The NCAA Tournament Leads CBS to Weekend Victory

THE PROGRAMMING INSIDERMonday, March 23, 2009 Prime-Time Ratings:Weekend Highlights Ratings Box:What's Hot/What's Not On the Air Tonight:Prime-Time Programming Options TV Tidbits:Notes of Interest TV Trivia Time:TV Daddies___________________________________________________________________________ Prime-Time Ratings:Weekend Highlights Friday 3/20/09Note: The following results are based on the fast affiliate ratings (Live Plus Same Day data). HH Rtg/Shr CBS 5.2/ 9ABC 3.8/ 7NBC 3.0/ 5Fox 2.4/ 4CW 1.0/ 2 -Total Viewers:CBS: 8.36 million, ABC: 5.60, NBC: 4.60, Fox: 3.89, CW: 1.52 -Adults 18-49: CBS: 2.9 rating/9 share, ABC: 1.7/ 5, Fox: 1.4/ 4, NBC: 1.3/ 4, CW: 0.6/ 2 -------------------- Note: Any prior rating results are based on the final nationals. Since the level of DVR penetration has increased from 20 percent at this same point last year to approximately 28 percent at present, the overall results may be negatively impacted. ---------- -Friday’s Winners:(Keeping in mind the expectations are lower)2009 NCAA Basketball: First Round, Day 2 (CBS) -Disappointing:Wife Swap (ABC), Supernanny (ABC) -Don’t Give Up Hope:Dollhouse (Fox) -Friday’s Losers (excluding repeats):Howie Do It (NBC), Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles (Fox), Everybody Hates Chris (CW), The Game (CW) ---------- -Ratings Breakdown:CBS led this typically uneventful Friday with day two of the 2009 NCAA Basketball: First Round at an average (and estimated) 8.36 million viewers and a 2.9 rating/9 share from 8-11 p.m. Comparably, this was a slight drop from one year earlier, with the match-ups on Friday, March 21, 2008 at 8.60 million viewers and a 3.2/11 in the demo in prime-time, based on the final nationals. Keep in mind, of course, that results for any live event are always approximate. Here is the half-hour breakdown: 2009 NCAA Basketball: First Round, Day 2 (CBS)8:00 p.m. – 7.93 million (#1), A18-49: 2.7/10 (#1)8:30 p.m. – 8.27 million (#1), A18-49: 2.8/10 (#1)9:00 p.m. – 9.15 million (#1), A18-49: 3.2/10 (#1)9:30 p.m. – 8.29 million (#1), A18-49: 2.9/ 9 (#1)10:00 p.m. – 8.55 million (#1), A18-49: 3.0/ 9 (#1)10:30 p.m. – 7.98 million (#1), A18-49: 2.9/ 9 (#1) In the distant No. 2 spot was ABC with its non-scripted combination of Wife Swap (Viewers: #2, 4.85 million; A18-49: #2, 1.6/ 6), Supernanny (Viewers: #2, 5.34 million; A18-49: #2, 1.6/ 5) and 20/20 (Viewers: #2, 6.63 million; A18-49: #2, 1.8/ 6). In the battle of the 10 p.m. newsmagazines, the aforementioned 20/20 had an advantage over NBC’s competing Dateline. Take a look: Friday 10 p.m.20/20 (ABC)Viewers: 6.63 million (#2), A18-49: 1.8/ 6 (#2) Dateline (NBC)Viewers: 6.07 million (#3), A18-49: 1.7/ 6 (#2) Earlier in the evening on NBC were two episodes (original and repeat) of Howie Do It (Viewers: #3, avg. 3.89 million; A18-49: #4, avg. 1.0/ 4) and Friday Night Lights (Viewers: #4, 3.84 million; A18-49: #4, 1.2/ 4) from 8-10 p.m. Too bad more viewers have not discovered the Candid Camera-like Howie Do It. Fox scored a typically low-rated Friday, but the one minor positive to make note of is ongoing slight gains for Dollhouse out of Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles. Take a look: Fox/Friday8:00 p.m. - Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles Viewers: 3.65 million (#4); A18-49: 1.3/ 5 (#3) 9:00 p.m. – DollhouseViewers: 4.13 million (#3), A18-49: 1.5/ 5 (#3) To the fans of Dollhouse: don’t rule this show out. There could be a possibility this will return next season. The CW capped off the evening with its last-place line-up of Everybody Hates Chris (Viewers: 1.59 million; A18-49: 0.6/ 2), The Game (Viewers: 1.66 million; A18-49: 0.7/ 2) and a repeat of America’s Next Top Model (Viewers: 1.42 million; A18-49: 0.6/ 2). Once