More Shared Weekly Leadership for CBS and Fox

THE PROGRAMMING INSIDERWednesday, May 12, 2010 Prime-Time Metered Market Tuesday Ratings:Fox Wins; Good News Aplenty on CBS and ABC National Ratings in Prime-Time:Week of May 3, 2010 Ratings Box:What’s Hot/What’s Not On the Air Tonight:Prime-Time Programming Options TV Tidbits:Notes of Interest TV Trivia Time: A Wise Neighbor________________________________________________________________________________ Prime-Time Metered Market Tuesday Ratings:Fox Wins; Good News Aplenty on CBS and ABC Tuesday 5/11/10 HH Rtg/Shr Fox 10.5/16CBS 9.9/15ABC 6.9/11NBC 5.0/ 8CW 0.9/ 1 ---------- -Percent Change From the Year-Ago Evening (Tuesday, May 12, 2009):ABC: +38, Fox: + 9, CBS: + 2, NBC: -29, CW: -31 ---------- -Yesterday’s Winners:American Idol (Fox), NCIS (CBS), Dancing With the Stars (ABC), NCIS: Los Angeles (CBS), Glee (Fox), Lost (ABC), The Good Wife (CBS) -Not Bad Considering the Hefty Competition:The Biggest Loser (NBC) -Yesterday’s Losers (excluding repeats):90210 (CW), V (ABC) ---------- -Ratings Breakdown:Led by American Idol, Fox won the battle of the Tuesday overnights. But second-place CBS was no slouch at a deficit of just six-tenths of a rating point. Third overall was ABC, followed by NBC and a very distant The CW. Proof three successful shows can co-exist in one time period was exhibited again in the Tuesday 8 p.m. hour last night as follows: American Idol (Fox): 13.0 rating/20 shareNCIS (CBS): 10.5/16Dancing With the Stars (ABC): 9.1/14 Combined, this was a 32.6 rating/50 share in the overnights, which should translate into the vicinity of 45 million viewers. As for American Idol, either Michael Lynch or Casey James is likely to be exiting tonight, with Kara’s overrated crush Casey the most likely to say his goodbyes. Aren’t we all just plain bored with him at this point? Over at Dancing With the Stars, bubbly Niecy Nash finally bid adieu, with the final four now Erin Andrews, Evan Lysacek, Nicole Scherzinger and wooden Chad Ochocinco. Most worthy of the cheesy disco trophy: Nicole Scherzinger, who as a member of the Pussycat Dolls had an unfair advantage to begin with. Rounding off the 8 p.m. hour was the first half of NBC’s The Biggest Loser (#4: 4.7/ 7) and should-have-been canceled 90210 on The CW (#5: 1.3/ 2). Does anyone even care about 90210? Top-rated overnight honors fell in CBS’ corner at 9 p.m., with NCIS: Los Angeles at a 10.0/15. But second-place Glee on Fox (8.0/12) and ABC’s above-average Lost (#3: 7.6/12) will certainly have the advantage among adults 18-49. With only two episodes of Lost left, too bad the entire episode last night was devoted to Jacob and the Man in Black. As for Glee, how do you like that Mike O’Malley? After years of being ignored on sitcom Yes, Dear, the man called O’Malley has found a spot on two freshman shows this season: Glee and NBC’s Parenthood. Also airing from 9-10 p.m. was the second-half of NBC’s The Biggest Loser (#4: 5.9/ 9) and a repeat of The CW’s on-the-fence Life Unexpected (#5: 0.6/ 1), which has generated enough critical acclaim to warrant a second season renewal. The CW unveils its 2010-11 scheduling plans next Thursday at the famed Madison Square Garden in New York City. As for The Biggest Loser, here is the half-hour