Jay Leno Down but Still Dominant in Day Two

THE PROGRAMMING INSIDERWednesday, September 16, 2009 Prime-Time Metered Market Tuesday Ratings:Jay Leno Down But Still Dominant; Positive The Bigger Loser National Ratings in Prime-Time:Week of September 7, 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: Meet George Jetson ______________________________________________________________________ Prime-Time Metered Market Tuesday Ratings:Jay Leno Down But Still Dominant; Positive The Bigger Loser Tuesday 9/15/09 HH Rtg/Shr NBC 6.6/11CBS 5.5/ 9ABC 3.4/ 6Fox 2.7/ 4CW 1.5/ 4 ---------- -Percent Change From the Year-Ago Evening (Tuesday, September 16, 2008):NBC: +35, CBS: +10, ABC: - 6, CW: -37, Fox: -69 Note: Fox aired the season-premiere of House and an original installment of Fringe on the year-ago evening. ---------- -Yesterday’s Winners:NCIS R (CBS), The Biggest Loser (NBC), The Jay Leno Show (NBC) -Yesterday’s Losers:More To Love (Fox), Shaq Vs. (ABC), 90210 (CW), Melrose Place (CW) ---------- -Ratings Breakdown:Night two of NBC’s The Jay Leno Show, as expected, took a considerable hit, but the early results are still positive. Leading out of the two-hour season-premiere of The Biggest Loser, Leno in day two scored a dominant 8.0 rating/14 share in the metered markets. Comparably, that was down by a hefty 34 percent from its launch on Monday (12.1/20 on Sept. 14). But it built by 25 percent from the 9:30 p.m. portion of The Biggest Loser (6.4/10). And it was an improvement of 19 percent over the year-ago season-premiere of former occupant Law & Order: SVU (6.7/11 on Sept. 23, 2008). Since The Jay Leno Show opened one night earlier with 18.42 million viewers and a 5.3 rating/14 share among adults 18-49 based on the Live Plus Same Day nationals, last night’s overnights should translate between 12 and 13 million viewers and a high 3-rating in the demo once the fast affiliate results are available (and posted, of course, at PIFeedback.com). But what should be noted is the expected strength of lead-in The Biggest Loser, which always delivers demographically. The Biggest Loser opened the new season with a respectable 5.9/10 in the overnights,building by half-hour as follows: The Biggest Loser:8:00 p.m.: 5.3/ 9 (#2)8:30 p.m.: 5.9/10 (#2)9:00 p.m.: 6.0/10 (#1)9:30 p.m.: 6.4/10 (#1) Comparably, this was an improvement of 11 percent over it’s year-ago season opener (5.3/ 8 on Tuesday, Sept. 16, 2008). In season-finale news, a two-hour edition of CBS’ Big Brother scored a typical 4.4/ 8 in the overnights, with the half-hour breakdown as follows: Big Brother (CBS) 9:00 p.m.: 4.6/ 7 (#2) 9:30 p.m.: 4.0/ 6 (#2)10:00 p.m.: 4.4/ 7 (#2)10:30 p.m.: 4.5/ 8 (#3) One year earlier, Big Brother concluded with a similar 4.2/ 7 for a one-hour edition on Tuesday, Sept. 16, 2008. Congratulations, of course, go to Jordan. But why did Julie Chen not read that Kevin also voted for Natalie, making it more suspenseful at the end? There big dramatic moment was completely missing. Earlier in the evening on CBS was a repeat of rock-solid NCIS at a first-place 7.7/13 in the overnights. In season (or series) finale news, Fox reality/competition More to Love went out with a bust, with a mere 2.7/ 4 in the overnights from 8-10 p.m. Given its non-success, isn’t it time the broadcast nets gave up on this summer nonsense? Here is the half-hour breakdown: More to Love (Fox) 8:00 p.m.:8:00 p.m.: 2.3/ 4 (#4)8:30 p.m.: 2.5/ 4 (#3)9:00 p.m.: 2.7/ 4 (#4)9:30 p.m.: 3.3/ 5 (#4) ABC was at recent bland overnight Tuesday levels with its combination of a repeat of Shark Tank (#3t, 2.3/ 4), summer dud Shaq Vs. (#3, 3.4/ 6), and a last-minute Barbara Walters special (#2t, 4.5/ 7). Last was The CW, with its combination of week two of the sophomore season of 90210 (#5, 1.6/ 3) and week two of the remake of Melrose (#5, 1.5/ 