Note: Upfront network presentation week is here, which means that the regular sections of The Programming Insider -- Metered Market Prime-Time Ratings, Ratings Box, On the Air Tonight, TV Tidbits and TV Trivia Time -- will be replaced with coverage of the new schedules for the remainder of the week. Also taking a brief hiatus: the daily PIPodcast. But the fast affiliate rating results will still be available at PIFeedback.com. _________________________________________________________________________
Prime-Time Ratings: Weekend Highlights
Friday 5/09/08 Note: The following results are based on the fast affiliate ratings (Live Plus Same Day data).
HH Rtg/Shr CBS 5.5/10 ABC 4.2/ 8 NBC 3.8/ 7 CW 2.4/ 4 Fox 2.2/ 4
Note: Any prior rating results are based on the final nationals. Since the level of DVR penetration has increased from 13 percent at this same point last year to approximately 23 percent at present, the overall results may be negatively impacted.
-Friday’s Losers (excluding repeats): Movie: Man of the House (Fox), Dateline (NBC), 20/20 (ABC)
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-Ratings Breakdown: CBS led this typically uneventful third Friday of the May 2008 sweeps with its combination of Ghost Whisperer (Viewers: #1, 8.74 million; A18-49: #1, 2.1 rating/8 share), Moonlight (Viewers: #1, 7.68 million; A18-49: #2, 1.9/ 6) and Numb3rs (Viewers: #1, 9.13 million; A18-49: #1, 2.2/ 7). To the fans of Moonlight lighting up the boards at PIFeedback, renewal for a second season is still 50/50. What doesn’t help, of course, is the low rating among adults 18-49, which is no better than year-ago occupant Close to Home. And CBS canceled Close to Home because it skewed too old.
ABC finished second overall with two-hour special, TV’s All-Time Funniest at a so-so 6.50 million viewers (#2) and a 1.6/ 6 among adults 18-49 (#2) from 8-10 p.m., followed by 20/20 a 6.26 million viewers (#2t) and a 1.9/ 6 in the demo (#2) at 10 p.m. While I normally enjoy any special focusing on TV, the clips were awfully generic, weren’t they? And there was just too much of an emphasis on The Simpsons.
Next was NBC with its line-up of two repeat episodes of Most Outrageous Moments (Viewers: #3t, 4.21 million; A18-49: #4, 1.2/ 5 from 8-9 p.m.), and a two-hour edition of Dateline at 5.96 million viewers and a 1.5/ 5 among adults 18-49 from 9-11 p.m. The CW’s soon-to-relocate Friday Night Smackdown! was fourth for the night, with a typical 4.12 million viewers and a 1.3/ 5 among adults 18-49 from 8-10 p.m. And Fox finished last with theatrical Man of the House at a not-so-manly 3.39 million viewers and a 1.1/ 4 in the demo from 8-10 p.m. Although the CW is now focusing on its Monday to Friday slate now that Sunday is no longer part of the equation, programming Friday without Smackdown! will not be easy.
Source: Nielsen Media Research data (R = repeat)
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Saturday 5/10/08 Note: The following results are based on the fast affiliate ratings (Live Plus Same Day data).
HH Rtg/Shr Fox 4.7/ 9 CBS 3.9/ 8 ABC 3.0/ 6 NBC 2.8/ 5
Note: Any prior rating results are based on the final nationals. Since the level of DVR penetration has increased from 13 percent at this same point last year to approximately 23 percent at present, the overall results may be negatively impacted.
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-Saturday’s Winners: Nothing
-Saturday’s Losers (excluding repeats): The 2008 NBA Conference Semi-Finals (ABC) and the night overall.
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-Ratings Breakdown: Fox led the sluggish Saturday night troops care of two hours of NASCAR, which averaged 7.67 million viewers and a 2.6 rating/9 share among adults 18-49 from 8-10 p.m. Comparably, that is better than regularly scheduled occupants Cops and America’s Most Wanted.