breakdown: The Biggest Loser (NBC)8:00 p.m.: 4.6/ 7 (#4)8:30 p.m.: 4.8/ 7 (#4)9:00 p.m.: 5.6/ 8 (#4)9:30 p.m.: 6.2/ 9 (#4) The Good Wife kept the CBS’ winning overnight momentum alive at 10 p.m., with a 9.3/15, but NBC’s Parenthood (#2: 4.2/ 7) is still the show to beat among adults 18-49. Despite stronger lead-in support from Lost, ABC’s V still finished third with a 4.1/ 7 (and overnight retention of only 57 percent out of the 9:30 p.m. portion of Lost - 7.2/11). Tick, tock…the cancellation clock is ticking. Source: Nielsen Media Research data (R = repeat)_____________________________________________________________________________ National Ratings in Prime-Time:Week of May 3, 2010 It was another week of split leadership, with CBS first in households and total viewers and Fox No. 1 in the three demos (adults 18-49, adults 25-54 and adults 18-34) for the week of May 3. Both networks were down from one year earlier in the five surveyed categories at similar levels. Excluding a third-place finish in adults 25-54, ABC finished second with its largest audience since March and the most-watched show, Dancing With the Stars on Monday, for the third consecutive week (and 5th over the last six weeks). NBC ranked fourth in four of the five categories (tying with CBS for third among adults 18-34), with losses of as much as much as 17 percent in households. Only last-place The CW, which did not include low-rated Sunday in the year-ago mix, managed to exhibit some minor growth. In season-finale news, CBS’ The Amazing Race closed its 16th season (yes…time flies!) with a potent 10.58 million viewers (#19 overall) and a 2.9 rating/9 share among adults 18-49 (tied for #22) in the Sunday 8 p.m. hour. That led into the latest installment of the older-skewing Jesse Stone made-for movie franchise, No Remorse, at a healthy 11.49 million viewers (#14) and a disappointing 1.3/ 4 in the demo (#66t) from 9-11 p.m. In season-premiere news, two shows returned on Friday, NBC’s Friday Night Lights and ABC’s Primetime: What Would You Do?, and they performed as follows: Friday Night Lights (NBC) – Friday 8 p.m.Viewers: 3.92 million (#74), A18-49: 1.9/ 6 (#50t) Primetime: What Would You Do? (ABC) – Friday 9 p.m. Viewers: 6.00 million (#47), A18-49: 1.2/ 5 (#74t) Since NBC continues to have a shared-window deal with DirecTV for Friday Night Lights, the lackluster ratings on the network are no longer a factor for renewal. As for the midseason freshman entries, here are this week’s performances ranked by total number of viewers: Romantically Challenged (ABC) – Monday 9:30 p.m. Viewers: 9.64 million (#23), A18-49: 2.4/ 6 (#38t)Grade: C(retention out of Dancing With the Stars was just 49 percent in total viewers and 59 percent among adults 18-49) Miami Medical (CBS) – Friday 10 p.m. Viewers: 6.24 million (#44), A18-49: 1.3/ 4 (#66t)Grade: D Parenthood (NBC) – Tuesday 10 p.m. (renewed for season two)Viewers: 5.88 million (#50), A18-49: 2.5/ 7 (#33t)Grade: C+ Minute to Win It (NBC) – Sunday 8 p.m. (10 episode renewal for 2010-11)Viewers: 5.21 million (#65), A18-49: 1.7/ 5 (#55t)Grade: D The Marriage Ref (NBC) – Thursday 10 p.m. (13 episode renewal for 2010-11)Viewers: 4.88 million (#67), A18-49: 2.2/ 6 (#43t)Grade: D Happy Town (ABC) – Wednesday 10 p.m. Viewers: 3.79 