Note: The fast affiliate results for Tuesday 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 Tuesday, January 13, 2009.
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-Yesterday’s Winners: American Idol (Fox), NCIS (CBS), The Mentalist (CBS)
-Ratings Breakdown: Fox’s veteran American Idol is back and it certainly dominated the evening. But year-to-year, the two-hour eighth season-premiere lost some steam with a 16.7 rating/25 share in the overnights from 8-10 p.m. Comparably, that was down by 10 percent from the 18.6/27 on Tuesday, Jan. 15, 2008. One year prior to that, American Idol kicked-off with a 21.8/31 on Jan. 16, 2007. Here is the half-hour breakdown:
As for new judge Kara DioGuardi, I personally thought her presence was very awkward. What do you think? (PIFeedback.com)
Despite the return of American Idol, CBS still stood tall with its combination of NCIS (#2: 11.0/17), bona fide freshman hit The Mentalist (#2: 10.9/16) and Without a Trace (#1: 8.1/13). Although Without a Trace finished first at 10 p.m. in the overnights, NBC’s competing Law & Order: SVU (#2: 6.7/11) should have no trouble winning the hour among adults 18-49 (despite dipping by a hefty 25 percent from one year earlier).
NBC’s The Biggest Loser, which was just showcased on CNN’s Larry King Live, was on the map with a 5.1/ 8 in the overnights from 8-10 p.m., building in every half-hour as follows:
As always, expect well intentioned The Biggest Loser to generate interest among adults 18-49 once the fast affiliate results are released (and posted on PIFeedback.com).
Week two of ABC’s Homeland Security USA took a major hit opposite American Idol, dipping to a fourth-place 3.9/ 6 in the overnights at 8 p.m. Compared to it’s week-ago debut (5.5/ 8 on Jan. 6), that was a loss of 29 percent. Two episodes of Scrubs, meanwhile, got crushed in the 9 p.m. hour as follows:
Did ABC really need to get stuck with this NBC reject? The alphabet net’s only saving grace was Primetime: What Would You Do?, which perked up to a 5.0/ 8 at 10 p.m.
Last, and very least, was the CW’s 90210 (#5: 1.7/ 3) and Privileged (#5: 1.1/ 2), which together dipped by an average of 12 percent from the year-ago combination of a repeat of Reaper and One Tree Hill. As always, there are casualties opposite American Idol.
National Ratings in Prime-Time: Week of January 5, 2009
Ignited by three nights of football (Texas vs. Ohio State on The Tostitos Fiesta Bowl on Monday, Oklahoma vs. Florida on the BCS Championship Game on Thursday, and Arizona vs. Carolina on the NFC Playoff on Saturday), it was a clean sweep – and a tremendous victory – for Fox. Year-to-year, the network increased by margins of 2 to 10 percent.
Excluding a fourth-place finish among adults 18-34, CBS finished second overall, with erosion from one year earlier of 11 to 29 percent in the five surveyed categories. NBC was third in four of the five categories (excluding a fourth-place finish among adults 18-49) at levels close to the year-ago week. ABC was also on par from one year earlier, but struggling the CW dipped by margins of 10 to 25 percent. Led by a record performance by Friday Night Smackdown!, MyNetworkTV capped off the week with double-digit across-the-board gains.
In series-premiere news, ABC reality/competition True Beauty launched out of the return of The Bachelor on Monday, ABC’s non-scripted Homeland Security USA stepped in as the Tuesday anchor, and NBC kicked-off the Candid Camera-like Howie Do It, hosted by Howie Mandel, in the Friday 8 p.m. anchor. Here were the results:
Howie Do It (NBC) – Fri. 8 p.m. Viewers: 7.78 million (#38t), A18-49: 2.1/ 7 (#47t)
Homeland Security USA (ABC) – Tues. 8 p.m. Viewers: 7.77 million (#40), A18-49: 2.3/ 6 (#41)
There were five season-premieres this week -- ABC’s The Bachelor, Scrubs (which, of course, formerly aired on NBC) and Primetime: What Would You Do?, Canadian drama Flashpoint on CBS, and Fox’s 24 -- and they performed as follows:
The Bachelor (ABC) – Mon. 8-10 p.m. Viewers: 8.74 million (#31), A18-49: 3.1/ 8 (#21t)
Primetime: What Would You Do? (ABC) – Tues. 10 p.m. Viewers: 7.02 million (#51), A18-49: 2.7/ 7 (#29t)
Scrubs (ABC) – Tues. 9 p.m. (new network) Viewers: 6.74 million (#52), A18-49: 3.1/ 7 (#21t)
(A second episode of Scrubs followed with 6.61 million viewers and a 3.2/ 8 in the demo at 9:30 p.m.
