The Programming Insider: The Voice in Tune for NBC

In Today's Issue: Prime-Time Metered Market Tuesday Ratings: Solid Sampling for The Voice on NBC National Ratings in Prime-Time: Week of April 18, 2011 Ratings Box: What’s Hot/What’s Not On the Air Tonight: Prime-Time Programming Options TV Tidbits: Notes of Interest TV Trivia Time: Lucy in the Middle PRIME-TIME METERED MARKET TUESDAY RATINGS: Solid Sampling for The Voice on NBC Tuesday 4/26/11 Note: The overnight data now includes DVR playback until 3 a.m. local time. One year earlier it was based on Live data only. All times are ET/PT. Household Rating/Share ABC: 10.3/16, NBC: 6.6/10, CBS: 6.4/10, Fox: 5.8/ 9, CW: 1.0/ 1 Percent Change from the Year-Ago Evening (Tuesday, 4/27/10): Note: American Idol aired on Fox on the year-ago evening. ABC: +87, NBC: +37, CW: no change, CBS: -33, Fox: -47 Yesterday’s Winners: Dancing With the Stars (ABC), NCIS R (CBS), Glee (Fox), The Voice (NBC), NCIS: Los Angeles R (CBS), Body of Proof (ABC) Yesterday’s Losers (excluding repeats): One Tree Hill (CW), Hellcats (CW), Raising Hope (Fox) Ratings Breakdown: ABC led the Tuesday overnights on the strength of Dancing With the Stars, with an advantage of 56 percent over second-place NBC. But the big surprise was the two-hour debut of singing competition The Voice on NBC, which scored a very solid 7.5 rating/12 share in the overnights from 9-11 p.m., building from a one-hour version of lead-in The Biggest Loser (#4: 4.8/ 8 at 8 p.m.) by 56 percent. While The Voice ranked second in the overnights in each of the four half hours as follows, results among adults 18-49, particularly in the 10 p.m. hour, could make The Voice the dominant occupant. The Voice (NBC) 9:00 p.m.: 6.9/10 (#2) 9:30 p.m.: 7.5/11 (#2) 10:00 p.m.: 8.0/12 (#2) 10:30 p.m.: 7.7/13 (#2) Compared to the week-ago combination of the second hour of The Biggest Loser and the season finale of Parenthood, The Voice built by a hefty 63 percent. Over at ABC, an 8 p.m. special edition of Dancing With the Stars, The Road to the Finals, finished first in the 8 p.m. hour with a 9.4/15. That led into the live results edition at a very dominant 12.8/19 at 9 p.m. So long, Chris Jericho. And recent entry Body of Proof kept ABC’s overnight dominance intact with an 8.6/14 at 10 p.m. But that 8.6/14 will not be strong enough to beat NBC’s competing The Voice demographically. Retention for Body of Proof out of the 9:30 p.m. portion of Dancing With the Stars (13.2/20) was 65 percent. Third overall for the evening in the overnights was CBS with its encore combination of NCIS (#2: 7.6/12), spinoff NCIS: Los Angeles (#3: 6.6/10), and a Tuesday edition of The Mentalist (#3: 5.2/ 8). On Fox, a 90-minute telecast of Glee averaged a 6.6/10 in the overnights from 8-9:30 p.m., leading into a 9:30 p.m. edition of Raising Hope at a fourth-place 3.2/ 5. As much as I enjoy already-renewed Raising Hope (and you should be watching!), retention of just 49 percent out of the 9 p.m. portion of Glee (6.5/10) is just not positive. From a ratings standpoint, Raising Hope is unfortunately a “loser.” Last, and extremely least, was CW duo One Tree Hill (1.2/ 2) and expected-to-be axed Hellcats (0.8/ 1). Although The CW has not officially picked up One Tree Hill for next season, most of the actors have already reportedly agreed to a potential ninth season. For more on The CW, see TV Tidbits below. Source: Nielsen Media Research data (R = repeat) _____________________________________________________ NATIONAL RATINGS IN PRIME TIME: Week of April 18, 2011 CBS and Fox shared leadership once again, with CBS first in households and total viewers and Fox No. 1 in the three key demos: adults 18-49, adults 25-54, and adults 18-34. But Fox was down by double-digit percentages from one year earlier, while CBS was more consistent. Stability was also the observation at ABC, which ranked third overall in total viewers and second elsewhere. Fourth-place NBC dipped by margins of 15 percent to 21 percent in the five surveyed categories, while perennial cellar dweller The CW was flat. In season-finale news, on-the-fence Parenthood on NBC may have earned its renewal stripes with an above-average 6.32 million viewers (#39 overall) and a 2.5 rating/ 7 share among adults 18-49 (#16t) in the Tuesday 10 p.m. hour. Also on NBC was the return of the burn-off episodes of canceled crime solver Chase, which delivered a mere 3.10 million viewers (#76) and a 0.6/ 2 in the demo (#89t) in the Saturday 8 p.m. hour. As bad as that sounds, the second —and final—telecast of Peacock net sitcom The Paul Reiser Show sunk to 2.38 million viewers (#83) and a 0.9/ 3 among adults 18-49 (#73t) in the much higher-profile Thursday 8:30 p.m. half hour. In the specials department, music-driven Girls Night Out: Superstar Women of Country on CBS led Friday with 8.37 million viewers (#23) and a 1.6 rating/5 share among adults 18-49 (#42t) from 9-11 p.m. Comparably, that built from a repeat lead-in CSI: NY (Viewers: #41, 6.00 million; A18-49: #69t, 1.0/ 3 at 8 p.m.), which was a last-minute replacement for canceled Chaos, by 2.37 million viewers and 60 percent in the demo. Airing on Easter Sunday was not beneficial for the latest original Hallmark Hall of Fame movie, Beyond the Blackboard Jungle, which finished well below the typical older-skewing Hallmark made-for at 8.58 million viewers (#21) and a 1.3/ 3 among adults 18-49 (#54t). But one night earlier, ABC’s annual airing of classic theatrical The Ten Commandments was on the Saturday map with 6.74 million viewers (#34) and a 1.5/ 5 among adults 18-49 (#47t). What follows are the live-plus-same-day ratings for the week of April 18, 2011 (with percent change versus the comparable year-ago week in parentheses), followed by the freshman midseason series report card, the top 30-rated programs for the week, and the top-rated networks on basic cable. Households: CBS: 5.3 rating/ 9 share (no change), ABC: 4.8/ 8 (+ 2), Fox: 4.7/ 8 (-13), NBC: 3.1/ 5 (-16), CW: 1.1/ 2 (no change) Total Viewers: CBS: 8.48 million (+ 1), Fox: 8.19 (-11), ABC: 7.73 (+ 5), NBC: 4.86 (-15), CW: 1.75 (+ 6) Adults 18-49: Fox: 2.7 rating/8 share (-16), ABC: 1.9/ 6 (- 5), CBS: 1.8/ 5 (- 5), NBC: 1.5/ 4 (-21), CW: 0.8/ 2 (no change) Adults 25-54: Fox: 3.2/ 8 (-16), ABC: 2.6/ 7 (no change), CBS: 2.5/ 6 (- 7), NBC: 1.9/ 5 (-17), CW: 0.7/ 2 (no change) Adults 18-34: Fox: 2.1/ 7 (-25), ABC: 1.3/ 4 (-19), NBC: 1.2/ 4 (-14), CBS: 1.1/ 4 (- 8), CW: 0.8/ 3 (no change) Click HERE for The Freshman Midseason report Card Top 30 Rankings Total Viewers: American Idol – Wednesday (Fox): 22.54 million, American Idol – Thursday (Fox): 20.32, Dancing With the Stars – Monday (ABC): 20.10, Dancing With the Stars – Tuesday (ABC): 16.31, NCIS R (CBS): 13.43, Hawaii Five-O (CBS): 11.44, Body of Proof (ABC): 11.37, NCIS: Los Angeles R (CBS, Tues. 9 p.m.): 11.23, The Mentalist R (CBS): 11.08, Survivor: Redemption