million (#77), A18-49: 1.2 4 (#74t)Grade: F Fly Girls (CW) – Wednesday 9 p.m.Viewers: 1.11 million (#92), A18-49: 0.5/ 2 (#92)Grade: F Fly Girls (CW) – Wednesday 9:30 p.m. (series finale)Viewers: 860,000 (#95), A18-49: 0.4/ 1 (#93t)Grade: F What follows are the final national ratings for the week of May 3, 2010 (with percent change versus the comparable year-ago week in parentheses), followed by the top 30 rated programs of the week and the top rated networks on basic cable. -Households:CBS: 6.4 rating/11 share (- 6), ABC: 5.2/ 9 (- 7), Fox: 4.8/ 8 (- 9), NBC: 3.5/ 6 (-17), CW: 1.3/ 2 (no change) -Total Viewers: CBS: 10.11 million (- 6), ABC: 8.23 (- 6), Fox: 8.06 (- 9), NBC: 5.57 (-12), CW: 1.91 (- 1) -Adults 18-49:Fox: 2.9 rating/9 share (- 9), ABC: 2.5/ 8 (- 4), CBS: 2.3/ 7 (-15), NBC: 1.9/ 6 (- 5), CW: 0.9/ 3 (+12) -Adults 25-54:Fox: 3.3/ 9 (-13), CBS: 3.2/ 9 (-11), ABC: 3.0/ 8 (- 6), NBC: 2.2/ 6 (-12), CW: 0.8/ 2 (no change) -Adults 18-34:Fox: 2.5/ 9 (- 4), ABC: 1.9/ 7 (-10), NBC: 1.5/ 5 (no change), CBS: 1.5/ 5 (-12), CW: 1.1/ 4 (+10) -------------------- Top 30 Rankings -Total Viewers:Dancing With the Stars – Monday (ABC): 19.64 million, American Idol – Wednesday (Fox): 19.58, American Idol – Tuesday (Fox): 17.50, NCIS (CBS): 15.10, The Mentalist (CBS): 14.85, NCIS: Los Angeles (CBS): 14.34, CSI (CBS): 14.15, Survivor: Heroes vs. Villains (CBS): 13.06, The Good Wife (CBS): 12.88, Criminal Minds (CBS): 12.39, Dancing With the Stars – Tuesday (ABC): 12.04, The Big Bang Theory (CBS, Mon. 9 p.m.): 11.63, Glee (Fox): 11.62, CBS Sunday Movie – Jesse Stone: No Remorse: 11.49, Desperate Housewives (ABC): 11.36, Grey’s Anatomy (ABC): 11.03, 60 Minutes (CBS): 10.93, Castle (ABC): 10.69, The Amazing Race (CBS, season finale): 10.58, The Big Bang Theory R (CBS, Mon. 9:30 p.m.) and CSI: NY (CBS): 10.30 each, House (Fox): 9.98, Romantically Challenged (ABC): 9.96, CSI (CBS): 9.62, Lost (ABC): 9.59, Modern Family (ABC): 9.48, Bones (Fox): 9.05, 24 (Fox): 9.00, The Biggest Loser (NBC): 8.44, Law & Order: SVU (NBC): 8.43 -Adults 18-49:American Idol – Wednesday (Fox): 6.5 rating/18 share, American Idol – Tuesday (Fox): 6.2 /18, Glee (Fox): 4.9/13, The Big Bang Theory (CBS, Mon. 9 p.m.): 4.6/12, Survivor: Heroes vs. Villains (CBS): 4.1/14, Dancing With the Stars – Monday (ABC) – 4.1/12, Lost (ABC); 4.0/10, House (Fox) and Modern Family (ABC): 3.9/11 each, Grey’s Anatomy (ABC): 3.8/11, Desperate Housewives (ABC) and Family Guy (Fox): 3.8/10 each, The Big Bang Theory R (CBS, Mon. 9:30 p.m.): 3.6/10, The Office (NBC): 3.5/10, The Mentalist (CBS): 3.3/10, Criminal Minds (CBS): 3.3/ 9, The Biggest Loser (NBC): 3.2/ 9, How I Met Your Mother (CBS), NCIS (CBS) and CSI (CBS): 3.1/ 9 each , American Dad (Fox): 3.0/ 8, The Amazing Race (CBS, season finale) and The Celebrity Apprentice (NBC): 2.9/ 9 each, Private Practice (ABC) and Rules of Engagement (CBS): 2.8/ 8 each, 24 (Fox) and NCIS: Los Angeles (CBS): 2.8/ 7 each, The Simpsons (Fox): 2.7/ 9, CSI: Miami (CBS): 2.7/ 7, Law & Order: SVU (NBC) and The Cleveland Show (Fox): 2.6/ 8 each, 30 Rock (NBC): 2.6/ 7 -------------------- CABLE What follows are the top 10 rated networks on cable in prime-time for the week of May 3 based on total viewers and the three key demos: Total Viewers:TNT: 2.87 