Awards show season has officially begun, meanwhile, care of The 35th Annual People’s Choice Awards on CBS and The 66th Annual Golden Globe Awards on NBC. Take a look at the results:
The People’s Choice Awards (CBS) – Wed. 9-11 p.m. Viewers: 9.41 million (#28), A18-49: 3.0/ 8 (#23t)
The Golden Globe Awards (NBC) – Sun. 8-11 p.m. Viewers: 14.86 million (#9), A18-49: 4.9/12 (#8)
And also of note this week was The Barbara Walters Special with Patrick Swayze on Wednesday and an original installment of Private Practice out of parent series Grey’s Anatomy on Thursday, both on ABC. See results in the Top 30 rankings below. NBC’s Superstars of Dance, meanwhile, debuted in the Monday 8-10 p.m. block with a respectable 9.67 million viewers (#27) and a 2.7/ 7 among adults 18-49 (#29t). But results this week were down by double-digit percentages.
Here are the final national ratings for the week of January 5, 2009 (with percent change versus the comparable year-ago week in parentheses) and the top 30 rated programs of the week.
-Total Viewers: BCS National Championship: Oklahoma vs. Florida (Fox): 26.77 million, NFC Playoff: Arizona vs. Carolina (Fox): 23.78, AFC Divisional Post Game (CBS): 21.35, The Mentalist (CBS): 19.62, NCIS (CBS): 19.10, NFL Playoff Kick-Off (Fox): 18.65, Tostito’s Fiesta Bowl (Fox): 17.06, 60 Minutes (CBS): 15.03, The 66th Annual Golden Globe Awards (NBC): 14.86, Grey’s Anatomy (ABC): 13.87, Desperate Housewives (ABC): 13.79, Without a Trace (CBS): 13.13, 24 (Fox, season premiere): 12.61, Barbara Walters Special: Patrick Swayze (ABC): 12.55, Cold Case (CBS): 12.30, The Biggest Loser: Couples (NBC, season premiere): 11.92, Two and a Half Men R (CBS): 11.56, CSI R (CBS): 11.00, Law & Order: SVU (NBC): 10.82, Ghost Whisperer (CBS): 10.64, CSI: Miami R (CBS): 10.40, Extreme Makeover: Home Edition (ABC): 10.29, Law & Order (NBC): 10.26, The Unit (CBS): 10.16, Numb3rs (CBS): 10.13, Flashpoint (CBS, season premiere): 10.00, Superstars of Dance (NBC, time period premiere): 9.67, The 35th Annual People’s Choice Awards (CBS): 9.41, Private Practice (ABC): 8.98, Brothers & Sisters (ABC): 8.97
-Adults 18-49: BCS National Championship: Oklahoma vs. Florida (Fox): 9.5/25, NFC Playoff: Arizona vs. Carolina (Fox): 8.9/25, NFL Playoff Kick-Off (Fox): 7.0/21, AFC Divisional Post Game (CBS): 7.0/18, Tostito’s Fiesta Bowl (Fox): 6.0/16, Grey’s Anatomy (ABC) and Desperate Housewives (ABC): 5.2/12 each, The 66th Annual Golden Globe Awards (NBC): 4.9/12, The Biggest Loser: Couples (NBC, season premiere): 4.5/11, 24 (Fox, season premiere): 4,.3/10, The Mentalist (CBS): 4.0/10, Law & Order: SVU (NBC): 3.9/10, NCIS (CBS): 3.8/10, Two and a Half Men R (CBS) and 60 Minutes (CBS): 3.6/ 8 each, Extreme Makeover: Home Edition (ABC): 3.5/ 8, Private Practice (ABC) and Brothers & Sisters (ABC): 3.3/ 8 each, True Beauty (ABC, premiere) and Scrubs (ABC, Tues. 9:30 p.m.): 3.2/ 8 each, The Bachelor (ABC, season premiere): 3.1/ 8, Scrubs (ABC, season premiere): 3.1/ 7, The 35th Annual People’s Choice Awards (CBS) and Barbara Walters Special: Patrick Swayze (ABC): 3.0/ 8 each, Cold Case (CBS): 3.0/ 7, The Big Bang Theory R (CBS) and CSI R (CBS): 2.8/ 7 each, Primetime: What Would You Do? (ABC, season premiere) and Superstars of Dance (NBC, time period premiere): 2.7/ 7 each
-Below Average Kyle XY on ABC Family: The third season-premiere of ABC Family drama Kyle XY opened with a lackluster 1.50 million viewers in the Monday 9 p.m. hour on Jan. 12. Comparably, retention out of lead-in The Secret Life of the American Teenager (3.14 million at 8 p.m.) was just 48 percent. Kyle XY also trailed The Secret Life of the American Teenager significantly in target persons 12-34 (0.7 rating/2 share vs. 2.2/ 6) and teens 12-17 (1.5/ 5 vs. 4.2/13).
