The Programming Insider: Wednesday 8/17/11

In Today's Issue: National Ratings in Prime Time: Week of Aug. 8, 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: A Different Spock _________________________________________________________________ Note: The metered market rating results for Tuesday, Aug. 16 was not available at press time. But don’t forget to visit www.pifeedback.com at approximately noon for the fast affiliate results. Also, The Programming Insider will not be published tomorrow. _________________________________________________________________ NATIONAL RATINGS IN PRIMETIME: Week of Aug. 8, 2011 The pecking order remained the same this week, 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. Both networks were close to year-ago levels. ABC, which was on the minor-plus side from one year earlier, finished second in households, total viewers and adults 18-34, while both NBC and The CW were on the downside. Airing all repeats this summer has softened The CW’s already shaky promotional platform. There were two series premieres this week—singing competition Karaoke Battle USA on ABC and sketch comedy In the Flow With Affion Crockett on Fox—and neither generated much interest. The two-hour launch of Karaoke Battle USA averaged 3.74 million viewers and a 0.9 rating/3 share among adults 18-49 in the Friday 9-11 p.m. block, while two episodes of In the Flow With Affion Crockett limped out of the gate with just 2.41 million viewers and a 1.2/3 in the demo from 8-9 p.m. Comparably, that was a loss of 1.13 million viewers and 33 percent among adults 18-49 from an encore telecast of lead-in Family Guy (Viewers: 3.54 million; A18-49: 1.8/ 5). When a network waits until August to launch a new series, you know it can’t be very good. This week, Karaoke Battle USA airs in its regularly scheduled Friday 9 p.m. hour (out of repeats of Shark Tank), while In the Flow With Affion Crockett airs Sunday at 8:30 p.m. (out of an encore telecast of Family Guy). Over at CBS, Big Brother remains a top 10 summer entry, with the results for the three episodes as follows: Big Brother (CBS) Wednesday 8 p.m. – Viewers: 7.39 million (#7), A18-49: 2.8 rating/9 share (#2t) Thursday 9 p.m. – Viewers: 7.12 million (#9), A18-49: 2.7/ 8 (#5t) Sunday 9 p.m. – Viewers: 7.60 million (#6), A18-49: 2.7/ 7 (#5t) In the specials department, the annual CMA Music Festival: Country’s Night to Rock on ABC finished above average, with 7.03 million viewers (#10) and a 1.7/ 4 (#18) among adults 18-49 in the Sunday 8-11 p.m. block. Leading into The CMA Music Festival was hourlong i.am First: Science Is Rock and Roll at 2.20 million viewers (#70) and a 0.5/ 2 in the demo (#77t) in the Sunday 7 p.m. hour. What follows are the live-plus-same-day ratings for the week of Aug. 8, 2011 (with percent change versus the comparable year-ago week in parentheses), followed by the freshman summer series report card, the top 20 rated programs for the week, and the top rated networks on basic cable. -Households: CBS: 4.1 rating/ share (no change), ABC: 2.9/ 5 (+ 7), NBC: 2.9/ 5 (- 6), Fox: 