again, this was a night riddled with disappointment. Dallas and Miami Vice…we miss you! Source: Nielsen Media Research data (R = repeat) ------------------------- Saturday 3/21/09Note: The following results are based on the fast affiliate ratings (Live Plus Same Day data). HH Rtg/Shr CBS 5.8/11Fox 3.3/ 6NBC 2.5/ 5ABC 2.2/ 4 -Total Viewers:CBS: 9.48 million, Fox: 5.31, NBC: 3.67, ABC: 3.12 -Adults 18-49: CBS: 3.2 rating/11 share, Fox: 1.9/ 7, NBC: 1.0/ 3, ABC: 0.7/ 2 ---------- Note: Any prior rating results are based on the final nationals. Since the level of DVR penetration has increased from 20 percent at this same point last year to approximately 28 percent at present, the overall results may be negatively impacted. ---------- -Saturday’s Winners:2009 NCAA Basketball: Second Round, Day One (CBS) -Saturday’s Losers (excluding repeats):The night overall. So, what else is new? ---------- -Ratings Breakdown:CBS’ winning streak continued care of day one of The 2009 NCAA Basketball: Second Round, which averaged an estimated 9.48 million viewers and a 3.2 rating/11 share in prime-time. Comparably, this declined slightly from one year earlier, with the match-ups on Saturday, March 22, 2008 at 9.69 million viewers and a 3.6/13 in the demo in prime-time, based on the final nationals. Keep in mind, of course, that results for any live event are always approximate. As I always say, viewers will respond if there is something worth watching on Saturday. Here is the half-hour breakdown: The 2009 NCAA Basketball: Second Round – Day One8:00 p.m. – 9.61 million (#1), A18-49: 3.3/12 (#1)8:30 p.m. – 9.27 million (#1), A18-49: 3.1/11 (#1)9:00 p.m. – 9.24 million (#1), A18-49: 3.1/10 (#1)9:30 p.m. – 9.40 million (#1), A18-49: 3.2/10 (#1)10:00 p.m. – 10.76 million (#1), A18-49: 3.7/12 (#1)10:30 p.m. – 8.59 million (#1), A18-49: 3.1/10 (#1) Fox finished in the distant No. 2 spot with its perennial combination of Cops (Viewers: #2, avg. 5.09 million; A18-49: #2, avg. 1.9/ 7) and America’s Most Wanted (Viewers: #2, 5.52 million; A18-49: #2, 2.0/ 6). In the battle of the two-hour reality/competition repeats, neither Dancing With the Stars on ABC or Celebrity Apprentice on NBC generated much interest. Take a look: Saturday 8-10 p.m.Dancing With the Stars R (ABC)Viewers: 3.07 million (#3), A18-49: 0.7/ 3 (#3t) Celebrity Apprentice R (NBC)Viewers: 2.82 million (#4), A18-49: 0.7/ 3 (#3t) Since I just had the opportunity to see Celebrity Apprentice last night, here is my belated observation: Dennis Rodman should have been fired. The only reason he stayed this far was to add more drama to the competition. Second behind basketball at 10 p.m. was a repeat of NBC’s Law & Order (Viewers: 5.38 million; A18-49: 1.4/ 5), followed by a repeat of ABC’s recently introduced Castle at a mere 3.24 million viewers and a 0.8/ 3 in the demo. Source: Nielsen Media Research data (R = repeat) ------------------------- Sunday 3/22/09 HH Rtg/Shr CBS 9.2/15ABC 6.6/11NBC 4.6/ 7Fox 3.1/ 5CW 0.7/ 1 ---------- -Percent Change From the Year-Ago Evening (Sunday, March 23, 2008):CBS: +51, Fox: +29, ABC: +25, NBC: - 8, CW: -36 ---------- Note: The fast affiliate results for Sunday will be posted at PIFeedback.com by 12 p.m. ET. Go to the website, click on Ratings Box (the first category), then Last Night’s Results, and Sunday, March 22, 2009. ---------- -Yesterday’s Winners:NCAA Basketball (CBS), 60 Minutes (CBS), Desperate Housewives (ABC) -Yesterday’s Losers (excluding repeats)Kings (NBC) ---------- -Ratings Breakdown: CBS led the overnights on this fourth Sunday in March, beating second-place ABC by an average of 39 percent. But ABC is expected to dominate among adults 18-49 once the fast affiliate results are posted at PIFeedback. Third overall was NBC, followed by Fox and the CW. Since the ongoing NCAA