CBS and Fox Share Dominance for the Week of April 13

THE PROGRAMMING INSIDERWednesday, April 22, 2009 Prime-Time Metered Market Tuesday Ratings:Fox Wins; Tuesday Telecast of ABC’s The Unusuals Fails to Deliver National Ratings in Prime-Time:Week of April 13, 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: The Stratford Inn ______________________________________________________________________ Prime-Time Metered Market Tuesday Ratings:Fox Wins; Tuesday Telecast of ABC’s The Unusuals Fails to Deliver Tuesday 4/21/09 HH Rtg/Shr Fox 9.9/15CBS 7.0/11ABC 5.4/ 8NBC 5.4/ 8CW 1.4/ 2 ---------- -Percent Change From the Year-Ago Evening (Tuesday, April 22, 2008):CBS: +27, NBC: +15, Fox: - 7, CW: -12, ABC: -23 ---------- -Yesterday’s Winners:American Idol (Fox), Dancing With the Stars (ABC), NCIS R (CBS), The Mentalist R (CBS) -Keep a Positive Eye on Among Adults 18-49:The Biggest Loser (NBC) -Disappointing:Fringe (Fox) -Yesterday’s Losers (Excluding Repeats):According to Jim (ABC), Reaper (CW), 90210 (CW), The Unusuals (ABC) ---------- -Ratings Breakdown: Fox, of course, won Tuesday on the strength of American Idol, which kicked-off the evening with a healthy 13.4 rating/22 share in the overnights from 8-9 p.m. As for the bottom-three tonight, the choices are simple: Anoop, Matt and Lil. Now take your pick which two will be leaving. Mine are Matt, who chose a smart song last night (“Stayin’ Alive”) given he had a second chance last week, and Lil, who thinks she is better than she actually is. As for Simon Cowell, the cocky judge has announced he will be leaving the show once it falls out of the top of the rankings. Note to Simon: that will not be happening anytime soon. American Idol led into Fringe, which dipped to third at 9 p.m. with a disappointing 6.4/10 in the overnights. I refer to Fringe that way because retention out of the second half of lead-in American Idol (14.1/22 at 8:30 p.m.) was only 45 percent. That is not a positive. Second-place CBS is, no doubt, testing the waters for next season with 8-9 p.m. repeats of The Big Bang Theory (#3: 4.1/ 7) and Two and a Half Men (#3: 4.8/ 7) stepping in for the regularly scheduled NCIS, which shifted to 9 p.m. An encore telecast of NCIS at 9 p.m. (#2: 8.2/12), which still delivered, led into a repeat of The Mentalist at a dominant 8.4/14 in the overnights at 10 p.m. As I have said on numerous occasions, why potentially move The Mentalist if it already works so well Tuesday at 9 p.m.? ABC and NBC tied for the No. 3 spot in the overnights, with ABC benefiting, no doubt, by Dancing With the Stars. The live Dancing With the Stars Results Show finished first in the 9 p.m. hour, with a 9.4/15. Comparably, that built from begging to be canceled According to Jim at 8:30 p.m. (2.4/ 4) by a whopping 292 percent. So long, Lawrence Taylor. Earlier in the evening on ABC was an 8 p.m. installment of According to Jim (#4: 2.6/ 4), which was two episodes too many of this inane comedy. A last minute Tuesday 10 p.m. airing of The Unusuals, meanwhile, was no better than its failing Wednesday performance, with a third-place 4.3/ 7. Particularly negative for The Unusuals was a loss of an estimated 24 percent in the second half-hour (4.9/ 8 to 3.7/ 6). Over at NBC was another two-hour edition of The Biggest Loser, which was above-average at a 5.5/ 9 from 8-10 p.m., followed by a repeat of the already renewed Law & Order: SVU at a second-place 5.2/ 9 at 10 p.m. Here is the half-hour breakdown for The Biggest Loser, which always generates interest among adults 18-49: The Biggest Loser (NBC)8:00 p.m.: 4.8/ 8 (#2)8:30 p.m.: 5.1/ 8 (#2)9:00 p.m.: 5.8/ 9 (#4)9:30 p.m.: 6.3/ 9 (#3) Last-place The CW capped off the evening with dramas Reaper (#5: 1.5/ 3) and the already renewed 90210 (#5: 1.3/ 2), which could ultimately be paired with the planned revival of Melrose Place. Source: Nielsen Media Research data _______________________________________________________________________________________ National Ratings in Prime-Time:Week of April 13, 2009 It was another typically split week of leadership, with CBS first in households and total viewers and the home of American Idol, Fox, No. 1 in the three key demos -- adults 18-49, adults 25-54 and adults 18-34. Unless something unusual happens (and I would not count on that), this will remain the pecking order through the remainder of the season. Year-to-year, both networks were up across the board by minor proportions. As solid as CBS is, keep in mind that it finished fourth among adults 18-34. Demographically, ABC and NBC were neck-and-neck, and both close to year-ago levels. But ABC’s advantage over NBC in total viewers was 1.23 million (and the Peacock net dipped by 14 percent in the category from one year earlier). Growing MyNetworkTV, which is still benefiting by the arrival of Friday Night Smackdown! last fall, inched past the CW in total viewers, while tying in households and adults 25-54. Comparably, MyNetworkTV built by as much as 57 percent from the year-ago week, while the CW dipped by margins of 30 to 35 percent. In series-premiere news, Fox animated sitcom Sit Down, Shut Up had a quiet start, with 5.19 million viewers (#63 overall) and a 2.3 rating/ 6 share among adults 18-49 (tied for #40) in the Sunday 8:30 p.m. half hour. Comparably, that put retention out of fading lead-in The Simpsons (Viewers: 6.58 million; A18-49: 3.1/ 9) of 79 percent in total viewers and 74 percent in the demo. Yes…The Simpsons is indeed losing steam. In recently introduced series news, week two of NBC’s Southland held up well, with 9.61 million viewers (#25) and a 3.0/ 9 among adults 18-49 (#26t) in the Thursday 10 p.m. hour. But competing Harper’s Island on CBS took a hit, dropping to 7.82 million viewers (#34) and a 2.2/ 8 in the demo (#42t). Week two results for ABC’s Surviving Suburbia and The Unusuals, and Parks and Recreation on NBC also lost steam. See the New Midseason Series Scorecard below. In the specials department, and this is nothing special, was The 2009 Miss USA Pageant on NBC, with a mere 4.98 million viewers (#68) and a 1.4/ 4 among adults 18-49 (#65t) in the Sunday 7-9 p.m. block. CBS, meanwhile, got mixed results with Hallmark Hall of Fame made-for The Courageous Heart of Irene Sendler on Sunday, with 9.83 million viewers (#23) and a 1.5/ 4 in the demo (#63t) from 9-11 p.m. on Sunday. Here are the final national ratings for the week of April 13, 2009 (with percent change versus the comparable year-ago week in parentheses), followed by the new midseason series report card and the top 30 rated programs of the week. -Households:CBS: 6.3 rating/11 share (+12), Fox: 5.5/ 9 (+ 4), ABC: 4.8/ 8 (- 8), NBC: 4.0/ 7 (-17), CW: 1.0/ 2 (-33), MNTV: 1.0/ 2 (+43) -Total Viewers: CBS: 9.92 million (+16), Fox: 9.28 (+ 6), ABC: 7.54 (- 4), NBC: 6.31 (-14), MNTV: 1.57 (+57), CW: 1.50 (-35) -Adults 18-49:Fox: 3.3 rating/10 share (+ 3), CBS: 2.4/ 7 (+ 4), ABC and NBC: 2.2/ 6 (- 4 each), CW: 0.6/ 2 (-33), MNTV: 0.5/ 1 (+25) -Adults 25-54:Fox: 3.9/10 (+ 8), CBS: 3.2/ 8 (+ 7), ABC: 2.7/ 7 (- 7), NBC: 2.6/ 7 (- 7), MNTV: 0.6/ 1 (+50), CW: 0.6/ 2 (-33) -Adults 18-34:Fox: 2.8/ 9 (+ 4), ABC and NBC: 1.8/ 6 (+ 6 each), CBS: 1.6/ 5 (+ 7), CW: 0.7/ 2 (-30), MNTV: 0.4/ 1 (+33) -------------------- New Midseason Series Scorecard (excluding repeats and in order of total viewers; Pre-empted: Fox’s Lie to Me and Dollhouse) Surviving Suburbia (ABC) – Monday 9:30 p.m.Viewers: 9.71 million (#24), A18-49: 2.6/ 6 (#33t) Southland (NBC) – Thursday 10 p.m. Viewers: 9.61 million (#25), A18-49: 3.0/ 9 (#26t) Harper’s Island (CBS) – Thursday 10 p.m. Viewers: 7.82 million (#34), A18-49: 2.2/ 8 (#42t) Castle (ABC) – Monday 10 p.m. Viewers: 7.28 million (#40), A18-49: 1.9/ 5 (#46t) Cupid (ABC) – Tuesday 10 p.m. Viewers: 6.10 million (#50), A18-49: 