2). Comparably, Melrose Place dipped by 21 percent from its already disappointing week-ago series-opener (1.9/ 3 on Sept. 8). The compatibility out of 90210 is certainly there, but the early results are not. While I realize the success of The CW falls within the young female demos, both 90210 and Melrose Place are “losers” based on the overnights. We’ll see what happens when the demos are released. Source: Nielsen Media Research data (R = repeat)_____________________________________________________________________________ National Ratings in Prime-Time:Week of September 7, 2009 Led by two nights of football (Tennessee at Pittsburgh on The NFL Thursday Special and Chicago at Green Bay on Sunday), NBC swept the week with a rare first-place finish in households, total viewers, adults 18-49 and adults 25-54. Results among adults 18-34 were not available at press time. Comparably, NBC built over the year-ago week by as much as 31 percent among adults 18-49. Other than more gains by MyNetworkTV, erosion was the visible observation for the holiday week of Sept. 7. The biggest loser: ABC, with losses of 30 to 38 percent in the four surveyed categories. There were three series-premieres this week – Fox’s Glee and The CW’s Melrose Place and The Vampire Diaries – and two were amply sampled. The initial loser: Melrose Place. Here are the results: Melrose Place (CW) – Tuesday 9 p.m. (out of the season-premiere of 90210)Viewers: 2.31 million (#81 overall), A18-49: 1.3 rating/3 share (#51t) Glee (Fox) – Wednesday 9 p.m. (out of the season-premiere of So You Think You Can Dance, and following its preview last May out of American Idol)Viewers: 7.50 million (#18), A18-49: 3.5/ 9 (#8) The Vampire Diaries (CW) – Thursday 8 p.m.Viewers: 4.91 million (#42), A18-49: 2.1/ 7 (#20) The Vampire Diaries licked-off with the largest audience for any CW series-premiere, topping 90210 from one year earlier. And it also lifted The CW to a record performance in the time period in women 18-34 (3.1 rating/10 share) and women 18-49 (2.8/ 8); and best in total viewers, adults 18-34 (2.2/ 8) and adults 18-49 (2.1/ 6) since Oct. 2007. There were also the following season-premieres this week and four of the five (excluding Fox’s America’s Most Wanted) were down year-to-year. 90210 (CW) – Tuesday 8 p.m.Viewers: 2.44 million (#80), A18-49: 1.2/ 4 (#57t) So You Think You Can Dance (Fox) – Wednesday 8 p.m.Viewers: 6.55 million (#25), A18-49: 2.7/ 8 (#14t) America’s Next Top Model (CW) – Wednesday 8 p.m. (two hours)Viewers: 3.24 million (#74), A18-49: 1.5/ 4 (#37t) Cops (Fox) – Saturday 8 p.m.Viewers: 3.95 million (#58), A18-49: 1.2/ 4 (#57t) America’s Most Wanted (Fox)Viewers: 5.37 million (#38), A18-49: 1.7/ 5 (#30t) Also of note was the series-finale of long-running animated Fox comedy King of the Hill, with 6.04 million viewers (#31) and a 2.7/ 9 among adults 18-49 (tied for #12) in the Sunday 8:30 p.m. half-hour. Here are the final national ratings for the week of September 7, 2009 (with percent change versus the comparable year-ago week in parentheses), followed by the summer series scorecard, and the top 20 rated programs of the week. -Households:NBC: 6.6 rating/11 share (+25), CBS: 3.9/ 7 (-20), Fox: 3.2/ 5 (-18), ABC: 2.8/ 5 (-30), CW: 1.4/ 2 (-22), MNTV: 0.9/ 2 (+29) -Total Viewers: NBC: 10.54 million (+13), CBS: 6.03 (-18), Fox: 5.15 (-17), ABC: 4.28 (-32), CW: 2.10 (-23), MNTV: 1.40 (+37) -Adults 18-49:NBC: 3.4 rating/10 share (+31), Fox: 2.0/ 6 (-13), CBS: 1.5/ 4 (-29), ABC: 1.3/ 4 (-38), CW: 0.9/ 3 (-25), MNTV: 0.5/ 1 (+25) -Adults 25-54:NBC: 3.9/10 (+26), Fox: 2.2/ 6 (-15), CBS: 2.0/ 5 (-26), ABC: 1.6/ 4 (-36), CW: 0.9/ 2 (-18), MNTV: 0.5/ 1 (+25) Note: Results among adults 18-34 were not available this week. -------------------- Summer Series Scorecard (In Order of Total Viewers): America’s Got Talent (NBC) - Tuesday 9 p.m. Viewers: 12.03 million (#5), A18-49: 2.9/ 8 (#16t) America’s Got Talent (NBC) - Wednesday 9 p.m. Viewers: 10.06 million (#10), A18-49: 2.1/ 6 (#25t) Hell’s Kitchen (Fox) - Tuesday 8 p.m. Viewers: 7.97 million (#15), A18-49: 3.7/11 (#12) Big Brother – (CBS) – Tuesday 9 p.m.Viewers: 7.89 million (#16), A18-49: 2.7/ 7 (#19t) Big Brother – (CBS) – Thursday 8 p.m. Viewers: 7.44 million (#19), A18-49: 2.6/ 8 (#22) Big Brother – (CBS) – Sunday 8 p.m. Viewers: 6.59 million (#22), A18-49: 2.1/ 5 (#25t) Primetime: Family Secrets (ABC) – Tuesday 10 p.m. Viewers: 5.89 million (#), A18-49: 2.3/ 6 (#24) Wipeout (ABC) - Wednesday 9 p.m. Viewers: 4.95 million (#44), A18-49: 1.8/ 5 (#31t) Shark Tank (ABC) – Sunday 9 p.m.Viewers: 4.20 million (#56), A18-49: 1.4/ 3 (#48t) More to Love (Fox) – Tuesday 9 p.m. (season or series finale, two hours)Viewers: 4.03 million (#58), A18-49: 1.8/ 5 (#31t) There Goes the Neighborhood (CBS) – Sunday 9:30 p.m. Viewers: 3.88 million (#64), A18-49: 1.1/ 3 (#67) There Goes the Neighborhood (CBS) – Sunday 10:30 p.m. (season or series finale)Viewers: 3.71 million (#68), A18-49: 1.0/ 2 (#72t) Shaq Vs. (ABC) – Tuesday 9 p.m.Viewers: 3.79 million (#67), A18-49: 1.5/ 4 (#42t) Defying Gravity (ABC) – Sunday 10 p.m. Viewers: 2.45 million (#79), A18-49: 0.8/ 2 (#83t) -------------------- Top 20 Rankings -Total Viewers:Sunday Night Football: Chicago at Green Bay (NBC): 21.10 million, NFL Thursday Special: Tennessee at Pittsburgh (NBC): 20.91 million, Sunday Night Pre-Kick (NBC): 17.00, Thursday Night Football Pre-Kick (NBC): 15.53, America’s Got Talent – Tuesday (NBC): 12.03, Football Night in American – Part 3 (NBC): 11.99, The OT (Fox): 11.31, NCIS R (CBS): 11.22, 60 Minutes (CBS): 10.52, America’s Got Talent (NBC) – Wednesday: 10.06, NFL Opening Kick-Off Show (NBC): 9.23, Two and a Half Men R (CBS): 9.02, The Mentalist R (CBS, Thurs. 10 p.m.): 8.34, The Big Bang Theory R (CBS): 8.09, Hell’s Kitchen (Fox): 7.97, Big Brother – Tuesday (CBS): 7.89, CSI R (CBS): 7.56, Glee (Fox, series premiere following last May’s preview): 7.50, Big Brother – Thursday (CBS): 7.44, Dateline – Friday (NBC): 6.74 -Adults 18-49:NFL Thursday Special: Tennessee at Pittsburgh (NBC): 8.6 rating/25 share, Sunday Night Football: Chicago at Green Bay (NBC): 8.6/22, Sunday Night Pre-Kick (NBC): 6.8/19, Thursday Night Football Pre-Kick (NBC): 5.7/19, The OT (Fox): 4.9/15, Football Night in America – Part 3 (NBC): 4.7/14, Hell’s Kitchen (Fox): 3.7/11, Glee (Fox, series premiere following last May’s preview): 3.5/ 9, NFL Pre-Kick (NBC): 3.2/11, King of the Hill (Fox, Sun. 8 p.m.): 3.0/ 8, America’s Got Talent – Tuesday (NBC): 2.9/ 8, King of the Hill (Fox, Sun. 8:30 p.m. – series finale): 2.9/ 7, The Big Bang Theory R (CBS): 2.8/ 7, So You Think You Can Dance (Fox, fall season premiere): 2.7/ 8, Two and a Half Men R (CBS) and Big Brother – Tuesday (CBS): 2.7/ 7 each, Big Brother – Thursday (CBS): 2.6/ 8, Family Guy R (Fox): 2.4/ 6, Primetime: Family Secrets (ABC): 2.3/ 6, The Vampire Diaries (CW, premiere): 2.1/ 7, NCIS R (CBS) and America’s Got Talent – Wednesday (NBC): 2.1/ 6 each, Big Brother – Sunday (CBS): 2.1/ 5 Source: Nielsen Media Research data (R = repeat)_____________________________________________________________________________ Ratings Box:What’s Hot/What’s Not -Positive News for Dr. Oz in Day Two:It looks like Sony Pictures Television could very well have something here. Based on the overnight results, new talker Dr. Oz matched its Monday opener, with a 1.7 household rating. Comparably, that beat both the lead-in and year-ago time period averages (1.4) by a noticeable 21 percent. While I always stress it is a positive to match both benchmarks, the double-digit growth is a refreshing change (and good news for first-run syndication). -Strong True Blood Season