Elsewhere, there was absolutely nothing of note to talk about. CBS opened the evening with a repeat of CSI: Miami (Viewers: #2, 5.25 million; A18-49: #3, 1.1/ 4 at 8 p.m.), followed by a repeat of Criminal Minds (Viewers: #2, 5.98 million; A18-49: #3, 1.3/ 5) and 48 Hours Mystery (Viewers: #1, 6.16 million; A18-49: #2, 1.6/ 5) from 9-11 p.m. ABC aired The 2008 NBA Conference Semi-Finals, which (including the 15-minute pre-game) averaged a mere 4.54 million viewers (#3) and a 1.6/ 6 among adults 18-49 (#2) from 8-11 p.m. And NBC ran an encore combination of Medium (Viewers: #4, 2.52 million; A18-49: #4: 0.6/ 2), Law & Order: Criminal Intent (Viewers: #4, 4.02 million; A18-49: #4, 1.0/ 4) and Law & Order (Viewers: #2, 5.61 million; A18-49: #3, 1.3/ 4).
All together now…what a night!
Source: Nielsen Media Research data (R = repeat)
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Sunday 5/11/08 Note: The following results are based on the metered market ratings.
HH Rtg/Shr ABC 7.2/12 CBS 7.0/12 Fox 3.2/ 5 NBC 3.1/ 5 CW 1.1/ 2
-Percent Change From the Year-Ago Evening (Sunday, May 13, 2007) ABC: - 5, CBS: - 8, Fox: -11, NBC: -22, CW: -35
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Note: The fast national results for Sunday will be posted at PIFeedback.com by 12 p.m. ET. Go to the website, click on Ratings Box (the first category), then Last Night’s Results, and Sunday, May 11, 2008.
-Yesterday’s Losers (Excluding Repeats): America’s Favorite Mom (NBC), Everybody Hates Chris (CW), Aliens in America (CW)
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-Ratings Breakdown: Dominant ABC inched past CBS in the Sunday overnights, with a three percent lead. But ABC’s advantage among adults 18-49 will be considerably higher once the fast nationals are posted at PIFeedback. A distant third overall in the metered markets was Fox, followed by NBC and cellar-dweller the CW, which is handing Sunday over to Media Rights Capital next season. See TV Tidbits below.
Older skewing 60 Minutes on CBS won the 7 p.m. hour, with a 7.9 rating/15 share in the overnights. But ABC’s veteran America’s Funniest Home Videos, which finished second with a 4.6/ 8, is expected to win among adults 18-49. Third was NBC special America’s Favorite Mom (3.6/ 6), which dipped by 30 percent in the second half hour (4.3/ 8 to 3.0/ 5), followed by repeats of Fox’s King of the Hill (1.8/ 3) and The Simpsons (2.7/ 5), and a repeat of America’s Next Top Model on the CW (1.0/ 2). For more on the CW, see TV Tidbits below.
CBS got some traction out of the two-hour season-finale of Survivor: Micronesia, which averaged a 6.9/11 in the overnights from 8-10 p.m. Here is the half-hour breakdown:
Comparably, the Survivor: Micronesia season-finale was down by 13 percent from the closing episode of the Fiji edition one year earlier (7.9/13 on May 13, 2007). And the live Survivor: Micronesia reunion at 10 p.m. (#2: 5.8/ 9) was off by 11 percent from the Fiji reunion (6.5/11 on May 13, 2007). Even so, Survivor is still a worthy player that deserves being labeled a “winner.” Congratulations, Parvati.
ABC’s 8-11 p.m. combination of Extreme Makeover: Home Edition (#1t: 6.8/12), Desperate Housewives (#1: 9.6/15) and the season-finale of Brothers & Sisters (#1: 7.7/13) came in at typical levels. What a pity the great Brothers & Sisters is over already.
NBC filled the 8-10 p.m. block with four repeat episodes of The Office, which was fourth with an average 2.2/ 4 in the overnights, followed by a repeat of Law & Order: SVU at a third-place 4.4/ 8 at 10 p.m.