Basketball Tournament bled into prime-time by approximately one hour, all results for CBS are approximate. With that in mind, the 7-8 p.m. portion of the second-round basketball games opened the evening for the Eye net with an estimated 11.2 rating/19 share in the overnights from 7-8 p.m. That led into granddaddy 60 Minutes, featuring an interview with President Obama, at an also first-place 10.9/19 at 8 p.m., followed by The Amazing Race (#2: 7.6/12) and Cold Case (#1: 7.2/11) from 9-11 p.m. Once again, these results are all approximate. ABC had nothing unusual report with its ongoing line-up of veteran America’s Funniest Home Videos (#3: 4.4/ 8), Extreme Makeover: Home Edition (#2: 6.0/10), Desperate Housewives (#1: 8.9/14) and Brothers & Sisters (#2: 7.1/11). But let’s be honest: the conclusion of Desperate Housewives last night was absolutely electrifying! Retention for Brothers & Sisters, meanwhile, out of the second half of Desperate Housewives (9.1/14 at 9:30 p.m.) was 78 percent. In week two news, NBC drama Kings was not king of the ratings, with a fourth-place 3.4/ 6 in the overnights from 8-9 p.m. Comparably, that declined from it’s already DOA debut one week earlier (4.1/ 7 on March 15) by 17 percent. And retention out of lead-in Dateline (#2: 4.8/ 9 at 7 p.m.) was a disappointing 71 percent. Yes, you can consider it over! Come on now…did anyone really think the overly ambitious Kings would work? Leading out of Kings on NBC was another two-hour edition of guilty pleasure Celebrity Apprentice, which averaged a 5.0/ 8 in the overnights from 9-11 p.m. and built in every half hour. Take a look: Celebrity Apprentice (NBC) 9:00 p.m.: 4.2/ 6 (#4) 9:30 p.m.: 4.7/ 7 (#3)10:00 p.m.: 5.4/ 9 (#3)10:30 p.m.: 5.8/10 (#3) As for Celebrity Apprentice, that was pretty funny, wasn’t it, when coattails-rider Melissa Rivers told Mama Joan to “step in” as she was being attacked by Claudia Jordan? “I have 15 years of producing experience,” squawked “Missy.” Laugh-track, please! Fox kicked-off Sunday with repeats of American Dad (#4: 1.6/ 3) and King of the Hill (#4: 1.8/ 3), which were brought in as last-minute replacements for the yanked Hole in the Wall. The regularly scheduled 8-10 p.m. animated rotation of The Simpsons (#3: 4.0/ 6), King of the Hill (#3: 3.4/ 5), Family Guy (#3: 4.4/ 7) and American Dad (#4: 3.5/ 5) were nothing to boast about in the overnights, but we will, of course, wait and see what the fast affiliate results look like before we pass judgment. You know where to find them…PIFeedback. Last, and very least, was a repeat of Jericho (0.6/ 1) and theatrical The Mod Squad (0.7/ 1 from 8-10 p.m.) on the CW. Source: Nielsen Media Research data____________________________________________________________________________ Ratings Box:What’s Hot/What’s Not -Strong Start for Basketball on CBS:Night one of 2009 NCAA Basketball: First Round on CBS averaged 9.6 million viewers on Thursday, March 19, finishing second for the evening behind ABC with an increase of nine percent from one year earlier. The network ranked first for the night among adults 18-49 (3.6 rating/10 share), adults 18-34 (3.3/11), men 25-54 (5.2/12), men 18-49 (4.8/15) and men 18-34 (4.4/15). Growth from one year earlier was as much as eight percent among adults 25-54. -Above Average Battlestar Galactica Series-Ender:The two-hour series-finale of Sci Fi Channel’s Battlestar Galactica concluded with 2.4 million viewers on Friday, March 20 -- its most-watched episode since Jan. 6, 2006. Comparably, this outdelivered the season three-finale by 56 percent in total viewers and as much as 42 percent among adults 25-54. -NBC Dominates in Late Night:Based on ratings for the week of March 13, NBC’s dominant The Tonight Show with Jay Leno rose to 5.4 million viewers – its best weekly average since the