Island (CBS): 11.02, Bones (Fox): 10.96, 60 Minutes (CBS): 10.58, Desperate Housewives (ABC): 10.15, Mike & Molly (CBS): 9.98, Modern Family (ABC): 9.95, Glee (Fox): 9.80, The Amazing Race (CBS): 9.37, NCIS: Los Angeles R (CBS, Tues. 10 p.m.): 9.11, House (Fox): 8.80, Movie: Hallmark Hall of Fame’s Beyond the Blackboard Jungle (CBS): 8.58, CSI R (CBS): 8.47, Girls Night Out: Superstar Women of Country (CBS): 8.37, Celebrity Apprentice (NBC): 8.26, Cougar Town (ABC, Mon. 9:30 p.m.): 7.88, Extreme Makeover: Home Edition (ABC): 7.81, 20/20 – Monday (ABC): 7.47, Breaking In (Fox): 7.46, Two and a Half Men R (CBS): 7.44, Criminal Minds: Suspect Behavior R (CBS): 7.19 Adults 18-49: American Idol – Wednesday (Fox): 7.1 rating/20 share, American Idol – Thursday (Fox): 5.8/19, Dancing With the Stars – Monday (ABC): 4.0/11, Glee (Fox): 3.8/11, Modern Family (ABC): 3.8/10, The Office (NBC): 3.3/10, House (Fox) and Bones (Fox): 3.2/ 9 each, Survivor: Redemption Island (CBS): 3.1/ 9, Desperate Housewives (ABC): 3.1/ 8, Dancing With the Stars – Tuesday (ABC) and Celebrity Apprentice (NBC): 3.0/ 8 each, Hawaii Five-O (CBS): 2.8/ 7, The Amazing Race (CBS): 2.6/ 8, Mike & Molly (CBS): 2.6/ 6, How I Met Your Mother (CBS): 2.5/ 8, Parenthood (NBC, season finale): 2.5/ 7, Breaking In (Fox): 2.5/ 6, Body of Proof (ABC), NCIS: Los Angeles R (CBS, Tues. 9 p.m.) and Parks and Recreation (NBC): 2.4/ 6 each, The Biggest Loser (NBC) and Cougar Town (ABC, Wed. 9:30 p.m.): 2.3/ 6 each, Cougar Town (ABC, Mon. 9:30 p.m.), NCIS R (CBS) and Extreme Makeover: Home Edition (ABC): 2.2/ 6 each, NCIS: Los Angeles R (CBS) and The Mentalist R (CBS): 2.1/ 6 each, Two and a Half Men R (CBS): 2.1/ 5 CABLE What follows are the top 10-rated networks on cable in prime time for the week of April 18 based on total viewers and the three key demos. Total Viewers: TNT: 3.55 million, USA: 2.77, Disney Channel: 2.59, History: 2.14, ESPN: 1.74, Fox News: 1.70, TBS and A&E: 1.48 each, Nick at Nite: 1.41, AMC: 1.36 Adults 18-49: TNT: 1.99 million, USA: 1.05 million, History: 950,000, ESPN: 876,000, TBS: 807,000, A&E: 705,000, FX: 701,000, Discovery: 599,000, Disney: 554,000, MTV: 525,000 Adults 25-54: TNT: 1.82 million, USA: 1.12 million, History: 1.07 million, ESPN: 827,000, A&E: 736,000, TBS: 717,000, Discovery: 669,000, FX: 593,000, Syfy: 510,000, Lifetime: 485,000 Adults 18-34: TNT: 1.12 million, ESPN: 475,000, TBS: 462,000, USA: 436,000, MTV: 404,000, History: 399,000, FX: 391,000, Comedy Central: 364,000, Adult Swim: 334,000, A&E: 311,000 Source: Nielsen Media Research data (R = repeat; t = tie) _______________________________________________________________ RATINGS BOX: What’s Hot/What’s Not Top 20-Rated Programs in Syndication: What follows are the top 20-rated programs in syndication (first-run and off-network) for the week of April 11 based on household rating. Two and a Half Men (Warner Bros.): 7.0 rating, Wheel of Fortune (CBS Television Distribution): 6.8, Judge Judy (CBS): 6.6, Jeopardy (CBS): 5.9, Oprah (CBS): 4.7, Family Guy (Twentieth): 4.4, Entertainment Tonight (CBS): 3.7, Wheel of Fortune – Weekend (CBS) and Law & Order: Criminal Intent – Weekend (NBC Universal): 3.3, Two and a Half Men – Weekend B (Warner Bros.): 3.1, How I Met Your Mother (Twentieth), My Wife and Kids (Disney-ABC) and Criminal Minds (CBS): 3.0 each, Inside Edition (CBS) and George Lopez (Warner Bros.): 2.9 each, Seinfeld (Sony Pictures Television) and Two and a Half