-Basic Cable Rankings – Week of Jan. 5: What follows are the top 10 rated basic cable networks in prime-time based on total viewers, adults 18-49, adults 25-54 and adults 18-34:
Total Viewers: USA: 3.08 million, TNT: 2.04 million, Nick at Nite: 2.01 million, TBS: 1.90 million each, Fox News: 1.89 million, A&E and FX: 1.59 million each, History Channel: 1.57 million, Hallmark: 1.53 million, ESPN: 1.44 million
Adults 18-49: USA: 1.39 million, TBS: 1.15 million, FX: 936,000, TNT: 928,000, A&E: 770,000, Nick at Nite: 767,000, ESPN: 742,000, History Channel: 732,000, Discovery: 689,000, ABC Family: 627,000
Adults 25-54: USA: 1.43 million, TBS: 977,000, TNT: 975,000, FX: 884,000, History Channel: 798,000, A&E: 797,000, ESPN: 712,000, Discovery: 656,000, TruTV: 642,000, Nick at Nite: 638,000
-More Fox Midseason Changes: Fox has announced that four year-old drama Prison Break, which returns on Friday, April 17 at 8 p.m. in place of Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles (which will have wrapped up the season by then, will conclude this spring. Also at Fox, animated high school based sitcom Sit Down, Shut Up will replace King of the Hill in the Sunday 8:30 p.m. half hour on April 19.
What restaurant does Penny work as a waitress for on CBS’ The Big Bang Theory?
a) The Cheesecake Factory b) Chili’s c) Friday’s d) Friendly’s e) The Olive Garden
The answer to yesterday’s question…
Which one of the following TV characters was known for her delicious oatmeal raisin cookies?
a) Phoebe Buffay b) June Cleaver c) Lorelai Gilmore d) Sue Ann Nivens e) Tony Micelli
Is: a) Phoebe Buffay. Goofy Phoebe apparently had a talent for making oatmeal raisin cookies. All together now:
So no one told you life was going to be this way. Your job’s a joke, you’re broke, you’re love life’s DOA. It’s like you’re always stuck in second gear, Well, it hasn’t been your day, your week, your month, or even your year,
But, I’ll be there for you, when the rain starts to pour. I’ll be there for you, like I’ve been there before. I’ll be there for you, cause you’re there for me too.
You’re still in bed at ten, the work began at eight. You’ve burned your breakfast, so far, things are going great. Your mother warned you there’d be days like these, But she didn’t tell you when the world has brought you down to your knees.
That, I’ll be there for you, when the rain starts to pour. I’ll be there for you, like I’ve been there before. I’ll be there for you, cause you’re there for me too.
No one could ever know me, no one could ever see me. Seems like you’re the only one who knows what it’s like to be me Someone to face the day with, make it through all the rest with Someone I’ll always laugh with, even at my worst, I’m best with you.
It’s like you’re always stuck in second gear, Well, it hasn’t been your day, your week, your month, or even your year.
But, I’ll be there for you, when the rain starts to pour. I’ll be there for you, like I’ve been there before. I’ll be there for you, cause you’re there for me too.
-Current kudos goes to: David Ballarotto, Mary Bancroft, Michelle Yarborough-Bauer, Gerry Bixenspan, Jordan Breslow, Larry Collins, Annie Courtney, Hannah Deason, Adam Giagni, Harold Goetz, Maureen Goldman, Geoffrey Gordon, Bob Ingersoll, Alan Perris, Gordon Purcell, Liza Reich, Harley David Rubin, Bill Smith, Jessica Smith, Myndi Weinraub
Hmmm, how long before Cdub moves 90210 to Wednesday permanently? I suppose it could prop back up in the coming weeks, once Idol settles down. Homeland Security from the looks of it did about as well as ABC has done against Idol in recent years. I still believe that show was hurt more by airing against NCIS than anything else. A move to Wed at 8 would make more sense. In other news, CBS and NBC's shows took expected dips against the death star but the real satisfying rating was that of Scubs, which is now officially dead. Thank-you American Idol!
right...that must be it. the quality is so good that there was hardly any impact when the shows went up against AI that will pull in 25-30 million viewers. Oh, must be totally different audiences.
quote:
Originally posted by xwiseguyx: Perhaps the boxes naturally just migrate to quality programming.
quote:
Originally posted by vlis: starting to think there are nielsen boxes jammed on cbs out there
Yes of course they are different audiences - 40 year olds gravitate to CBS and 12 year olds gravitate to American Idol.
quote:
Originally posted by vlis: right...that must be it. the quality is so good that there was hardly any impact when the shows went up against AI that will pull in 25-30 million viewers. Oh, must be totally different audiences.
Originally posted by xwiseguyx: Yes of course they are different audiences - 40 year olds gravitate to CBS and 12 year olds gravitate to American Idol.
Yes of course they are different audiences - 60 year olds gravitate to CBS and 22 year olds gravitate to American Idol.
Originally posted by mushu_jj: Hmmm, how long before Cdub moves 90210 to Wednesday permanently?
It would still be in Idol's path. I agree that CW has to do something, though. Maybe move the encore from Wednesday to Friday and pair up 13:fear is Real with an encore of itself?
