THE PROGRAMMING INSIDER Thursday, November 13, 2008
Prime-Time Metered Market Wednesday Ratings: CMA Awards Lead ABC to Victory
Ratings Box: What’s Hot/What’s Not
On the Air Tonight: Prime-Time Programming Options
TV Tidbits: Notes of Interest
TV Trivia Time: TV Hangouts ______________________________________________________________________
Prime-Time Metered Market Wednesday Ratings: CMA Awards Lead ABC to Victory
Wednesday 11/12/08
HH ABC 8.8/14 CBS 7.3/12 Fox 5.2/ 8 NBC 4.2/ 7 CW 2.3/ 4
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-Percent Change From the Year-Ago Evening (Wednesday, November 14, 2007): ABC: +44, Fox: +13, NBC: - 5, CBS: -10, CW: -28
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Note: The fast affiliate results for Wednesday will be posted at PIFeedback by 12 p.m. ET. Go to the website, click on Ratings Box (the first category), then Last Night’s Results, and Wednesday, November 12, 2008.
-Yesterday’s Losers: Knight Rider (NBC), Life (NBC), Stylista (CW)
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-Ratings Breakdown: ABC scored a midweek overnight victory, with the 42nd Annual CMA Awards at an 8.8 rating/14 share from 8-11 p.m. Here is the half-hour breakdown:
Comparably, this was right on par with its year-ago performance (8.9/14 on Nov. 7, 2007). And it built from the year-ago combination of Pushing Daisies, Private Practice and Dirty Sexy Money by 44 percent. As for the show itself, since when is Kellie Pickler a country superstar?
Next was CBS with its combination of The New Adventures of Old Christine (#4: 4.4/ 7), Gary Unmarried (#4: 4.4/ 7), Criminal Minds (#1: 9.8/15) and CSI: NY (#2: 7.8/13). Part of the declines in the 8 p.m. and 10 p.m. hours are, of course, a result of The CMA Awards on ABC. But the retention for Gary Unmarried out of Old Christine remains flawless.
Fox finished third overall with its line-up of Bones (#2: 6.4/10), which generates interest in any time period, and a repeat of House (#3: 4.2/ 6). As a reminder, House moves to Monday at 8 p.m. (into 24) and Bones to Thursday at 8 p.m. (into Hell’s Kitchen) in January.
Struggling NBC remained out of the competitive loop with Knight Rider (#4: 3.3/ 5), which is in the process of being revamped, sophomore Life (#4: 3.7/ 6), which received a full season episode order despite the anemic ratings, and Law & Order (#3: 5.8/10), which did manage to build out of Life by 57 percent. But, let’s be honest: Law & Order is not the ratings powerhouse it once was.
Last was the CW care of fading America’s Next Top Model (3.1/ 5) and the barely visible Stylista (1.5/ 2). Compared to one year earlier, Top Model was down by 24 percent in the overnights (versus a 4.1/ 7 on Nov. 14, 2007). If it is off that much in the overnights, the target female audience has to also be down as well.
Source: Nielsen Media Research data ________________________________________________________________________________
Ratings Box: What’s Hot/What’s Not
-Record The Big Bang Theory on CBS: CBS’ sophomore The Big Bang Theory, the funniest new sitcom since Everybody Loves Raymond, rose to a series-high 6.2 rating/9 share in households, 10.01 million viewers and a 3.9 rating/10 share among adults 18-49, while matching its series best among adults 25-54 (4.5/11) on Monday, Nov. 10. Comparably, that placed it first in the 8 p.m. half-hour in both adults 18-49 and adults 18-34 (2.8/ 8).
-Yeti Scores on Sci Fi Channel: Original movie Yeti, which debuted on Sci Fi Channel on Saturday, Nov. 8, built from the year-ago time period average by 29 percent in total viewers (2.4 million), 46 percent in adults 18-49 (1 million) and 39 percent among adults 25-54 (1.3 million) over the year-ago time period average. Comparably, this was the best performance for an original movie on Sci Fi Channel among adults 25-54 since Lake Placid 2 in April 2007.
-Record Ruby on Style Network: The Style Network’s Ruby debuted on Sunday, Nov. 9 at 8 p.m. with a record performance in households (.66 rating), total viewers (545,000) and all key demos. Comparably, the one-hour premiere more than tripled Style’s prime-time average in households (+230 percent), total viewers (+287 percent) and women 18-49 (+263 percent).
-Growing Univision: Based on season to-date ratings (through Nov. 9, 2008), Univision is the only broadcast network to build year-to-year, with growth of nine percent in households, 12 percent in total viewers, five percent in both adults 18-49 and adults 18-34, and one percent among adults 25-54.