Ender:HBO’s True Blood concluded its sophomore season on Sunday, with an above-average 5.1 million viewers at 9 p.m. Comparably, that was more than double the 2.5 million viewers who tuned in for the freshman season ender. -Record Scooby-Doo on Cartoon Network:Original live-action and CG-animated movie special Scooby-Doo! The Mystery Begins rose to the most-watched telecast in Cartoon Network history, with 6.11 million viewers aged 2+ in the Sunday 7-9 p.m. block. It also broke the record books with kids 2-11 (3.03 million), kids 6-11 (2.30 million), kids 9-14 (1.83 million), boys 2-11 (1.98 million) and boys 6-11 (1.54 million). -Updated Cable Rankings:What follows are the top 10 rated basic cable networks in prime-time for the week of September 7: Total Viewers:ESPN: 3.90 million, USA: 3.27, Fox News: 2.62, TNT: 2.08, ESPN2: 1.95, Nick at Nite: 1.67, Cartoon Network: 1.66, MTV: 1.63, A&E: 1.59, FX: 1.58 Adults 18-49:ESPN: 1.86 million, USA: 1.25 million, MTV: 1.09 million, TBS: 987,000, TNT: 947,000, FX: 898,000, ESPN2: 739,000, A&E: 738,000, History Channel: 716,000, Discovery: 604,000 Adults 25-54:ESPN: 1.89 million, USA: 1.45 million, TNT: 1.03 million, ESPN2: 877,000, FX: 850,000, TBS: 829,000, A&E: 787,000, History: 775,000, MTV: 742,000, Fox News: 713,000 Adults 18-34:ESPN: 905,000, MTV: 795,000, TBS: 551,000, USA: 541,000, FX: 460,000, TNT: 392,000, ABC Family: 330,000, A&E: 327,000, Comedy Central: 298,000, Discovery: 293,000 Source: Nielsen Media Research data_______________________________________________________________________________ On the Air Tonight:Prime-Time Programming Options Thursday 9/16/09 ABC: 8:00 p.m. Wipeout 9:00 p.m. Crash Course 10:00 p.m. Primetime: The Outsiders (season finale) CBS: 8:00 p.m. The New Adventures of Old Christine (R) 8:30 p.m. Gary Unmarried (R) 9:00 p.m. Criminal Minds (R)10:00 p.m. CSI: NY (R) NBC: 8:00 p.m. America’s Got Talent (season finale, two hours)10:00 p.m. The Jay Leno Show Fox: 8:00 p.m. So You Think You Can Dance 9:00 p.m. Glee CW 8:00 p.m. America’s Next Top Model 9:00 p.m. The Beautiful Life (season premiere) MTNV 8:00 p.m. World’s Funniest Moments (R) 9:00 p.m. Magic’s Biggest Secrets Finally Revealed (R) New Program Descriptions The Beautiful Life (CW) -The Premise:A group of young aspiring male and female models in New York is the focus on this new drama. The ensemble cast includes Mischa Barton (The O.C.), Corbin Bleu, Ben Hollingsworth, Ashley Madekew, Sara Paxton, Nico Tortorella and Elle Macpherson. -The Scoop:Said co-series creator Ashton Kutcher at the recent Summer Television Critics Association Press Tour: “The wonderful thing about having Mischa Barton in the cast is that she’s done it before. She was one of the leads in The O.C., so her sort of navigation and guidance for the rest of the cast, I think, is essential for us as a unit.” -The Reality:If wooden Mischa Barton is nativating the cast, uh-oh…there’s are problems aplenty lying ahead! That aside, can anyone remember the last time a scripted series about models succeeded? Although America’s Next Top Model offers respectable lead-in support, it also did for former occupants Stylista, Farmer Wants a Wife, Pussycat Dolls Presents and Crowned: The Mother of All Pageants. Unless the show itself is a lot better than the show itself, the ratings may not be all that beautiful. -Chance of Survival for The Beautiful Life (Based on a scale of 1-1 to 10-1):7-1________________________________________________________________________ TV Tidbits:Notes of Interest -President Obama Heads to Letterman:President Barack Obama is heading back to late night as the sole guest on the Monday, Sept. 21 edition of CBS’ The Late Show with David Letterman. -The Biggest Loser on FLN:Cable net Fine Living has acquired the off-net rights to the current season on The Biggest Loser