Fox had nothing unusual to report with its 8-10 p.m. line-up of The Simpsons (#3: 3.9/ 7), King of the Hill (#3: 3.4/ 6), a repeat of Family Guy (#3: 3.8/ 6) and American Dad (#3: 3.4/ 5). And the CW was buried, as usual, with its last-place combination of Everybody Loves Chris (1.1/ 2), Aliens in America (0.9/ 2), The Game (1.3/ 2) and a repeat of Girlfriends (1.1/ 2). Rumor has it that Everybody Hates Chris and The Game are moving to Friday next season.
Source: Nielsen Media Research data ____________________________________________________________________________
Ratings Box: What’s Hot/What’s Not
-Syndicated Talk Show Ratings Update: Based on national ratings through April 27, 2008, what follows is an updated track for all syndicated talk shows in households and two key demos -- women 25-54 and adults 25-54. Change versus the comparable year-ago period appears in parentheses for all established series.
Households: Oprah (CBS Television Distribution): 5.5 rating (-14), Dr. Phil (CBS): 4.6 (- 8), Live With Regis & Kelly (Disney-ABC): 3.0 (-12), Ellen (Warner Bros.): 2.2 (no change), Maury (NBC Universal): 2.0 (-13), Rachael Ray (CBS): 2.0 (- 5), Montel (CBS): 1.5 (-12), Jerry Springer (NBCU): 1.3 (-24), Martha (NBCU) and Tyra Banks (Warner Bros.): 1.1 (-21 each), The Morning Show With Mike and Juliet (Twentieth Television): 1.0, Steve Wilkos (NBCU): 0.9
Women 25-54: Oprah (CBS): 3.7 (-18), Dr. Phil (CBS): 2.8 (-10), Live With Regis & Kelly (Disney-ABC): 1.7 (-15), Ellen (Warner Bros.): 1.4 (- 7), Maury (NBCU): 1.3 (-13), Rachael Ray (CBS): 1.2 (-14), Montel (CBS): 1.0 (-17), Tyra Banks: 0.8 (-20), Martha (NBCU): 0.7 (-13), Jerry Springer (NBCU): 0.7 (-30), The Morning Show With Mike and Juliet (Twentieth Television): 0.7, Steve Wilkos (NBCU): 0.6
Adults 25-54: Oprah (CBS): 2.4 (-20), Dr. Phil (CBS): 1.9 (-10), Live With Regis & Kelly (Disney-ABC): 1.2 (-14), Maury (NBCU): 1.1, Ellen (Warner Bros.): 1.0 (change), Rachael Ray (CBS): 0.8 (-11), Montel (CBS) and Jerry Springer (NBCU): 0.7 (-22 each), Tyra Banks (Warner Bros.): 0.6 (-25), Martha (NBCU): 0.5 (no change), The Morning Show With Mike and Juliet (Twentieth Television) and Steve Wilkos (NBCU): 0.5 each
Source: Nielsen Media Research data ______________________________________________________________________________
On the Air Tonight: Prime-Time Programming Options
Monday 5/12/08 Night 19 of the May 2008 Sweeps
ABC: 8:00 p.m. Dancing With the Stars (90 minutes) 9:30 p.m. Samantha Who? (season finale) 10:00 p.m. The Bachelor: London Calling (season finale)
CBS: 8:00 p.m. The Big Bang Theory 8:30 p.m. How I Met Your Mother 9:00 p.m. Two and a Half Men 9:30 p.m. Rules of Engagement 10:00 p.m. CSI: Miami
NBC: 8:00 p.m. American Gladiators (season premiere, two hours) 10:00 p.m. Medium (season finale)
Fox: 8:00 p.m. Bones 9:00 p.m. House (part one)
CW: 8:00 p.m. Gossip Girl 9:00 p.m. One Tree Hill
MNTV 8:00 p.m. Celebrity Expose: Mariah Carey 9:00 p.m. Paradise Hotel – TV14 (TV-MA version available on Fox Reality Channel 1 a.m. ET
-Fox Fall 2008 Sneak Peak: Fox, which announces its fall 2008 line-up on Thursday, has confirmed its first official new series, sitcom The Inn, which is set at a hip New York City hotel. The network has also picked-up sitcom ‘Til Death for a third season, while it chose not to renew freshman Back To You because of the higher production costs. Recent midseason entry New Amsterdam will also not be returning.
