spectacular pits 10 hair stylists against each other to see who can deliver the biggest and best in fantasy hair design. The Russell Simmons Project focuses on the women in the life of the high-profile media mogul. And House of Glam features the trendsetting stylists of image agency the B Lynn Group. Pilots in development at Oxygen are fashion game show Who Wears it Best; and Tori and Dean: Weddings, which features the reality couple helping one lucky couple planning their wedding. Projects in development are Bachelorette Party and Make Me Under, which asks young women to embrace the real and ditch the fake. _________________________________________________________________________ TV Trivia Time:True or False Which one of the following five statements is not true? After Sanford and Son ended, the Sanford residence was spun-off into a series called The Sanford Arms, which was set in a hotel.The real first name of “Scarecrow” on Scarecrow and Mrs. King was Lee. Fantasy Island premiered before The Love Boat.Gavin MacLeod originally tested for the role of Mr. Grant on The Mary Tyler Moore Show. The original Star Trek series ran for only three seasons. The answer to yesterday’s question… What city was sitcom Mr. Belvedere set in? a) Denver b) Indianapolis c) Pittsburghd) Raleigh e) St. Louis Is: c) Pittsburgh. Beaver Falls, to be exact. -Current kudos goes to:Suzanne Ackley, Mikki Beno, Barbara Berman, Gerry Bixenspan, Barbara Bloomfield, Jim Colucci, Tom Condosta, Kristen Conner, Sue Doron, John Ferlazzo, Julie Friedlander, Adam Giagni, Maureen Goldman, Martha Gonzalez, Carolyn Becker Hayes, Barb Hemberger, Shannon Herlihy, Brad Hight, Kerry Hughes, Bob Ingersoll, David Jackino, Greg Janover, Deb Kainer, Mary Kalnin, Marie Lefevre Karp, Mary Kinoshita, Synda Kollman, Mark Krause, Steve Kurtzer, Valerie Langan, Ricke Locke, Patty Lynch, Debbie Mirr, Jim Moore, Michael Murphy, Frank Nicotero, Aaron Paquette, Alan Perris, Jodi Perris, Francine Purcell, Gordon Purcell, John Richards, Con Rigg, Colleen Roth, Joe Rubi, Ron Salmon, Maxine Shulman, Kristen Signore, Michelle Stanton, Myndi Weinraub, Tammy Wiard, Ted Zavales, Ted Zawislak

Convergent TV

Another Week of Split Leadership for CBS and Fox

Marc Berman

About

Subscriptions

Events

Publications

WORK SMARTER - LEARN, GROW AND BE INSPIRED.

Subscribe today!

Marc Berman