million, USA: 2.72, ESPN: 1.89, Fox News: 1.82, Nick-at-Note: 1.68, History: 1.51, TBS: 1.41, Cartoon Network: 1.29, FX: 1.26, A&E: 1.25 Adults 18-49:TNT: 1.52 million, USA: 1.08 million, ESPN: 938,000, TBS: 787,000, FX: 700,000, History: 687,000, Discovery: 598,000, VS: 582,000, A&E: 580,000, Comedy Central: 496,000 Adults 25-54:TNT: 1.46 million, USA: 1.14 million, ESPN: 921,000, History: 754,000, TBS: 717,000, FX: 666,000, Discovery: 647,000, VS: 622,000, A&E: 610,000, Syfy: 518,000 Adults 18-34:TNT: 794,000, USA: 500,000, ESPN: 491,000, TBS: 428,000, FX: 348,000, Comedy Central: 302,000, History: 291,000, MTV: 282,000, BET: 249,000, A&E: 246,000 Source: Nielsen Media Research data (R = repeat) Ratings Box:What’s Hot/What’s Not -Updated National Ratings in Syndication:What follows are the top 20 rated programs in syndication (first-run and off-network) based on households for the week of April 26: Wheel of Fortune (CBS Television Distribution): 6.5 rating, Jeopardy (CBS): 5.6, Two and a Half Men (Warner Bros.): 4.8, Judge Judy (CBS): 4.6, Oprah (CBS): 4.3, Entertainment Tonight (CBS): 4.1, Family Guy (Twentieth): 3.2, CSI: NY (CBS): 3.1, Inside Edition (CBS) and Everybody Loves Raymond (CBS): 3.0 rating, The Office (NBC Universal): 2.9, George Lopez (Warner Bros.) and Wheel of Fortune – Weekend (CBS): 2.8 each, Seinfeld (Sony Pictures Television): 2.7, Dr. Phil (CBS), Live with Regis & Kelly (Disney-ABC) and Two and a Half Men – Weekend (Warner Bros.): 2.6 each, Dr. Oz (SPT), Who Wants to Be a Millionaire (Disney-ABC) and King of the Hill (Twentieth): 2.4 each Source: Nielsen Media Research data (R = repeat) On the Air Tonight:Prime-Time Programming Options Wednesday 5/12/10 ABC: 8:00 p.m. The Middle (R) 8:30 p.m. The Middle 9:00 p.m. Modern Family 9:30 p.m. Cougar Town 10:00 p.m. Happy Town (going on hiatus until June 2) CBS: 8:00 p.m. The New Adventures of Old Christine (season or series finale) 8:30 p.m. The Big Bang Theory (R) 9:00 p.m. Criminal Minds 10:00 p.m. CSI: NY NBC: 8:00 p.m. Minute to Win It 9:00 p.m. Mercy (season or series finale)10:00 p.m. Law & Order: SVU Fox: 8:00 p.m Lie To Me (R) 9:00 p.m. American Idol CW 8:00 p.m. America’s Next Top Model (season finale, two hours) ______________________________________________________________________ TV Tidbits:Notes of Interest -ABC Pulls Happy Town:ABC will remove Wednesday drama Happy Town off the air after tonight’s third episode, and is expected to burn-off the remaining five installments beginning on Wednesday, June 2 at 10 p.m. Last week’s telecast plunged to a mere 3.79 million viewers and a 1.2/ 4 among adults 18-49, based on the live plus same day ratings. -Spartacus: Blood and Sand Prequel on Starz:Pre-production is underway on the six part prequel to Starz drama Spartacus: Blood and Sand, which is slated to debut on the cable network in January 2011. Andy Whitfield will appear briefly, with Lucy Lawless and John Hannah promoted to center stage. -News From SOAPnet:SOAPnet, the cable home of must see serialized programming, has surpassed the 75 million household subscriber milestone, with availability in 75,255,000 homes as of this month. Comparably, that is an increase of four million homes from one year earlier. SOAPnet, in addition, has renewed original scripted