CBS and Fox Share Victory for the Week of Nov. 23

THE PROGRAMMING INSIDERThursday, December 3, 2009 Prime-Time Metered Market Wednesday Ratings:Dominant NBC Inches Past CBS; The Eye Net Poised for Victory Among Adults 18-49 National Ratings in Prime-Time:Week of November 16, 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: An Osbourne in Primetime ________________________________________________________________________________ Prime-Time Metered Market Wednesday Ratings:Dominant NBC Inches Past CBS; The Eye Net Poised for Victory Among Adults 18-49 Wednesday 12/02/09 HH Rtg/Shr NBC 5.3/ 9CBS 5.2/ 8Fox 4.1/ 6ABC 3.6/ 6CW 0.8/ 1 ---------- -Percent Change From the Year-Ago Evening (Wednesday, December 3, 2008):CBS: - 9, Fox: -13, ABC: -16, NBC: -24, CW: -27 ---------- -Yesterday’s Winners:Christmas in Rockefeller Center (NBC), Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer R (CBS), Law & Order: SVU R (NBC), Criminal Minds R (CBS) -Honorable Mention:Glee (Fox) -Yesterday’s Losers:So You Think You Can Dance (Fox), The Grammy Nominations Concert Live! – Countdown to Music’s Biggest Night (CBS), Eastwick (ABC), The Jay Leno Show (NBC) ---------- -Ratings Breakdown:NBC led the overnight Wednesday troops, inching past second-place CBS by one-tenth of a rating point. Third overall was Fox, followed by repeat populated ABC and a night of encores on The CW. NBC’s annual Christmas in Rockefeller Center special won the 8 p.m. hour, with a 6.0 rating/10 share in overnights. While this was a loss of 18 percent from it’s year-ago performance (7.3/12 on Dec. 3, 2008), it was still an improvement over regularly scheduled Mercy. And it beat a repeat of CBS’ perennial Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer (5.8/ 9) by three percent in the overnights. But Rudolph will certainly have the advantage among adults 18-49. One year earlier (also on Dec. 3, 2008), Rudolph was stronger at a 6.5/11. Also airing from 8-9 p.m. was a repeat of ABC’s Modern Family (#3: 4.1/ 7) and an original episode of The Middle (#3: 3.9/ 6), one of the best new sitcoms in years, Fox’s So You Think You Can Dance Results Show (3.6/ 6), and a Wednesday repeat of The CW’s Gossip Girl (0.9/ 1), which just does not play well in non-originals. Minus Criminal Minds in the competitive mix, a repeat of NBC’s Law & Order: SVU finished first in the overnights from 9-10 p.m., with a 5.9/ 9. Next was Fox’s Glee (4.5/ 7), which will air its fall season-finale next week, followed by repeats of ABC comedies Modern Family (#4: 4.3/ 7) and Cougar Town (#3t, 3.8/ 6), CBS special The Grammy Nominations Concert Live! – Countdown to Music’s Biggest Night (#3t, 4.1/ 6), and a repeat of The Vampire Diaries on The CW (#5: 0.8/ 1). One year earlier, The Grammy Nominations Concert Live! – Countdown to Music’s Biggest Night averaged a 4.7/ 8 on Dec. 3, 2008. Worth noting for Glee was growth of 18 percent out of the 8:30 p.m. portion of So You Think You Can Dance (3.8/ 6). A 10 p.m. repeat of CBS’ Criminal Minds capped off the evening with a dominant 5.8/10 in the overnights at 10 p.m. Next was NBC’s The Jay Leno Show (4.1/ 7), followed by ABC’s soon-to-conclude Eastwick at a mere 2.8/ 5. Source: Nielsen Media Research data (R = repeat) National Ratings in Prime-Time:Week of November 23, 2009 It was yet another week of split leadership between CBS and Fox, with CBS first in households, total viewers and adults 25-54, and Fox No. 1 among adults 18-49 and adults 18-34 for the holiday week of Nov. 23. CBS, which has now ranked first in total viewers for eight of the last nine weeks, was down in the low double-digits