CBS Wins Wednesday; ABC the Network to Beat Among Adults 18-49

THE PROGRAMMING INSIDERThursday, December 10, 2009 Prime-Time Metered Market Wednesday Ratings:CBS Wins, ABC the Network to Beat Among Adults 18-49 Ratings Box:What’s Hot/What’s Not On the Air Tonight:Prime-Time Programming Options TV Tidbits:Notes of Interest TV Trivia Time: Hello Hooterville ________________________________________________________________________________ Prime-Time Metered Market Wednesday Ratings:CBS Wins, ABC the Network to Beat Among Adults 18-49 Wednesday 12/09/09Note: San Diego, Phoenix and Oklahoma City are excluded from the following averages. HH Rtg/Shr CBS 7.2/12ABC 5.8/ 9Fox 4.4/ 7NBC 4.2/ 7CW 1.0/ 2 ---------- -Percent Change From the Year-Ago Evening (Wednesday, December 10, 2008):ABC: +49, CW: - 9, CBS: -11, NBC: -29, Fox: -31 ---------- -Yesterday’s Winners:Criminal Minds (CBS), CSI: NY (CBS), Barbara Walters Special: The 10 Most Fascinating People of 2009 (ABC) -Honorable Mention:Modern Family (ABC), Glee (Fox) -Disappointing:Mercy (NBC), The Middle (ABC), Cougar Town (ABC) -Yesterday’s Losers:The Jay Leno Show (NBC) ---------- -Ratings Breakdown:Led by Criminal Minds and CSI: NY, CBS scored another midweek overnight victory, beating second-place ABC by 24 percent. But ABC is the network to beat among adults 18-49 thanks to Modern Family and annual Barbara Walters Special: The 10 Most Fascinating People of 2009. Third in the metered markets was Fox, followed by NBC and The CW. CBS led the overnights troops in the soft Wednesday 8 p.m. hour care of sitcoms The New Adventures of Old Christine (4.9 rating/8 share) and Gary Unmarried (4.5/ 7), but it was a close call between the Big 4 networks. Take a look: Wednesday 8-9 p.m. CBS8:00 p.m. – The New Adventures of Old Christine: 4.9/ 8 (#1)8:30 p.m. – Gary Unmarried: 4.5/ 7 (#1) ABC8:00 p.m. – Shrek the Halls (R): 4.8/ 8 (#2)8:30 p.m. – The Middle: 4.3/ 7 (#3t) NBC8:00 p.m. - Mercy: 4.4/ 7 (#3) Fox8:00 p.m. - So You Think You Can Dance: 4.1/ 7 (#4) Needless to say, there is room for a big hit if the right show came along. Capping off the 8 p.m. hour was a repeat of The CW’s Gossip Girl at a mere 0.7/ 1 in the overnights. At 9 p.m., CBS’ veteran Criminal Minds stood well above the competition, with an 8.8/14 (which built by a hefty 96 percent from Gary Unmarried). But do not rule out ABC sitcom Modern Family (#2: 5.3/ 8), which always delivers among adults 18-49. Leading out of Modern Family was Cougar Town at a disappointing fourth-place 4.4/ 7 in the overnights at 9:30 p.m. Also in the Wednesday 9 p.m. hour was NBC’s Law & Order: SVU (#2: 5.1/ 8), the winter season-finale of Fox’s Glee (4.7/ 7), and a repeat of The Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show (1.3/ 2) on The CW, which aired on CBS last week. Every show in the 9 p.m. hour built from their lead-ins. Tops in the overnights at 10 p.m. was CBS’ CSI: NY at an 8.3/14. But in the close second-place position was ABC’s annual Barbara Walters Special: The 10 Most Fascinating People of 2009 at a 7.9/13. Comparably, that built from lead-in Cougar Town by a hefty 80 percent. Although NBC’s The Jay Leno Show got a boost out of the season-finale of The Biggest Loser on Tuesday, last night it plummeted to a distant third-place 3.1/ 5. Source: Nielsen Media Research data (R = repeat) Ratings Box:What’s Hot/What’s Not -National Ratings in Syndication – Week of November 23:Here are the top 20 rated programs in syndication for the week of November 23 based on households. Due to Thanksgiving week, Thursday and/or Friday may be excluded from the weekly average and are noted as follows: * = three day average, ** = four day average. Of note among women 18-34 was NBC Universal’s Maury, which led the crop of talkers with a 1.5 rating in the demo (versus a 1.4 for Oprah). Wheel of Fortune (CBS Television Distribution): 6.2 rating, Jeopardy (CBS): 5.1, Two and a Half Men (Warner Bros.): 4.6, Judge Judy (CBS): 4.5*, Entertainment Tonight (CBS): 4.2, Oprah (CBS): 4.1**, CSI: NY (CBS): 3.5, Inside Edition (CBS): 3.3*, Dr. Phil (CBS): 3.2*, Family Guy (Twentieth): 3.2, Law & Order: Criminal Intent (NBC Universal): 3.1, The Office (NBCU): 2.8, Live With Regis & Kelly (Disney-ABC): 2.7*, Dr. Oz (Sony Pictures Television): 2.7**, George Lopez (Warner Bros.): 2.7, Who Wants to Be a Millionaire (Disney-ABC): 2.6*, Seinfeld – Weekend (SPT): 2.6, Ellen DeGeneres (Warner Bros.): 2.4*, Everybody Loves Raymond (CBS), Bones (Twentieth), CSI: Miami (CBS), Two and a Half Men – Weekend (CBS): 2.4 each -Speaking of Syndication:Here is an updated season to-date household tracking (through November 29) of all first-run game shows based on households and key women 18-49 and women 25-54. Percent change versus the comparable year-ago period in parentheses. Households:Wheel of Fortune (CBS Television Distribution): 6.8 rating (+ 1), Jeopardy (CBS): 5.6 (- 2), Who Wants to Be a Millionaire (Disney-ABC): 2.7 (- 4). Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader? (Twentieth): 2.1, Family Feud (Debmar-Mercury): 1.6 (-11), Deal or No Deal (NBC Universal): 1.4 (-33) Women 18-49: Wheel of Fortune (CBS): 2.1 (+ 5), Jeopardy (CBS): 1.7 (+ 6), Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader? (Twentieth): 1.1, Who Wants to Be a Millionaire (Disney-ABC): 0.8 (-20), Family Feud (Debmar-Mercury): 0.7 (-13), Deal or No Deal (NBCU): 0.6 (-40) Women 25-54:Wheel of Fortune (CBS): 2.7 (+ 8), Jeopardy (CBS): 2.1 (- 5), Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader? (Twentieth): 1.1, Who Wants to Be a Millionaire (Disney-ABC): 1.0 (-17), Family Feud (Debmar-Mercury): 0.7 (-13), Deal or No Deal (NBCU): 0.7 (-36) Source: Nielsen Media Research data (R = repeat) On the Air Tonight:Prime-Time Programming Options Thursday 12/10/09 ABC: 8:00 p.m. FlashForward (R) 9:00 p.m. Grey’s Anatomy (R) 10:00 p.m. Private Practice (R) CBS: 8:00 p.m. Survivor: Samoa 9:00 p.m. CSI 10:00 p.m. The Mentalist 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 -George Stephanopoulos Inherits GMA Chair:After weeks of speculation, weekend anchor George Stephanopoulos has been named the official replacement for Diane Sawyer on ABC’s Good Morning America. Sawyer, of course, is taking over the anchor chair on ABC’s World News Tonight and Stephanopoulos will begin on GMA opposite Robin Roberts on Monday, December 14. Stephanopoulos will also continue moderating the Sunday morning news hour This Week With George Stephanopoulos. -Cable Series Renewals:TNT has renewed freshman drama Dark Blue for a second season, with an order for 10 new episodes. Over at FX, freshman comedy The League has also been picked-up for season two, with 13 new episodes for 2010. The League, which concludes its current season tonight at 10:30 p.m. ET (out of the season-finale of It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia), is expected to return next summer. -Also at TNT:Canceled TNT legal drama Raising the Bar will conclude its two season run with a three episode marathon on Thursday, December 24 beginning at 8 p.m. ET. -Conveyor Belt of Love on ABC:If you can’t get enough of The Bachelor, which opens its “Wings of Love” themed season on Monday, Jan. 4 at 8 p.m. ET, ABC will lead-out of it with 10 p.m. special Conveyor Belt of Love. The hour will feature five women who try to impress 30 men as they go by on a conveyor belt. What will they think of next?_________________________________________________________________________ TV Trivia Time:Hello Hooterville Which one of the following TV characters did not live in Hooterville? a) Janet Craigb) Ed Dawsonc) Hank Kimballd) Floyd Smoote) Millie Swanson The answer to yesterday’s question… Which one of the following beverages were Lorelai and Rory basically addicted to on The Gilmore Girls? a) apple ciderb) coffeec) egg creamd) hot chocolatee) root beer float Is: b) coffee. Those girls called Gilmore could not get enough of their mocha java. All together now…Where you lead, I will follow Anywhere that you tell me to If you need, you need me to be with you I will follow where you lead If you're out on the road Feeling lonely, and so cold All you have to do is call my name And I'll be there on the next train Where you lead, I will follow Anywhere that you tell me to If you need, you need me to be with you I will follow where you lead -Current kudos goes to:Suzanne Ackley, Marte Meyerhoff Adler, Joanne Albrecht, Steve Albright, Marisol Amaya, Anne Bannon, Carolyn Bisson, Gerry Bixenspan, Barbara Bloomfield, Mavis Chow, Larry Collins, Kristin Conner, Harry Dunn, Arleen Fong, Adam Giagni, Maureen Goldman, Vicky Gregorian, Rozan Hamaker, Joslyn Hansen, Michael Holland, Kathryn Kieser, Kristopher Koller, Mark Krause, Ilana Lampell, Heather Lingo, Kathleen Looze, Patty Lynch, Keith Marder, Shira Moskowitz, Michael Murphy, Leslie Newman, Kimberley Orti, Robyn Brown-Postell, Francine Purcell, Gordon Purcell, Lisa Tatum-Roehrig, Colleen Roth, Mary Ryan (2x), Maxine Schulman, Robert Sells, Michelle Stanton, Carol Teichman, Bobbie Termeer, Margaret Thomas, Meredith Wayne, Myndi Weinraub, Abbott Wool

Convergent TV

CBS Wins Wednesday; ABC the Network to Beat Among Adults 18-49

Marc Berman

About

Subscriptions

Events

Publications

WORK SMARTER - LEARN, GROW AND BE INSPIRED.

Subscribe today!

Marc Berman