Coverage of Michael Jackson Continues to Flood the Airwaves

TV Trivia Time:

Holy Relation!

Prime-Time Ratings:

Weekend Highlights

Note: The following results are based on the fast affiliate ratings (Live Plus Same Day data).  

              HH
          Rtg/Shr

NBC 3.6/ 7

-Total Viewers:

NBC: 5.30 million, CBS: 4.66, ABC: 4.02, Fox: 1.80, CW: 897,000

NBC: 1.4 rating/5 share, ABC: 1.0/ 4, CBS: 0.9/ 3, Fox: 0.5/ 2, CW: 0.4/ 1

Note: Any prior rating results are based on the final nationals. Since the level of DVR penetration has increased from 20 percent at this same point last year to approximately 28 percent at present, the overall results may be negatively impacted.

-Friday’s Winners:

-Friday’s Losers (excluding repeats):
Surviving Suburbia (ABC), The Goode Family (ABC), 20/20 – 9 p.m. (ABC), Virtuality (Fox)

-Ratings Breakdown:

NBC led this final Friday in June, beating the No. 2 network (CBS in total viewers; ABC among adults 18-49) by 640,000 viewers and 40 percent in the demo. Fox finished a distant fourth in both categories, followed of course by The CW.

A repeat of recently aired documentary Farrah’s Story, chronicling Farrah Fawcett’s battle with cancer, opened the evening for NBC with an average 4.62 million viewers and a 1.2 rating/5 share among adults 18-49 from 8-10 p.m., building by half-hour as follows:

Farrah’s Story R (NBC)

8:00 p.m. – Viewers: 3.86 million (#2), A18-49: 1.0/ 4 (#1)

8:30 p.m. – Viewers: 3.90 million (#2), A18-49: 1.0/ 4 (#1)

9:00 p.m. – Viewers: 5.06 million (#1), A18-49: 1.2/ 5 (#1)

9:30 p.m. – Viewers: 5.68 million (#1), A18-49: 1.4/ 5 (#1)

Next on NBC was more coverage of Michael Jackson on Dateline at a dominant 6.64 million viewers and a 2.0/ 7 among adults 18-49 at 10 p.m. Comparably, this was the most-watched show of the evening. That’s plain said, isn’t it?

CBS aired repeats of Ghost Whisperer (Viewers: #1, 4.28 million; A18-49: #1, 1.0/ 4), Flashpoint (Viewers: #2, 4.56 million; A18-49: #3, 0.9/ 3) and Numbers (Viewers: #2, 5.16 million; A18-49: 3, 1.0/ 3) from 8-11 p.m. As reported last week, Flashpoint will return with new episodes on Friday, July 17. Former NBC drama Medium will step into the time period in September, but the Canadian drama is scheduled to return in midseason.

Over at depressed ABC were original episodes of canceled Surviving Suburbia (Viewers: #4, 2.76 million; A18-49: #3t, 0.7/ 3) and The Goode Family (Viewers: #3, 1.81 million; A18-49: #3t, 0.5/ 2) from 8-9 p.m., a special edition of 20/20 at 9 p.m. (Viewers: #3, 3.74 million; #2, 1.0/ 4), and the regularly scheduled edition of 20/20/at 10 p.m. (Viewers: #2, 6.01 million; A18-49: #2, 1.5/ 5). 

Elsewhere, Fox was barely on the map as a result of failed two-hour pilot Virtuality at a mere (and fourth-place) 1.80 million viewers and a 0.5/ 2 among adults 18-49 from 8-10 p.m. Needless to say, this will not get picked-up as a series. The CW was considerably worse, meanwhile, care of encore telecasts of canceled trio Privileged (Viewers: 817,000; A18-49: 0.3/ 1), Everybody Hates Chris (Viewers: 983,000; A18-49: 0.4/ 2) and The Game (Viewers: 971,000; A18-49: 0.4/ 2). Naturally, each show finished last in their respective time periods. 

To keep you interested (which is not easy!), here is the upcoming Friday line-up this fall:

10:00 p.m. 20/20

 9:00 p.m. Medium (new network, new day and time)

10:00 p.m. Numbr3s

10:00 p.m. The Jay Leno Show (new)

Continue Reading