1.7/ 5 (#55t) Parks and Recreation (NBC) – Thursday 8:30 p.m. Viewers: 6.02 million (#51), A18-49: 2.5/ 7 (#35t) The Unusuals (ABC) – Wednesday 10 p.m.Viewers: 6.01 million (#52), A18-49: 1.8/ 5 (#50t) Sit Down, Shut Up (Fox) – Sunday 8:30 p.m. (premiere)Viewers: 5.19 million (#63), A18-49: 2.3/ 6 (#40t) Better Off Ted (ABC) – Wednesday 8:30 p.m.Viewers: 4.62 million (#69t), A18-49: 1.9/ 6 (#48t) In the Motherhood (ABC) – Thursday 8 p.m. Viewers: 4.62 million (#69t), A18-49: 1.4/ 5 (#65t) Howie Do It (NBC) – Friday 8:30 p.m. Viewers: 3.39 million (#81), A18-49: 0.9/ 3 (#82t) Howie Do It (NBC) – Friday 8 p.m. Viewers: 3.18 million (#84), A18-49: 0.8/ 3 (#86t) -------------------- Top 30 Rankings -Total Viewers:American Idol – Tuesday (Fox): 24.38 million, American Idol – Wednesday (Fox): 24.11, Dancing With the Stars – Monday (ABC): 19.46, CSI (CBS): 15.72, Dancing With the Stars – Tuesday (ABC): 15.24, Two and a Half Men (CBS): 15.03, Desperate Housewives (ABC): 13.85, NCIS R (CBS): 13.56, CSI: Miami (CBS): 13.39, CSI: Miami (CBS): 13.28, Without a Trace (CBS): 13.23, House (Fox): 12.19, The Mentalist R (CBS): 12.18, CSI: NY (CBS): 12.14, 60 Minutes (CBS): 12.04, Survivor: Tocantins (CBS): 11.64, Rules of Engagement (CBS): 11.60, Bones – Wednesday (Fox): 11.01, 24 (Fox): 10.86, Criminal Minds R (CBS): 10.58, The Amazing Race (CBS): 10.30, Fringe (Fox): 10.15, The Big Bang Theory (CBS): 10.06, Hallmark Hall of Fame’s The Courageous Heart of Irene Sendler (CBS): 9.83, Surviving Suburbia (ABC): 9.71, Southland (NBC): 9.61, How I Met Your Mother (CBS): 9.60, Brothers & Sisters (ABC): 9.46, Lost (ABC): 9.23, The Biggest Loser (NBC): 9.11, Bones – Thursday (Fox): 8.85 -Adults 18-49:American Idol – Tuesday (Fox): 8.5 rating/23 share, American Idol – Wednesday (Fox): 8.2/21, Two and a Half Men (CBS): 5.3/13, Desperate Housewives (ABC): 4.8/11, Dancing With the Stars – Monday (ABC): 4.6/12, House (Fox): 4.5/12, Rules of Engagement (CBS), The Office (NBC): 4.2/11, How I Met Your Mother (CBS): 4.1/11, Rules of Engagement (CBS), Fringe (Fox) and Lost (ABC): 4.0/10 each, The Big Bang Theory (CBS): 3.9/11, The Biggest Loser (NBC) and CSI (CBS): 3.8/10 each, Family Guy (Fox): 3.8/ 9, CSI: Miami (CBS): 3.7/10, Survivor: Tocantins (CBS): 3.6/11, 24 (Fox): 3.6/ 9, Dancing With the Stars – Tuesday (ABC), 30 Rock (NBC) and Hell’s Kitchen (Fox): 3.5/ 9 each, Brothers & Sisters (ABC): 3.3/ 9, Heroes (NBC): 3.3/ 8, Celebrity Apprentice (NBC): 3.2/ 8, The Simpsons (Fox): 3.1/ 9, Bones – Wednesday (Fox) and Southland (NBC): 3.0/ 9 each, Without a Trace (CBS) and The Amazing Race (CBS): 3.0/ 8 each, CSI: NY (CBS): 2.9/ 8, American Dad (Fox): 2.9/ 7 Source: Nielsen Media Research data (R = repeat)______________________________________________________________________________ Ratings Box:What’s Hot/What’s Not -My Fake Fiancé Scores on ABC Family:The Sunday, April 19th debut of ABC Family made-for My Fake Fiancé now ranks as the most-watched movie of the season in all of television among women 18-34, with 1.0 million viewers in the demo, and first on basic cable in women 18-49 (1.6 million). Comparably, My Fake Fiancé dominated the 8-10 p.m. block among adults 18-34 (1.2 million), women 18-34, adults 18-49 (2.0 million), women 18-49, viewers 12-34 (1.7 million) and females 12-34 (1.4 million), -Top Rated Cable Networks in Prime-Time – Week of April 13:What follows are the top 10 rated basic cable networks in prime-time based on the week of April 13: Total Viewers:USA: 3.04 million, Fox News: 2.48, TNT: 1.93, TBS: 1.69, Nick at Nite: 1.64, Discovery: 1.49, A&E: 1.32, ABC Family: 1.26, FX: 1.24, Sci Fi: 1.21 Adults 18-49:USA: 1.36 million, TBS: 966,000, TNT: 928,000, Discovery: 794,000, Comedy Central: 708,000, FX: 671,000, ESPN: 631,000, Spike: 622,000, A&E: 610,000, MTV: 597,000 Adults 25-54:USA: 1.40 million, TNT: 942,000, TBS: 833,000, Discovery: 792,000, A&E: 