effective on Friday, Sept. 18 at 8 p.m. ET. A second repeat telecast will also air weekly in the Saturday 8 p.m. hour. -Spike TV Remembers Patrick Swayze:Spike TV will honor the memory of Patrick Swayze, who lost his battle with pancreatic cancer on Monday, with a broadcast of 1989 Swayze theatrical Road House on Saturday, Sept. 19 at 10 p.m. ET. The telecast will also include a special tribute to the Golden Globe-nominated actor. -Handicapping The Emmys:Next up in my week of predicting the upcoming Primetime Emmy Awards is Outstanding Lead Actor and Actress in a Comedy Series. Don’t forget to tune into CBS on Sunday, June 20 at 8 p.m. ET for the live telecast. Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy: The Nominees:Alec Baldwin (30 Rock, NBC)Steve Carell (The Office, NBC)Jemaine Clement (Flight of the Conchords, HBO)Jim Parsons (The Big Bang Theory, CBS)Tony Shalhoub (Monk, USA) Charlie Sheen (Two and a Half Men, CBS) Who Should Win: Jim Parsons Who Will Win: Jim Parsons Emmy loves to honor 30 Rock, so there is every reason to predict that last year’s winner, Alec Baldwin, could be making a return trip to the podium. But if there is clearly one actor who shines, it is versatile Jim Parsons, whose series of ticks and nerdisms completely carries The Big Bang Theory. Consider Parsons the potential dark horse victory of the Emmy Awards this year. Elsewhere, Steve Carell seems to always take a back seat to his corporate cousin Alec Baldwin. Jermaine Clements could pull an upset, but that is unlikely. Tony Shalhoub has already won three times for playing Monk. And Charlie Sheen is featured in a comedy the Emmys do not seem to think too much of. Jim Parsons…get your acceptance speech ready. ---------- Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy: The Nominees:Christina Applegate (Samantha Who?, ABC)Toni Collette (The United States of Tara, Showtime)Julia Louis-Dreyfus (The New Adventures of Old Christine, CBS)Tina Fey (30 Rock, NBC)Mary-Louise Parker (Weeds, Showtime)Sarah Silverman (The Sarah Silverman Program, Comedy Central) Who Should Win: Toni Collette Who Will Win: Tina Fey As a woman with multiple personalities, Toni Collette is a playing the exact kind of role the Emmys love to acknowledge. But will Emmy darling Tina Fey, who just snagged another trophy, this time for Outstanding Guest Actress in a Comedy (for Saturday Night Live), leave empty handed? Anything is certainly possible, but the voters just have a “thing” for 30 Rock. Worthy Christina Applegate may not, unfortunately, benefit by the cancellation of Samantha Who? Julia-Louis Dreyfus already won once for a comedy most voters consider second rate. Mary-Louise Parker is on a sitcom many voters may not be all that familiar with. And Sarah Silverman was the surprise nominee in this category. If Tina Fey loses, Toni Collette is your best bet. _________________________________________________________________________ TV Trivia Time:Meet George Jetson Who was the second member of the Jetson family mentioned after George in the theme song? a) Astrob) Elroyc) Janed) Judye) Rosie The answer to yesterday’s question… What year was it supposed to be when sitcom The Wonder Years launched on ABC in 1988? a) 1965b) 1966c) 1968d) 1970e) 1972 Is: c) 1968. -Current kudos goes to:Gerry Bixenspan, John Brooker, Brian Carney, Calvin Caltvedt, Paul Certo, Vanessa Coates, Annie Courtney, Audrey Davis, Arleen Fong (2x), Joe Fremont, Adam Giagni, Maureen Goldman, Kerry Hughes, Bob Ingersoll, Synda Kollman, Michael Lehman, Jim Moore, Stephen Narissi, Alan Perris, Natalie Ramsay, Colleen Roth, Michelle Stanton, Myndi Weinraub

Convergent TV

Jay Leno Down but Still Dominant in Day Two

Marc Berman

About

Subscriptions

Events

Publications

WORK SMARTER - LEARN, GROW AND BE INSPIRED.

Subscribe today!

Marc Berman