CBS and Fox Share May Leadership

THE PROGRAMMING INSIDERFriday, May 28, 2010 Prime-Time Metered Market Thursday Ratings:Positive Return for So You Think You Can Dance Ratings Box:What’s Hot/What’s Not On the Air This Weekend:Prime-Time Programming Options TV Tidbits:Notes of Interest TV Trivia Time:Happy Memorial Day_______________________________________________________________________________ Prime-Time Metered Market Thursday Ratings:Positive Return for So You Think You Can Dance Thursday 5/27/10 HH Rtg/Shr Fox 6.0/10CBS 5.2/ 9ABC 3.0/ 5NBC 2.1/ 4CW 1.1/ 2 ---------- -Percent Change From the Year-Ago Evening (Thursday, May 28, 2009):Fox: + 5, CW: no change, NBC: -19, CBS: -24, ABC: -25 ---------- -Yesterday’s Winners:So You Think You Can Dance (Fox), The Mentalist R (CBS) -Yesterday’s Losers (excluding repeats):FlashForward (ABC), 100 Questions (NBC), Hollywood Salutes Matt Damon: An American Cinematheque Tribute (ABC) ---------- -Ratings Breakdown:Fox led this first night of the non-traditional (translation: summer) season care of the season-premiere of So You Think You Can Dance, which averaged a healthy 6.0 rating/10 share in the overnights from 8-10 p.m. Here is the half-hour breakdown: So You Think You Can Dance (Fox)8:00 p.m.: 5.6/10 (#1)8:30 p.m.: 6.1/10 (#1)9:00 p.m.: 6.2/10 (#1)9:30 p.m.: 6.2/10 (#1) Compared to the year-ago telecast (5.7/ 9 on May 28, 2009, also a two-hour episode), this was an increase of five percent. So You Think You Can Dance will, needless to say, also dominate the evening among adults 18-49. Mary Murphy…we miss you! In series-premiere news, NBC sitcom 100 Questions, which is a pale imitation of Friends, was dead on arrival with a mere (and fourth-place) 1.8/ 3 in the overnights at 8:30 p.m. This could be NBC’s worst performance for an original telecast in this time period in the history of the network. Earlier in the evening on NBC was a repeat of Community, which should not remain the Thursday anchor next season, with a fourth-place 2.2/ 4 at 8 p.m. Airing from 9-11 p.m. were repeats of The Office (#4: 2.4/ 4), 30 Rock (#4: 2.2/ 2), another episode of The Office (#3: 2.1/ 4) and Parks and Recreation (#3: 1.7/ 3), which will take a breather in the fall and return in midseason. Second-place CBS filled the 8 p.m. hour with repeats of How I Met Your Mother (#3: 2.7/ 5) and Rules of Engagement (#3: 3.1/ 5), followed by repeats of the regularly scheduled CSI (#2: 5.7/10) and The Mentalist (#1: 7.0/12) from 9-11 p.m. Both crime solvers will remain intact in the fall, leading out of relocated The Big Bang Theory and new sitcom $#*! My Dad Says. Over at ABC, the series-finale of FlashFoward did not impress with a second-place 3.9/ 7 in the overnights from 8-9 p.m. The next time any network decides to put an unproven series on hiatus for three months, don’t do it. Next on ABC was 9 p.m. special Hollywood Salutes Matt Damon: An American Cinematheque Tribute (#3: 2.8/ 5), which was not so special, followed by a repeat of Grey’s Anatomy at a distant second-place 2.5/ 4 at 10 p.m. Unlike competing The Mentalist, which is a self-contained episode, serialized dramas never play well in repeats because of the ongoing storylines. The CW capped off the night with repeats of The Vampire Diaries (#5: 1.2/ 2) and Supernatural (#5: 1.0/ 2), which moves into its new Friday 9 p.m. time period tonight. Effective next Thursday will be repeats of former CBS drama Moonlight at 9 p.m. on The CW. As a reminder, here is what you will be seeing on the broadcast networks on Thursday this fall (with new shows in caps and bolded): ABC 8:00 p.m.: MY GENERATION 9:00 p.m.: Grey’s Anatomy 10:00 p.m.: Private Practice CBS 8:00 p.m.: The Big Bang Theory (new day and time) 8:30 p.m.: $#*! MY DAD SAYS 9:00 p.m.: CSI 10:00 p.m.: The Mentalist NBC 8:00 p.m.: Community 8:30 p.m.: 30 Rock (new time) 9:00 p.m.: The Office 9:30 p.m.: OUTSOURCED10:00 p.m.: LOVE BITES Fox 8:00 p.m.: Bones 9:00 p.m.: Fringe CW 8:00 p.m.: The Vampire Diaries 9:00 p.m.: NIKITA Source: Nielsen Media Research data (R = repeat)_____________________________________________________________________________ Ratings Box:What’s Hot/What’s Not -CBS and Fox Share May Leadership:Based on the live plus same day ratings for the May 2010 sweep (which concluded on Wednesday), CBS was the most-watched network for the eighth consecutive, but it was down by six percent year-to-year. Next was ABC, followed by Fox, NBC and The CW, and each of the five broadcast networks experienced minor erosion. Fox led among adults 18-49, dipping by nine percent from one year earlier. Next was ABC, followed by CBS, NBC and The CW. ABC and CBS were also down by minor proportions in the demo. Here are the full results for the May sweep (with percent change versus the comparable year-ago period in parentheses). Total Viewers:CBS: 10.17 million (- 6), ABC: 8.49 (- 3), Fox: 8.40 (- 9), NBC: 5.65 (- 7), CW: 1.75 (-10) Adults 18-49:Fox: 3.0 rating/9 share (- 9), ABC: 2.5/ 8 (- 7), CBS: 2.4/ 7 (-11), NBC: 1.9/ 6 (no change), CW: 0.8/ 2 (no change) ---------- -CBS and Fox Also Share Traditional Season Dominance:The “traditional” TV season ended on Wednesday and based on the results from Sept. 21, 2009 through May 23, 2010, CBS scored its seventh victory over the last eight years in total viewers, with a performance on par from one year earlier. Second overall was Fox, followed by ABC, NBC and The CW. All five networks were close to year-ago levels. Even a diluted American Idol was enough to keep Fox in the winner’s circle among adults 18-49, with CBS second, followed by NBC and ABC. Mirroring total viewers, the Big 4 networks were consistent from one year earlier. Since The CW’s target audience falls within the 18-34 demo, the positive news is year-to-year gains of 10 percent in adults 18-34 (1.1/ 3) and seven percent in women 18-34 (1.5/ 4). Keep in mind, however, that the network in 2009-10 included low-rated Sunday in the mix. Here are the overall results: Total Viewers:CBS: 11.78 million (no change), Fox: 10.01 (+1), ABC: 8.64 (- 4), NBC: 8.22 (+ 4), CW: 2.0 (no change) Adults 18-49:Fox: 3.7 rating/10 share (no change), CBS: 3.2/ 9 (no change), NBC: 2.7/ 7 (- 4), ABC: 2.7/ 7 (- 7) ---------- -Record Low American Idol:Based on the live plus same day ratings, Fox’s American Idol closed the season on Wednesday with 24.22 million viewers and an 8.2 rating/24 share among adults 18-49. While that will be more than enough to lead the week in both categories, it was the lowest season-ending performance for the music competition to-date. Source: Nielsen Media Research data_______________________________________________________________________________ On the Air This Weekend:Prime-Time Programming Options Friday 5/28/10 ABC: 8:00 p.m. Wife Swap 9:00 p.m. 20/20 (two hours) CBS: 8:00 p.m. Ghost Whisperer (R) 9:00 p.m. Medium (R)10:00 p.m. Miami Medical (R) NBC: 8:00 p.m. Friday Night Nights 9:00 p.m. Dateline (two hours) Fox: 8:00 p.m. Past Life (return, two hours) CW: 8:00 p.m. Smallville (R ) 9:00 p.m. Supernatural (R, time period debut) --------------- Saturday 5/29/10 ABC: 8:00 p.m. Lost (R, two hour series-finale)10:00 p.m. Jimmy Kimmel Live: Aloha to Lost (R) CBS: 8:00 p.m. Flashpoint (R) 9:00 p.m. Flashpoint (R)10:00 p.m. 48 Hours Mystery NBC: 8:00 p.m. The Biggest Loser (R, two-hour season-finale)10:00 p.m. Law & Order: SVU (R) Fox: 8:00 p.m. Cops 9:00 p.m. America’s Most Wanted --------------- Sunday 5/30/10 ABC: 7:00 p.m. America’s Funniest Home Videos (R) 8:00 p.m. Extreme Makeover: Home Edition (R) 9:00 p.m. The Bachelorette (R, two-hours) CBS: 7:00 p.m. 60 Minutes Presents 8:00 p.m. 60 Minutes 9:00 p.m. Cold Case (R) 10:00 p.m. Cold Case (R) NBC: 7:00 p.m. Dateline (two hours) 9:00 p.m. Law & Order (R, two hours) Fox: 7:00 p.m. NASCAR 2010 (Lowe’s Motor Speedway) ________________________________________________________________________ TV Tidbits:Notes of Interest -ABC Passes on Ghost Whisperer:Former CBS drama Ghost Whisperer, which aired on the network for five seasons, is officially over. Although ABC expressed potential interest in a sixth season, the network