demo-wise compared to one year earlier. Fox, in contrast, built by margins of 11 to 19 percent. Elsewhere, ABC finished as high as second in households, total viewers and adults 25-54, with across-the-board losses. NBC posted minor growth, but it still finished fourth overall in three of the five categories. Last-place The CW was on the downside, with erosion of as much as 20 percent. In series-premiere news, a half-hour edition of ABC’s Find My Family was amply sampled Monday at 9:30 p.m., with 12.76 million viewers (#12 overall) and a 2.9 rating/7 share among adults 18-49 (tied for #25). But the retention out of Dancing With the Stars was modest at 63 percent in total viewers and 72 percent in the demo. In the rare original made-for movie category was Hallmark Hall of Fame’s A Dog Named Christmas on CBS, with 12.36 million viewers (#15) and a 2.1/ 5 among adults 18-49 (#36t) in the Sunday 9-11 p.m. block. While the skew was older, the total viewer tally was impressive given the competition. Original specials this week included the following: NBC News – People of the Year – Thursday 9 p.m.Viewers: 5.20 million (#54), A18-49: 1.4/ 4 (#60t) Beyonce: I Am Yours (ABC) – Thursday 9 p.m.Viewers: 5.18 million (#55), A18-49: 1.7/ 5 (#49t) Paul McCartney: Good Evening New York City (ABC) – Thursday 10 p.m.Viewers: 4.65 million (#67), A18-49: 1.2/ 4 (#66t) Here are the final national ratings for the week of November 23, 2009 (with percent change versus the comparable year-ago week in parentheses), followed by the freshman series results (including The Jay Leno Show being broken out separately), and the top 30 rated programs of the week. -Households:CBS: 6.4 rating/11 share (- 6), ABC: 5.6/10 (-11), Fox: 4.1/ 7 (+11), NBC: 4.1/ 7 (+ 2), CW: 0.8/ 1 (-11) -Total Viewers: CBS: 10.44 million (- 5), ABC: 9.12 (-12), Fox: 7.09 (+16), NBC: 6.87 (+ 4), CW: 1.12 (-20) -Adults 18-49:Fox: 2.6 rating/8 share (+13), NBC: 2.5/ 7 (+ 4), CBS: 2.5/ 7 (-14), ABC: 2.4/ 7 (-17), CW: 0.4/ 1 (-20) -Adults 25-54:CBS: 3.3/ 8 (-11), ABC: 3.0/ 8 (-17), Fox: 2.8/ 7 (+12), NBC: 2.8/ 7 (+ 8), CW: 0.4/ 1 (-20) -Adults 18-34:Fox: 2.5/ 8 (+19), NBC: 2.1/ 7 (no change), ABC: 1.8/ 6 (-14), CBS: 1.7/ 6 (-11), CW: 0.5/ 2 (-17) -------------------- Freshman Series Results (in order of total viewers)Pre-empted this week: FlashForward (ABC) and Community (NBC) and Brothers (Fox) NCIS: Los Angeles (CBS) – Tuesday 9 p.m. ET Viewers: 17.22 million (#5), A18-49: 4.3/12 (#8t)Grade: A Find My Family (ABC) – Monday 9:30 p.m. ET (series premiere)Viewers: 12.76 million (#12), A18-49: 2.9/ 7 (#25t)Grade: B The Good Wife (CBS) – Tuesday 10 p.m. ETViewers: 12.53 million (#14), A18-49: 2.8/ 8 (#27t)Grade: B V (ABC) – Tuesday 8 p.m. ET (on hiatus until the spring)Viewers: 9.30 million (#23), A18-49: 3.1/ 9 (#21t)Grade: B Accidentally on Purpose (CBS) – Monday 8:30 p.m. ETViewers: 7.90 million (#32), A18-49: 3.1/ 8 (#21t)Grade: C The Cleveland Show (Fox) – Sunday 8:30 p.m. ETViewers: 7.17 million (#35), A18-49: 3.5/ 8 (#16t)Grade: B Modern Family (ABC) – Wednesday 9 p.m. ETViewers: 7.15 million (#37), A18-49: 2.5/ 7 (#33t)Grade: B Glee (Fox) – Wednesday 9 p.m. ETViewers: 6.17 million (#45), A18-49: 2.5/ 7 (#33t)Grade: C The Middle (ABC) – Wednesday 8:30 p.m. ETViewers: 5.94 million (#50), A18-49: 1.7/ 6 (#49t)Grade: D+ Cougar Town (ABC) – Wednesday 9:30 p.m. ETViewers: 5.54 million (#48), A18-49: 1.9/ 6 (#43t)Grade: F Trauma (NBC) – Monday 9 p.m. ETViewers: 5.39 million (#53), A18-49: 1.7/ 4 (#49t)Grade: F The Jay Leno Show (NBC) – Wednesday 10 p.m. ETViewers: 5.09 million (#58), A18-49: 1.6/ 5 (#54t)Grade: F The Jay Leno Show (NBC) – Thursday 10 p.m. ETViewers: 5.02 million (#60), A18-49: 1.5/ 5 (#57t)Grade: F The Jay Leno Show (NBC) – Tuesday 10 p.m. ETViewers: 4.88 million (#64), A18-49: 1.9/ 5 (#43t)Grade: F The Jay Leno Show (NBC) – Monday 10 p.m. ETViewers: 4.49 million (#68), A18-49: 1.4/ 4 (#60t)Grade: F The Jay Leno Show R (NBC) – Friday 10 p.m. ETViewers: 3.47 million (#73), A18-49: 1.0/ 3 (#72t)Grade: No grade for repeats The Vampire Diaries R (CW) – Wednesday 10 p.m. ETViewers: 1.33 million (#80), A18-49: 0.5/ 2 (#79t)Grade: No grade for repeats Melrose Place R (CW) – Tuesday 9 p.m. ET Viewers: 774,000 (#86), A18-49: 0.4/ 1 (#83t)Grade: No grade for repeats --------------- Top 30 Rankings -Total Viewers:Dancing With the Stars – Monday (ABC): 20.41 million, NCIS (CBS): 20.35, Dancing With the Stars – Tuesday (ABC, season finale): 19.29, Sunday Night Football: Pittsburgh at Baltimore (NBC): 19.21, NCIS: Los Angeles (CBS): 17.22, 60 Minutes (CBS): 14.38,The Big Bang Theory (CBS): 14.13, Two and a Half Men (CBS): 13.88, Criminal Minds (CBS): 13.60, CSI: Miami (CBS): 13.22, Desperate Housewives (ABC): 12.78, Find My Family (ABC, series premiere): 12.76, CSI: NY (CBS): 12.68, The Good Wife (CBS): 12.53, Hallmark Hall of Fame’s A Dog Named Christmas (CBS): 12.36, House (Fox): 11.95, The Amazing Race (CBS): 11.61, The OT (Fox): 10.49, Extreme Makeover: Home Edition (ABC): 10.36, Castle (ABC): 10.31, Football Night in America, part 3 (NBC): 10.14, Survivor: Samoa (CBS, clips show): 9.94, V (ABC): 9.30, The Mentalist R (CBS): 9.25, The Biggest Loser (NBC): 8.91, The Simpsons (Fox): 8.87, How I Met Your Mother (CBS): 8.75, CSI R (CBS): 8.71, Brothers & Sisters (ABC): 8.69, Family Guy (Fox): 8.50 -Adults 18-49:Sunday Night Football: Pittsburgh at Baltimore (NBC): 7.6 rating/19 share, The Big Bang Theory (CBS): 5.2/13, Two and a Half Men (CBS): 4.7/12, House (Fox): 4.6/12, NCIS (CBS): 4.4/13, Desperate Housewives (ABC) and Family Guy (Fox): 4.4/10 each, Dancing With the Stars – Tuesday (ABC, season finale), NCIS: Los Angeles (CBS) and The OT (Fox): 4.3/12 each, The Simpsons (Fox); 4.2/10, Dancing With the Stars – Monday (ABC): 4.0/10, CSI: Miami (CBS) and Football Night in America, part 3 (NBC): 3.7/10 each, The Biggest Loser (NBC): 3.5/10, The Cleveland Show (Fox): 3.5/ 8, The Amazing Race (CBS): 3.4/ 8, American Dad (Fox): 3.3/ 8, Criminal Minds (CBS): 3.2/ 9, Survivor: Samoa (CBS, clips show): 3.1/10, V (ABC): 3.1/ 9, Accidentally on Purpose (CBS): 3.1/ 8, Extreme Makeover: Home Edition (ABC): 3.0/ 7, Brothers & Sisters (ABC): 2.9/ 8, CSI: NY (CBS): 2.8/ 9, The Good Wife (CBS): 2.8/ 8, The Biggest Loser: Where Are They Now? (NBC): 2.7/ 8, Castle (ABC): 2.7/ 7, Lie To Me (Fox): 2.7/ 7 Source: Nielsen Media Research data Ratings Box:What’s Hot/What’s Not -Strong Performance for The Dog Saved Christmas on ABC Family:ABC Family made-for movie The Dog Who Saved Christmas finished as cable’s top-rated program in the Sunday 8-10 p.m. block on Nov. 29 in total viewers (4.0 million – tie), while ranking second in adults 18-49 (1.4 million) and women 18-49 (844,000). Compared to the year-ago time period average, that was an increase of 500,000 viewers, eight percent in adults 18-49 (1.3 to 1.4 million) and five percent in women 18-49 (801,000 to 844,000). -Updated Cable Rankings:What follows are the top 10 rated basic cable networks in prime-time for the week of November 23: Total Viewers:ESPN: 3.66 million, USA: 3.07, Nick at Nite: 1.93, TBS: 1.87, TNT: 1.72, A&E: 1.71, Fox News: 1.70, ABC Family: 1.66, Hallmark: 1.49, Cartoon Network: 1.36 -Adults 18-49:ESPN: 1.71 million, USA: 1.31 million, TBS: 