Men – Weekend A (Warner Bros.): 2.8 each, Monk (NBCU): 2.7, Dr. Phil (CBS), Judge Joe Brown (CBS) and Everybody Loves Raymond (CBS): 2.6 each Source: Nielsen Media Research data _______________________________________________________________ ON THE AIR TONIGHT: Prime-Time Programming Options Wednesday 4/20/11 ABC: 8:00 p.m. The Middle (R), 8:30 p.m. Better With You, 9:00 p.m. Modern Family (R), 9:30 p.m. Cougar Town, 10:00 p.m. Happy Endings, 10:30 p.m. The Middle (R) CBS: 8:00 p.m. Survivor: Redemption Island, 9:00 p.m. Criminal Minds (R), 10:00 p.m. Criminal Minds: Suspect Behavior (R) NBC: 8:00 p.m. Inside the Royal Wedding , 9:00 p.m. Minute to Win it (R), 10:00 p.m. Law & Order: SVU (R) Fox: 8:00 p.m. American Idol (90-minutes), 9:30 p.m. Breaking In CW 8:00 p.m. America’s Next Top Model (R), 9:00 p.m. America’s Next Top Model _________________________________________________________________ TV TIDBITS: Notes of Interest CW Renewals: The CW has issued early pick-ups for 2011-12 to five established series: 90210, Gossip Girl, The Vampire Diaries, Supernatural, and America’s Next Top Model, which will air its first ever All-Star Edition this fall. A second spring cycle for Top Model has also been confirmed. With Smallville coming to an end on May 13, that means the future is at stake for current dramas Hellcats, Nikita, and long-running One Tree Hill. Stay tuned. Not So Royal Wedding Marathon on Me-TV: On the heels of Prince William and Kate Middleton’s nuptials, cable net Me-TV, the home of nostalgic television, will present The Not So Royal Wedding marathon on Sunday, May 1 beginning at 11 a.m. ET/PT. Classic wedding episodes of The Mary Tyler Moore Show, Petticoat Junction, M*A*S*H, Taxi, Happy Days, Cheers, My Three Sons, and The Brady Bunch will be aired. For more information, click here. For Better or Worse on TBS: TBS has ordered 10 episodes of a new half-hour dramedy called Tyler Perry’s For Better or Worse, which marks the third Tyler Perry series to come to TBS. Based on the Why Did I Get Married film series, Tyler Perry’s For Better or Worse will follow the ups-and-downs of a young married couple. Distributor Debmar Mercury will sell the syndication rights, and production is expected to begin this summer in Atlanta. __________________________________________________________________ TV TRIVIA: Lucy in the Middle Note: To respond to the trivia, please click HERE. Do not click Reply What was Lucy Ricardo’s middle name on classic I Love Lucy? a) Anita b) Bonita c) Esmeralda d) Gretchen e) Tallulah The answer to yesterday’s question… What kind of business did Andy Taylor buy on The Andy Griffith Show to bring in a second income to fund Opie’s upcoming college education? a) bakery b) coffee shop c) diner d) ice cream truck e) laundromat ...is: e) laundromat. Although good ‘ol Andy was hoping to pad Opie’s college fund, he had to quickly sell the business after it became too time consuming. Current kudos goes to: J.S. Banning, Gerry Bixenspan, Becky Beaty, Kimay Bloch, Larry Collins, Tom Condosta, Mark Cosenza, Patrick Dupont, John Ferlazzo, Jerry Gibbons, Maureen Goldman, Bob Ingersoll, Deb Kainer, Michael Murphy, Matt Polzella, Gordon Purcell, David Ruckman

Convergent TV

The Programming Insider: The Voice in Tune for NBC

Singing competition scores 7.5 rating

Marc Berman

About

Subscriptions

Events

Publications

WORK SMARTER - LEARN, GROW AND BE INSPIRED.

Subscribe today!

Marc Berman