decided to pass. -Upcoming on Syfy:Syfy has announced three new reality series: Marcel’s Quantum Kitchen, Paranormal Witness and Face Off. Marcel’s Quantum Kitchen will focus on Chef Marcel Vigneron and his new catering and event company; Paranormal Witness will feature the stories of people who have lived through paranormal experiences that defy explanation; and Face Off is a competition/elimination series that explores the world of special-effects make-up artists. -Wheel of Fortune in Las Vegas:CBS Television Distribution’s top-rated Wheel of Fortune is heading back to Las Vegas to tape six weeks of shows at The Venetian and The Palazzo Hotels. The first two weeks of the Sin City-based shows will kick-off season No. 28 on Sept. 13. -Changes on MTV:MTV is making changes on its recently revamped Thursday night line-up. Recently introduced 10 p.m. ET occupant The Dudesons in America is going on hiatus in place of repeats of Jersey Shore, which begin immediately. The new season of Pranked will air at 11 p.m. ET, with current occupant Ultimate Parkour Challenge shifting to 12 a.m. ET. -ABC in Talks to Revive Alias:Rumor has it that ABC is in preliminary discussions to revive former spy drama Alias, which aired on the network from 2001-06. But considering this was nothing more than a small core favorite, why even bother? -DVD Alert:Season two of FX drama Sons of Anarchy will be available on DVD and Blu-ray Disc on Tuesday, August 31. ________________________________________________________________________ TV Trivia Time:Happy Memorial Day Which one of the following TV characters would be the least likely to have off from work on Memorial Day? a) Cliff Clavinb) Emily Hartley c) Charlie Moore d) Ken Reeves e) Drew Thatcher The answer to yesterday’s question… What was the name of the pub that Drew and his buddies often were seen at on sitcom The Drew Carey Show? a) Cheersb) The Dew Drop Inn c) The Regal Beagle d) Rosie’s Bare) The Warsaw Tavern Is: e) The Warsaw Tavern. All together now… All this energy callin' me Back where it comes from It's such a crude attitude It's back where it belongs All the little kids growing up on the skids Go "Cleveland rocks!", "Cleveland rocks!" Jumpin' Jene Jene and Movin' James Dean Go "Cleveland rocks!", "Cleveland rocks!" "Cleveland rocks!", "Cleveland rocks!" "Cleveland rocks!", "Cleveland rocks!" "Cleveland rocks!", "Cleveland rocks!" Mamma knows but she don't care She's got her worries too Seven kids and a phoneo player And the rent too All the little chicks with their chrimson lips Go "Cleveland rocks!", "Cleveland rocks!" Livin' in sin with a safety pin Go "Cleveland rocks!", "Cleveland rocks!" "Cleveland rocks!", "Cleveland rocks!" "Cleveland rocks!", "Cleveland rocks!" "Cleveland rocks!", "Cleveland rocks!" I've got some records from World War II I play 'em just like me granddad do He was a rocker and I am too Go "Cleveland rocks!" "Yeah Cleveland rocks!" Cleveland rocks!, Cleveland rocks! -Current kudos goes to:Suzanne Ackley, Steve Albright, Michelle Yarborough Bauer, Barbara Berman, Gerry Bixenspan, Barbara Bloomfield, Paul Certo, Larry Collins, Tom Condosta, Kay Copeland, Audrey Davis, Reid Davis, Sue Doron, Bob Eisenstaedt, Navid Falahpour, John Ferlazzo, Gail Goins, Maureen Goldman, Scott Hamula, Kevin Harlan, Christine Hatch, Sherrie Hentschel, Jerry Hermes, Brad Hight, Melissa Hodgdon, Heidi Hoffmeister, Bob Ingersoll, Kathryn Kieser, Synda Kollman, Steve Kurtzer, Julia McCray, Tricia McGee, Debbie Mirr, Mark Misiano, Stephen Narissi, Alan Perris, Alex Petrilli, Jr., Robyn Brown-Postell, Gordon Purcell, Julie Rasmussen, Bruce Robinson, Alan Rosenfeld, Colleen Roth, Joe Rubi, David Ruckman, Harley David Rubin, Ron Salmon, Mark Simmons, Michelle Stanton, Pere Starin, Julie Syers, Ivan Tafur, Carol Teichman, Nina Tomlinson, Meredith Wayne, Myndi Weinraub, John Wick, Jeanne Yonkers, Damon Zaleski, Ted Zavales

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CBS and Fox Share May Leadership

Marc Berman

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