-Media Rights Capital Takes Over for the CW Sunday: Media Rights Capital (MRC) will officially take control of the CW’s Sunday programming block next season, while the CW will focus its energies on its 10-hour Monday to Friday 8-10 p.m. block. MRC is expected to feature four new programs -- two comedies and two dramas. Said Dawn Ostroff, President, Entertainment, the CW:
“This is a strategic move by The CW that will give viewers more original programming on Sunday nights than we have ever had. As the leading independent producer of television programming, MRC will bring a slate of high-quality entertainment to our air on the most competitive night on television, while we will focus our resources and efforts on strengthening our Monday through Friday schedule.”
-Speaking of the CW: In addition to Beverly Hills, 90210, the network has given a series order to Stylista, which will follow contestants as they compete for a job at Elle magazine, and its has picked up sitcom The Game for a third season. The Game is expected to be paired with returning Everybody Hates Chris on Friday.
-Good News for Fans of Boston Legal: ABC has renewed The Practice spin-off Boston Legal for a fifth season. And the network has given a series order to David E. Kelly, the force behind Boston Legal, for new drama Life on Mars, which focuses on a present day detective who wakes up in 1973 after being knocked unconscious.
-Justin Timberlake Joins Forces with MTV: Justin Timberlake will partner with Fremantle Media as the producer of a new game show on MTV called The Phone., which will feature contestants traveling around the country is search of cash prizes. It premieres this fall.
-Target Vision Update: Independent distributor Target Vision has secured the rights to a diversified slate of sports oriented properties for 2008-09, and beyond. Included are half-hour weeklies Sports Stars of Tomorrow and Race Week; and specials College Football’s Greatest Games. Entertainment driven programs offered by Target Vision include specials Holidays on Ice; reality/competition Dream Home; Frankie Avalon’s 60’s Music Reunion, which features a library of 18 hours; reality/romance Say Yes & Marry Me; and Taste of the Southwest, a series of 49 half hours focusing on Southern U.S. cooking. For more information, contact Phil Oldham at 914/834-6739 or via email at poldham405@aol.com.
Which one of the following TV characters would be the least likely to attend the network upfront presentations this week?
a) Alan Brady b) Willie Lawrence c) Mary McKinnon d) Ricky Ricardo e) Samantha Sanders
The answer to Friday’question…
Remember classic ABC TGIF sitcom Family Matters? What was the name of Steve Urkel’s cousin from Biloxi, Mississippi?
a) Betty b) Darla c) Farrah d) Myrtle e) Sassafras
Is: d) Myrtle, who was also played by Jaleel White.
Don’t forget that TV Trivia Time will be on hiatus for the remainder of this week.
-Current kudos goes to: Don Abel, Michelle Yarborough-Bauer, Sheila Berman, Gerry Bixenspan, Jordan Breslow, Lillian Buchman, Brian Carney, Harold Cooper (2x), Sue Doron, Phyllis Epstein, Jim Forkan, Karen Gardner, Adam Giagni, Maureen Goldman, Martha Gonzalez, David Jackino, Greg Janover, Danny Leclair, Marc Miller, Tony Naldrett, Kathleen Pearson, Alan Perris, Francine Purcell, Gordon Purcell, Mark Rinney, Colleen Roth, Joe Rubi, Michelle Stanton, Maureen Winston, Dan Zangrando
This message has been edited. Last edited by: Marc Berman,
It's a shame that the networks have essentially given up on Friday/Saturday nite programming. The only reason CBS wins Friday is because it has no competition. GW and Numbers are jokes to me in the acting category. I did like CTH, maybe that's why it was cancelled. DH and B&S were good last nite. If I don't like the storyline at least I can appreciate the acting.