-Top 10 Ad-Supported Cable Networks – Week of Nov. 3, 2008: What follows are the top 10 rated cable networks for the week of Nov. 3 in prime-time. Keep in mind, of course, that this week included the Presidential Election results on Tuesday, Nov. 4, which lifted all the cable news networks:
Total Viewers: Fox News: 3.54 million, CNN: 3.29 million, ESPN: 3.20 million, USA: 2.99 million, MSNBC: 2.17 million, Nick at Nite: 1.75 million, TNT: 1.70 million, TBS: 1.62 million, Cartoon Network: 1.50 million, Hallmark Channel: 1.30 million
-NBC Axes My Own Worst Enemy and Lipstick Jungle: Struggling NBC has canceled two dramas – freshman My Own Worst Enemy and sophomore Lipstick Jungle. My Own Worst Enemy, which dipped to a series low 4.27 million viewers and a 1.8 rating/5 share among adults 18-49 on Nov. 10, is the fourth new series cancellation this series (and first for NBC). The others are Opportunity Knocks on ABC, CBS’ The Ex List and Fox’s Do Not Disturb. Lipstick Jungle, which was moved from Wednesday to Friday (out of Crusoe at 10 p.m.), sunk to a series-low 3.35 million viewers and a 1.2/ 4 in the demo on Nov. 7. My Own Worst Enemy will air its final episode on Dec. 15, while Lipstick Jungle is expected to officially conclude on Dec. 19. Although there is no official word at present what will replace both hours, Friday Night Lights is expected to take over for Lipstick Jungle in January.
-The CW Extends Episode Order for Privileged: CW drama Privileged, which airs out of 90210 on Tuesday and is struggling to compete in a very difficult time period, has been given a vote of confidence by the CW. The network has ordered five additional episodes, extending the order to 18.
-Fox Cancels Mad TV: Veteran late night sketch comedy Mad TV, which debuted on Fox in October 1995 and was given a shortened episode order this season, will end production next month. According to Fox, the reason behind the cancellation is the rising cost of producing the series. The final episode (No. 326) will air in May 2009.
-Tribune Bands Week on Letterman: CBS’ The Late Show with David Letterman will pay homage to James Brown, Johnny Cash, Guns N’ Rose and Prince in Tribute Bands Week beginning on Monday, Nov. 17.
Which one of the following TV characters was often at Rob’s Diner? (Hint: Don’t make me repeat the question)
a) Alice Johnson b) Sam McCloud c) Kim Parker d) Lisa Stemple e) Freddie Stubbs
The answer to yesterday’s question…
Which one of the following five series did not air on ABC?
a) Hardcastle & McCormick b) Julia c) Marcus Welby, M.D. d) The Mod Squad e) The Patty Duke Show
Is: b) Julia, the classic Diahann Carroll sitcom that ran on NBC from 1968-71. As for the ABC shows:
-Hardcastle & McCormick: 1983-86 -Marcus Welby, M.D.: 1969-76 -The Mod Squad: 1968-73 -The Patty Duke Show: 1963-66
-Current kudos goes to: Gerry Bixenspan, Mitch Burg, Michael Cascio, Sid Cohen, Larry Collins, Phyllis Epstein, John Ferlazzo, Vicky Gregorian, Pat Hylkema, Bob Ingersoll, David Jackino, Ken Jobe, Mary Kalnin, Marie Lefevre Karp, Tom Lawrenson, Steve Leblang, Adam Licker, Kathy Martin, Marc Miller, Michael Pendell, Alan Perris, Gordon Purcell, Andrea Regusters, Colleen Roth, Joe Rubi, Anthony Salerno, Greg Salerno, Michelle Stanton, Ronnie Tallant, Carol Teichman, Meg Voss, Larry Weinstock, Joel Wolk
Originally posted by Marc Berman: -Growing Univision: Based on season to-date ratings (through Nov. 9, 2008), Univision is the only broadcast network to build year-to-year,
Time for NBC to ship Knight Rider and Life back to Fridays in January. Use Dateline as a lead in. Wednesdays can be Dateline into Law and Order:CI repeats and then Law and Order.
Part of the declines in the 8 p.m. and 10 p.m. hours are, of course, a result of The CMA Awards on ABC. But the retention for Gary Unmarried out of Old Christine remains flawless.
It looks like all newtorks took a dip because of the CMAs. I wonder why only CBS gets a pass?
CSI NY is getting hurt by Law and Order being scheduled against it. GU and Christine are just struggling to find an audience and will get steam rolled if it faces Idol.
It's time to cancel KR. It's just not going to work on their schedule. I know they are planning on this whole reboot effort, but the audience is gone. Life Fridays at 10 PM. Two hour Datelines should fill Wednesday as they are needed more than Friday. Hang on to Most Outrageous Moments for Friday.
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Originally posted by mushu_jj: Time for NBC to ship Knight Rider and Life back to Fridays in January. Use Dateline as a lead in. Wednesdays can be Dateline into Law and Order:CI repeats and then Law and Order.
Originally posted by WlcmLAPD: CSI NY is getting hurt by Law and Order being scheduled against it. GU and Christine are just struggling to find an audience and will get steam rolled if it faces Idol.
NBC made a good move in returning Law and Order to its rightful time slot. While I was pushing for a Knight Rider, Law and Order, Life Friday this fall, its now clear that Life does not deserve another time slot. I would consider a Knight Rider-Life combo on Fridays from 8 to 10 following Law and Order: Criminal Intent. Most Outrageous Moments could then be saved to fill any holes created by midseason stuff that's canceled. Should the KR-Life combo fail again, then its curtains and off to NBC.com for remaining eps. I think GU and Christine are struggling because of stunt programming and politic interruptions, etc. A move to Sundays after 60 Minutes this midseason would give them a chance to prove themselves.