633,000, Sci Fi: 632,000, ESPN: 617,000, FX: 608,000, Fox News: 602,000, Spike: 601,000 Adults 18-34:USA: 600,000, TBS: 543,000, MTV: 475,000, TNT: 423,000, Comedy Central: 400,000, VH1: 363,000, Discovery: 354,000, FX: 351,000, ABC Family: 334,000, ESPN: 311,000 Source: Nielsen Media Research data_______________________________________________________________________________ On the Air Tonight:Prime-Time Programming Options Wednesday 4/22/09 ABC: 8:00 p.m. Scrubs 8:30 p.m. Better Off Ted 9:00 p.m. Lost: The Story of the Oceanic 6 (clips show)10:00 p.m. The Unusuals CBS: 8:00 p.m. The New Adventures of Old Christine 8:30 p.m. Gary Unmarried 9:00 p.m. Criminal Minds (R)10:00 p.m. Criminal Minds NBC: 8:00 p.m. Law & Order (R) 9:00 p.m. Law & Order: SVU (R)10:00 p.m. Law & Order (R) Fox: 8:00 p.m. Bones 9:00 p.m. American Idol CW: 8:00 p.m. America’s Next Top Model 9:00 p.m. 90210 (R) MTNV 8:00 p.m. World’s Funniest Moments (R) 9:00 p.m. Comics Unleashed 9:30 p.m. Comics Unleashed ________________________________________________________________________ TV Tidbits:Notes of Interest -NBC Yanks Kings:After being shipped to Saturday at 8 p.m. and bombing after just one telecast (Viewers: 2.24 million; A18-49: 0.5/ 2 on April 18), NBC drama Kings is being pulled from the line-up immediately. Repeats of Law & Order: SVU will step in. Kings is expected to return to the Saturday 8 p.m. hour on June 13, where it will burn-off the remainder of its episodes. -LMN Increases Distribution:Lifetime Movie Network has reached the 70 million subscriber milestone, which is up by 19 percent from April 2008. The growth stems from coverage on DISH network and across the Comcast systems. -Lifetime Announces Launch Date for Project Runway:Lifetime Television has announced Thursday, August 20 as the long-awaited season-premiere of Project Runway, which originally aired on Bravo and was caught up in a legal battle between the two networks to see exactly who would be airing it. Heidi Klum hosts. -Available Now on DVD:Fans of underrated classic Rhoda are in for a treat: season one is now available on DVD. To order, click here: http://www.amazon.com/Rhoda-Season-One-Valerie-Harper/dp/B001O4KBN2/ref=wl_it_dp?ie=UTF8&coliid=I3R42T2OPA3OKO&colid=879FBXOSWNWT In honor of Valerie Harper’s classic TV character: "My name is Rhoda Morgenstern. I was born in the Bronx, New York, in December, 1941. I’ve always felt responsible for World War II. The first thing I remember liking that liked me back was food. I had a bad puberty: it lasted 17 years. I’m a high school graduate; I went to art school. My entrance exam was on a book of matches. I decided to move out of the house when I was 24. My mother still refers to this as the time I ran away from home. Eventually I ran to Minneapolis where it’s cold, and I figured I’d keep better. Now I’m back in Manhattan. New York, this is your last chance!" _________________________________________________________________________ TV Trivia Time:Staying at The Stratford Inn If you were lodging at The Stratford Inn, what state would you be in? MaineNorth CarolinaPennsylvania Rhode Island Vermont The answer to yesterday’s question… How old was “Doogie” Howser supposed to be when the half-hour ABC dramedy began in 1989? 1314151617 Is: d) 16. Boy genius Douglas “Doogie” Howser (Neil Patrick Harris) was only 16 when the series began. Would you let a teenager examine you? -Current kudos goes to:Gerry Bixenspan, Randy Blake, Paul Certo, Vanessa Coates, Audrey Davis, Arleen Fong, Adam Giagni, Bill Graff, Carolyn Becker Hayes, Jerry Hermes, Bob Ingersoll, Deb Kainer, Kathryn Kieser, Alan Perris, Francine Purcell, Marilyn Rutkowski, Kim Smith, Myndi Weinraub

Convergent TV

CBS and Fox Share Dominance for the Week of April 13

Marc Berman

About

Subscriptions

Events

Publications

WORK SMARTER - LEARN, GROW AND BE INSPIRED.

Subscribe today!

Marc Berman