Summer Brings Some Sizzle and Some Fizzle

LOS ANGELES With the 2008 Beijing Olympics already underway, broadcasters have launched all of their summer content. And while the new programs that hit may not have scored blockbuster ratings, they did provide the networks with some promise that viewers haven't given up on TV just yet.Of course, qualifying the term "hit" is crucial during the summer -- a season in which viewing levels traditionally are down. In fact, few new series this past June, July or August have drawn even a 3 rating among 18-49 viewers, or more than 8 million total viewers.Adjusting for scale, however, some successes have emerged among the first-timers. ABC already has ordered a second cycle of Wipeout, which stands as the summer's highest-rated launch, averaging 10.2 million viewers, and a 3.8/12 among 18-49 viewers through Aug. 3, according to Nielsen Media Research.Surprisingly, the network stumbled with High School Musical: Get in the Picture. Expectations for the series were high at ABC, and several advertisers saw why, noting that while High School Musical remains a phenomenon among young viewers, it also has become a multigenerational franchise."There are a lot of adult women who are aware of the franchise, and I think ABC was trying to create a parallel interest in the brand among its core viewers," said Laura Caraccioli-Davis, evp at Starcom Entertainment. "So the strategy was strong." But with the series averaging 3.3 million viewers, and 0.9/3 among adults 18-49, the net missed its mark.In other reality ratings, CBS' Greatest American Dog has performed modestly well for the network -- but not well enough to call it a hit -- averaging 7.2 million viewers, and a 1.8/6 among adults 18-49. Despite a wave of critical buzz, CBS' Swingtown never caught on with viewers, either. After nine broadcasts, the period drama averaged 6.2 million viewers, and a 2.1/6 among adults 18-49. What advertisers said fell more into CBS' programming wheelhouse was cop drama Flashpoint, which, said Shari Anne Brill, senior vp, director of programming at Carat USA, "plays more to CBS' core audience." The show pulled 7.7 million viewers and a 1.9/6 adults 18-49.The summer's only other scripted program was NBC's anthology series Fear Itself, which underperformed, averaging 4.5 million viewers and a 1.5/5 among adults 18-49. Some advertisers said it may be tough for viewers to get invested in this type of programming. "Anthology series just don't do that well," noted Lisa Quan, vp, director of audience analysis at Magna Global.Conversely, NBC's Baby Borrowers averaged 6.5 million viewers, and a 2.6/8 among adults 18-49. Advertisers said the show gained surprising relevancy, following news of teen TV star Jamie Lynn Spears' pregnancy and reports that 17 girls from the same Massachusetts high school had formed a pact to get pregnant together. "The timing of this show with those stories seemed almost engineered," said Carat's Brill. "But it couldn't have been, could it?"

Convergent TV

Summer Brings Some Sizzle and Some Fizzle

Alan Frutkin

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Alan Frutkin