1.04 million, TNT: 799,000, A&E: 746,000, FX: 730,000, Discovery: 687,000, TLC: 625,000, ABC Family: 617,000, BET: 604,000 -Adults 25-54:ESPN: 1.76 million, USA: 1.36 million, TBS: 889,000, A&E: 826,000, FX: 694,000, Discovery: 688,000, Syfy: 648,000, ABC Family: 620,000, TLC: 561,000 -Adults 18-34:ESPN: 774,000, USA: 595,000, TBS: 567,000, FX: 364,000, TLC: 361,000, Discovery: 340,000, TNT: 338,000, BET: 329,000, A&E: 293,000, ABC Family: 284,000 Source: Nielsen Media Research data (R = repeat) On the Air Tonight:Prime-Time Programming Options Thursday 12/03/09 ABC: 8:00 p.m. FlashForward 9:00 p.m. Grey’s Anatomy 10:00 p.m. Private Practice CBS: 8:00 p.m. Survivor: Samoa 9:00 p.m. CSI (R)10:00 p.m. The Mentalist (R) NBC: 8:00 p.m. Community 8:30 p.m. Parks and Recreation 9:00 p.m. The Office 9:30 p.m. 30 Rock10:00 p.m. The Jay Leno Show Fox: 8:00 p.m. Bones 9:00 p.m. Fringe CW 8:00 p.m. The Vampire Diaries (R) 9:00 p.m. Supernatural (R) ______________________________________________________________________ TV Tidbits:Notes of Interest -More Sons of Anarchy:As expected, FX has renewed drama Sons of Anarchy for a third season, with an order for 13 additional episodes. The expected airdate begins in September 2010. The 90-minute finale of Sons of Anarchy on Dec. 1 finished as cable’s No. 1 show of the evening in total viewers (a record 4.33 million) and adults 18-49 (2.99 million), ranking first in the 10 p.m. hour in all of television among men 18-49 (1.92 million) and men 18-34 (1.09 million). -ABC Schedule Changes:As rumored yesterday, ABC’s four year-old Ugly Betty, which is floundering in the Friday 9 p.m. hour, will move to Wednesdays at 10 p.m. beginning on Jan. 6. Ugly Betty will replace soon-to-conclude Eastwick. Stepping in for Ugly Betty on Friday will be the return of Shark Tank effective on Jan. 8._________________________________________________________________________ TV Trivia Time:An Osbourne in Primetime Which one of the following short-lived dramas featured the youngest Osbourne, Kelly? a) Birds of Preyb) Fashion House c) Life As We Know Itd) The Mountaine) Threat Matrix The answer to yesterday’s question… Which one of the following sitcoms aired for one full season live? a) Good Timesb) I Love Lucyc) The Odd Coupled) Roc e) Three’s Company Is: d) Roc, which aired on Fox from 1991-94 and was live in the 1992-93 season.-Current kudos goes to:Don Abel, Mark Amato, Gerry Bixenspan, Barbara Bloomfield, Michael Bobble, Andrew Brandner, Paul Certo, Cory Chapman, Larry Collins, Tom Condosta, Harold Cooper, Kay Copeland, Gus Curran, Audrey Davis, Reid Davis, Sylvia Davis, Sue Doron, Phyllis Epstein, John Ferlazzo, Arleen Fong, Adam Giagni, Steve Gleason, Maureen Goldman, Geoffrey Gordon, Robert Gori, Drew Greenberg, Scott Hamula, Michelle Harrington, Mike Holland, Bob Ingersoll, David Jackino, Greg Janover, Mike Jolliffe, Sania Jones, Deb Kainer, Kathryn Kieser, Tom Kilgallon, Synda Kollman, Steve Kurtzer, Stephen LaRue, David Lederman, Michael Lehman, Kathy McClung, Mark Misiano, Jim Moore, Anne Moynihan, Michael Natale, Bill Nuss, Brian Nyenhuis, Alan Perris, Alex Petrilli, Jr., Greg Phelan, Francine Purcell, Gordon Purcell, Bob Rall, Julie Rasmussen, Bruce Robinson, Joe Rubi, David Ruckman, Ron Salmon, Marc Schacher, Russell Schwartz, Hakimah Shah, Dewayne Snype, Michael Stern, Kristen Strauss, Jodi Tiktin, Jon Vaden, Myndi Weinraub, Larry Weinstock, Jim Wilson, Joel Wolk, Jeanne Yonkers, Ted Zawislak

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CBS and Fox Share Victory for the Week of Nov. 23

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