week of Dec. 22, 2008. Leno was also above average among key adults 18-49, with its best performance in the demo (2.01 million) since the week of Feb. 18, 2008. Week two of lead-out Late Night with Jimmy Fallon, meanwhile, finished first in the 12:35 a.m. hour in total viewers and all key demos. Take a look at the complete results in late night: 11:35 p.m. ET -Total Viewers:The Tonight Show with Jay Leno (NBC): 5.4 millionLate Show with David Letterman (CBS): 3.7 millionNightline (ABC) – 11:35 p.m. ET: 3.6 millionJimmy Kimmel Live (ABC) – 12:05 a.m. ET: 1.6 million -Adults 18-49:The Tonight Show with Jay Leno (NBC): 1.5 rating/6 shareLate Show with David Letterman (CBS): 1.0/ 4Nightline (ABC) – 11:35 p.m. ET: 1.0/ 4Jimmy Kimmel Live (ABC) – 12:05 a.m. ET: 0.5/ 3 ----- 12:35 a.m. ET-Total Viewers:Late Night with Jimmy Fallon (NBC): 2.1 millionLate Late Show with Craig Ferguson (CBS): 1.8 million -Adults 18-49:Late Night with Jimmy Fallon (NBC): 0.8/ 5Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson (CBS): 0.5/ 3 -----1:35 a.m. ET -Total Viewers:Last Call with Carson Daly (NBC): 1.2 million -Adults 18-49:Last Call with Carson Daly (NBC): 0.5/ 3 Source: Nielsen Media Research data ________________________________________________________________________________ On the Air Tonight:Prime-Time Programming Options Monday 3/23/09 ABC: 8:00 p.m. Dancing With the Stars (two-hours) 10:00 p.m. Castle CBS: 8:00 p.m. How I Met Your Mother 8:30 p.m. How I Met Your Mother (R) 9:00 p.m. Two and a Half Men (R) 9:30 p.m. Rules of Engagement 10:00 p.m. CSI: Miami NBC: 8:00 p.m. Chuck (R) 9:00 p.m. Heroes (R)10:00 p.m. Medium (R) Fox: 8:00 p.m. House (R) 9:00 p.m. 24 CW: 8:00 p.m. Gossip Girl 9:00 p.m. One Tree Hill MNTV 8:00 p.m. Masters of Illusions 9:00 p.m. Magic’s Biggest Secrets Finally Revealed (R) ________________________________________________________________________ TV Tidbits:Notes of Interest -Roseanne Plans Return to Prime-Time:Twelve years after the conclusion of her long-running self-titled ABC sitcom, Roseanne Barr is hoping for a comeback in prime-time. The legendary comedienne will partner with former Roseanne producer Caryn Mandabach in a potential comedy for Fox where she will play the family matriarch. -Speaking of Roseanne:Did anyone ever think it was odd that Estelle Parsons played Roseanne’s mother and Shelley Winters her grandmother on the ABC comedy? In real life, they only had a seven year age difference! -More Kitchen Nightmares:Fox has ordered a third season of Gordon Ramsay reality series Kitchen Nightmares, while current Ramsay occupant Hell’s Kitchen is expected to air a new season of originals this summer. __________________________________________________________________________ TV Trivia Time:TV Daddies Rachel and David were the names of the children of which TV character? Lou GrantB.J. HunnicutHilton LucasBarney MillerDonald Westphall The answer to Friday’s question… Where was Nurse Laverne Todd from on sitcom Empty Nest? ArkansasMissouri South CarolinaTennesseeWyoming Is: a) Arkansas. Hickory, Arkansas to be exact. -Current kudos goes to:Vanessa Wickham-Baker, Jennifer Barbin, Barbara Berman, Gerry Bixenspan, Kimay Block, Larry Collins, Tom Condosta, Annie Courtney, Reid Davis, Bob Eisenstaedt, John Ferlazzo, Arleen Fong, Holley Ford, Julie Friedlander, Adam Giagni, Maureen Goldman, Geoffrey Gordon, Carolyn Becker Hayes, Bob Ingersoll, David Jackino, David Kern, Synda Kollman, Howard Lieboff, Jim Moore, Tony Naldrett, Alan Perris, Colleen Roth, David Ruckman, Neal Sabin, Ron Salmon, Russell Schwartz, Mark Simmons, Michelle Stanton, Jan Stewart, Ronnie Tallant

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The NCAA Tournament Leads CBS to Weekend Victory

Marc Berman

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