drama Being Erica for a third season, with an order for 13 new episodes. -Bones to Continue in Off-Net:Twentieth Television has announced that drama Bones will continue in off-network syndication through the 2012-13 season on the Fox, Tribune, Local TV and Sinclair stations, with sales in over 85 markets representing approximately 70 percent of the country. This second cycle renewal of Bones is cleared in nine of the top 10 markets, including Fox Television Stations’ WNYW-WWOR/New York, KTTV- KCOP/Los Angeles, WFLD-WPWR/Chicago, WTXF/Philadelphia, KDFW-KDFI/Dallas/Ft. Worth, WFXT/Boston, WAGA/Atlanta, WTTG-WDCA/Washington D.C., KRIV-KTXH/Houston and WJBK-FOX/Detroit. -Mark Burnett Partners with Trifecta Entertainment:Reality producer extraordinaire Mark Burnett is partnering with distributor Trifecta Entertainment for a first-run talent competition in syndication called One in a Million. Targeted for the 2011-12 syndication season, half-hour One in a Million is a daily singing competition targeted specifically for the daytime marketplace. Talent across the country will compete for a grand prize of one million dollars. At present there are six first-run syndicated game shows: CBS Television Distribution’s Wheel of Fortune and Jeopardy, Disney-ABC’s Who Wants to Be a Millionaire, Debmar-Mercury’s Family Feud, and this season’s two freshman entries: Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader? from Twentieth Television and NBC Universal’s Deal or No Deal. Of the six, only Deal or No Deal will not be returning next season. _____________________________________________________________ TV Trivia Time:A Wise Neighbor Remember Wilson, the Taylor’s neighbor who we never fully saw on sitcom Home Improvement? What was his first name? ElliotHenryHugoJamesWilson The answer to yesterday’s question… What sport was Thelma’s husband Keith associated with on sitcom Good Times? a) baseballb) basketballc) footballd) hockeye) swimming Is: c) football. Keith (Ben Powers) was a football star who suffered a fall and had to move in with the Evans clan after marrying Thelma. By the series-finale, however, Keith miraculously recovered and signed a big contract. All together now… Good Times. Any time you meet a payment. Good Times. Any time you need a friend. Good Times. Any time you're out from under. Not getting hassled, not getting hustled. Keepin' your head above water, Making a wave when you can. Temporary lay offs. Good Times. Easy credit rip offs. Good Times. Scratchin' and surviving. Good Times. Hangin in a chow line Good Times. Ain't we lucky we got 'em Good Times. -Current kudos goes to:Steve Albright, Barbara Berman, Gerry Bixenspan, Andrew Brander, Larry Collins, Tom Condosta, Harold Cooper, Reid Davis, Gary Engel, John Ferlazzo, Jerry Gibbons, Leon Gittens, Maureen Goldman, Martha Gonzalez, Scott Hamula, Michelle Harrington, Bob Ingersoll, David Jackino, Michael Johnson, Deb Kainer, Steve Kurtzer, Valerie Langan, Charmaine Leary, Patty Lynch, Michael Murphy, Gordon Purcell, Michael Ratliffe, Hakimah Shah, Maxine Shulman, Ronnie Tallant

Convergent TV

More Shared Weekly Leadership for CBS and Fox

Marc Berman

About

Subscriptions

Events

Publications

WORK SMARTER - LEARN, GROW AND BE INSPIRED.

Subscribe today!

Marc Berman