2.8/ 5 (- 3), CW: 0.5/ 1 (-17) -Total Viewers: CBS: 6.31 million (no change), ABC: 4.71 (+11), Fox: 4.68 (- 3), NBC: 4.61 (- 5), CW: 770,000 (-20) -Adults 18-49: Fox: 1.8 rating/6 share (no change), CBS: 1.4/ 4 (- 7), ABC: 1.3/ 4 (no change), NBC: 1.2/ 4 (-14), CW: 0.3/ 1 (-25) -Adults 25-54: Fox: 2.0/ 6 (no change), CBS: 1.9/ 5 (- 5), ABC: 1.7/ 5 (+ 6), NBC: 1.5/ 4 (-12), CW: 0.3/ 1 (-25) -Adults 18-34: Fox: 1.6/ 6 (-11), ABC: 1.1/ 4 (+10), CBS: 1.0/ 3 (no change), NBC: 0.8/ 3 (-20), CW: 0.3/ 1 (no change) Freshman Series Report Card (ranked in order of total viewers) Same Name (CBS) – Sunday 10 p.m. Viewers: 4.77 million (#36), A18-49: 1.5/ 4 (#22t) Grade: C- Take the Money and Run (NBC) – Tuesday 9 p.m. Viewers: 4.75 million (#37), A18-49: 1.8/ 5 (#14t) Grade: C Love in the Wild (NBC) – Wednesday 10 p.m. Viewers: 4.62 million (#39), A18-49: 1.4/ 4 (#26t) Grade: D It’s Worth What? (NBC) – Tuesday 8 p.m. Viewers: 4.42 million (#42), A18-49: 1.1/ 4 (#41t) Grade: F Expedition Impossible (ABC) – Thursday 9 p.m. Viewers: 3.83 million (#52), A18-49: 1.1/ 3 (#41t) Grade: D Karaoke Battle USA (ABC) – Friday 9 p.m. (series premiere, two hours) Viewers: 3.74 million (#53), A18-49: 0.9/ 3 (#56t) Grade: F Combat Hospital (ABC) – Tuesday 10 p.m. Viewers: 3.14 million (#59), A18-49: 0.8/ 2 (#64t) Grade: F In The Flow With Affion Crockett (Fox) – Sunday 9 p.m. (series premiere) Viewers: 2.60 million (#67), A18-49: 1.3/ 3 (#30t) Grade: D In the Flow With Affion Crockett (Fox) – Sunday 9:30 p.m. Viewers: 2.23 million (#69), A18-49: 1.0/ 3 (#48t) Grade: F Friends With Benefits (NBC) – Friday 8 p.m. Viewers: 1.92 million (#74), A18-49: 0.5/ 2 (#77t) Grade: F Friends With Benefits (NBC) – Friday 8:30 p.m. Viewers: 1.75 million (#77), A18-49: 0.5/ 2 (#77t) Grade: F Top 20 Rankings -Total Viewers: America’s Got Talent – Tuesday (NBC): 11.46 million, NCIS R (CBS): 10.34, America’s Got Talent – Wednesday (NBC): 9.73, 60 Minutes R (CBS): 8.55, NCIS: Los Angeles R (CBS): 8.23, Big Brother – Sunday (CBS): 7.60, Big Brother – Wednesday (CBS): 7.39, CSI R (CBS): 7.36, Big Brother – Thursday (CBS): 7.12, CMA Music Festival: Country’s Night to Rock (ABC): 7.03, Bachelor Pad (ABC, season premiere): 7.00, Hell’s Kitchen – Monday (Fox): 6.59, Dateline – Sunday (NBC): 6.54, The Big Bang Theory R (CBS): 6.52, Hell’s Kitchen – Tuesday (Fox): 6.41, Masterchef – Tuesday (Fox): 6.05, The Mentalist R (CBS, Tues. 10 p.m.): 6.26, Wipeout – Tuesday (ABC): 6.25, Flashpoint (CBS): 6.18, So You Think You Can Dance – Thursday (Fox): 6.13, Masterchef – Tuesday (Fox): 6.05 -Adults 18-49: America’s Got Talent – Tuesday (NBC): 3.0 rating/ 8 share, Hell’s Kitchen (Fox, Monday) and Big Brother – Wednesday (CBS): 2.8/ 9 each, Big Brother – Thursday (CBS): 2.7/ 8, Big Brother – Sunday (CBS): 2.7/ 7, Masterchef – Tuesday (Fox) and America’s Got Talent – Wednesday (Fox): 2.5/ 7 each, Bachelor Pad (ABC, season premiere) and Masterchef – Monday (Fox): 2.3/ 6 each, Wipeout – Tuesday (ABC) and So You Think You Can Dance – Thursday (Fox): 2.0/ 6 each, So You Think You Can Dance – Wednesday (Fox): 1.9/ 6, The Big Bang Theory R (CBS): 1.8/ 7, Take the Money and Run (ABC), 60 Minutes R (CBS) and Family Guy R (Fox, Sun. 8:30 p.m.): 1.8/ 5 each, CMA Music Festival: Country’s Night to Rock (ABC): 1.7/ 4, NFL on Fox Preseason: 1.6/ 6, NCIS R (CBS) and Modern Family R (ABC): 1.6/ 5 each CABLE What follows are the top 10 rated networks on cable in prime time for the week of Aug. 8 based on total viewers and the three key demos. -Total Viewers: USA: 3.01 million, Disney: 2.78, Fox News: 2.24, TNT: 2.16, History: 2.08, A&E: 1.74, ESPN: 1.54, Food Network: 1.41, Nick at Nite: 1.37, Syfy: 1.35 -Adults 18-49: USA: 1.18 million, History: 900,000, A&E: 871,000, MTV: 803,000, TNT: 717,000, ESPN: 684,000, Food Network: 683,000, TBS: 674,000, ABC Family: 625,000, FX: 619,000 -Adults 25-54: USA: 1.27 million, History: 1.02 million, A&E: 882,000, TNT: 844,000, Food Network: 727,000, ESPN: 714,000, Syfy: 611,000, FX: 603,000, TBS: 592,000, HGTV: 564,000 -Adults 18-34: MTV: 618,000, USA: 498,000, ABC Family: 401,000, Comedy Central: 398,000, A&E: 389,000, TBS: 385,000, Adult Swim: 363,000, History: 351,000, ESPN: 318,000, FX: 311,000 Source: Nielsen Media Research data (R = repeat; t = tie) _________________________________________________________________ RATINGS BOX: What’s Hot/What’s Not Cable Scorecard – Monday, Aug. 15: Rizzoli & Isles on TNT was the most-watched show on basic cable on Monday, inching past normally dominant The Closer by 2,000 viewers. First among adults 18-49 was Pawn Stars on History Channel. Here are the results (in order of total viewers) for the 32 cable series entries on Monday, Aug. 15: Rizzoli & Isles (TNT) – Viewers: 6.74 million (#1 overall), A18-49: 1.3 rating (#7 overall) The Closer (TNT) – Viewers: 6.72 million (#1), A18-49: 1.2 (#8) Pawn Stars (History, 10:30 p.m.) – Viewers: 5.47 million (#3), A18-49: 2.1 (#1) WWE Raw (USA, 9 p.m.) – Viewers: 5.25 million (#4), A18-49: 1.9 (#2t) Pawn Stars (History, 10 p.m.) – Viewers: 5.04 million (#5), A18-49: 1.8 (#4t) NFL Preseason (Jets vs. Texans) – Viewers: 4.97 million (#6), A18-49: 1.9 (#2t) WWE Raw (USA, 10 p.m.) – Viewers: 4.86 million (#7), A18-49: 1.8 (#4t) Basketball Wives Reunion (VH1) – Viewers: 2.57 million (#8), A18-49: 1.4 (#6) Secret Life of the American Teenager (ABC Family) – Viewers: 2.57 million (#9), A18-49: 1.1 (#9) Warehouse 13 (Syfy) – Viewers: 2.42 million (#10), A18-49: 0.9 (#10) Adventure Time (Cartoon Network) – Viewers: 2.24 million (#11), A18-49: 0.3 (#25t) Eureka (Syfy) – Viewers: 2.23 million (#12), A18-49: 0.7 (#13t) Teen Wolf (MTV) – Viewers: 2.08 million (#13), A18-49: 0.8 (#11t) Alphas (Syfy) – Viewers: 1.83 million (#14), A18-49: 0.6 (#17) Hoarders (A&E) – Viewers: 1.69 million (#15), A18-49: 0.7 (#13t) All Worked Up (truTV, 10 p.m.) – Viewers: 1.59 million (#16), A18-49: 0.7 (#13t) Intervention (A&E) – Viewers: 1.40 million (#17), A18-49: 0.8 (#11t) The Lying Game (ABC Family) – Viewers: 1.39 million (#18), A18-49: 0.5 (#18t) Kate Plus 8 (TLC, 10 p.m.) – Viewers: 1.32 million (#19), A18-49: 0.5 (#18t) The Bad Girls Club (Oxygen) – Viewers: 1.31 million (#20), A18-49: 0.7 (#13t) Best Thing I Ever Ate (Food Network) – Viewers: 1.30 million (#21), A18-49: 0.5 (#18t) 1000 Ways to Die (Spike TV) – Viewers: 1.15 million (#22), A18-49: 0.5 (#18t) Millionaire Matchmaker (Bravo) – Viewers: 996,000 (#23), A18-49: 0.5 (#18t) Surprise Homecoming (TLC) – Viewers: 929,000 (#24), A18-49: 0.5 (#18t) Hair Battle Spectacular (Oxygen) – Viewers: 874,000 (#25), A18-49: 0.4 (#23t) Kickin’ It (Disney XD) – Viewers: 822,000 (#26), A18-49: 0.1 (#29t) Most Eligible Dallas (Bravo) – Viewers: 784,000 (#27), A18-49: 0.4 (#23t) Weeds (Showtime) – Viewers: 670,000 (#28), A18-49: 0.3 (#25t) I’m in the Band (Disney XD) – Viewers: 581,000 (#29), A18-49: 0.1 (#29t) The Big C (Showtime) – Viewers: 527,000 (#30), A18-49: 0.2 (#28) Pair of Kings (Disney XD) – Viewers: 508,000 (#31), A18-49: 0.1 (#29t) Gloria: In Her Own Words (HBO) – Viewers: 323,000 (#32), A18-49: 0.1 (#29t) Source: Nielsen Media Research data ________________________________________________________________ TV TIDBITS: Notes of Interest Comedy Central Premiere Dates: Comedy Central has unveiled its new and returning start dates for next season. Tosh.O will open its new season on Tuesday, Sept. 20 at 10 p.m. ET/PT, leading into the season two of Workaholics at 10:30 p.m. Veteran South Park opens season 15 on Wednesday, Oct. 5 at 10 p.m., leading into season two of Nick Swardson’s Pretend Time at 10:30 p.m. The series premiere of Gabriel Iglesias Presents Stand-Up Revolution is Thursday, Oct. 6 at 10 p.m., and the off-network airings of sitcom 30 Rock kick off on Monday, Sept. 19 at 7 p.m. Two back-to-back episodes will air each weeknight. Monday, Sept. 19, of course, is the official start of the new TV season. ______________________________________________________________ TV TRIVIA TIME: A Different Spock Note: To respond to the trivia, please click HERE. We all, of course, remember Leonard Nimoy as Mr. Spock on classic sci-fi drama Star Trek. But who was initially offered the role? a) Michael Cole b) Bill Daily c) Martin Landau d) Michael Landon e) Lyle Waggoner The answer to yesterday’s question… Four of the following five TV movies segued into TV series. Which one did not? a) Foul Play b) Freebie and the Bean c) Goodfellas d) Paper Moon e) Serpico Is: c) Goodfellas, which you could actually say morphed into The Sopranos. As for the others… Foul Play (ABC): 1981 Freebie and the Bean (CBS): 1980-81 Paper Moon (ABC): 1974-75 Serpico (NBC): 1976-77 Current kudos goes to: Steve Albright, Mark Amato, Mark Binda, Kimay Bloch, Barbara Bloomfield, John Brooker, Steve Clements, Bruce Cohen, Larry Collins, John Ferlazzo, Gail Goins, Barb Hemberger, Michael Holland, Ken Jobe, Steven Kurtzer, Paul Neace, Alan Perris, Greg Phelan, Francine Purcell, Gordon Purcell, Michael Ratliffe, Karen Schiffman, Maxine Shulman (2x), Joe Swaney, Carol Teichman, Linda Weeks, Ted Zavales

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The Programming Insider: Wednesday 8/17/11

CBS, Fox dominate week of Aug. 8

Marc Berman

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