Friday 9/26/08

-Total Viewers:
ABC: 8.74 million, CBS: 7.39, NBC: 6.50, Fox: 4.42, CW: 4.41

-Adults 18-49:
ABC: 2.6 rating/8 share, CBS and NBC: 2.0/ 6 each, Fox and CW: 1.4/ 4 each

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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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-Friday’s Winners:
The Mentalist R (CBS), The Presidential Debate – an average (and estimated) 29.53 million viewers from 9-10:30 p.m.

-Needs to Move Back to Thursday:
Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader? (Fox)

-Friday’s Losers (excluding repeats):
America’s Toughest Jobs (NBC)

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-Ratings Breakdown:
ABC won this Presidential debate themed first Friday of the 2008-09 season, with a first-place finish in households, total viewers and adults 18-49. Keep in mind, of course, that results for any live event are always approximate.

CBS opened the evening on a winning note, with a repeat of The Mentalist at a very respectable 7.80 million viewers and a 1.9 rating/6 share among adults 18-49 at 8 p.m. Considering the drama opened just three days earlier, this is a positive to make note of. Second in the hour was an earlier edition of 20/20 at 6.61 million viewers and a 1.7/ 6 in the demo. Also populating the 8-9 p.m. time period were Fox’s Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader? (Viewers: #3, 5.10 million; A18-49: #3t, 1.4/ 5), NBC clinker America’s Toughest Jobs (Viewers: #4, 4.56 million; A18-49: #5, 1.3/ 5), and the first hour of the CW’s soon-to-relocate Friday Night Smackdown! (Viewers: #5, #5, 4.21 million; A18-49: #3t, 1.4/ 5). Overall, Smackdown! averaged a very typical 4.41 million viewers and a 1.4/ 4 in the demo from 8-10 p.m.

In the battle of the Presidential Debates, here are the ratings from 9-10:30 p.m. Once again, these results are approximate.

Presidential Debate: 9-10:30 p.m.
ABC – Viewers: 10.20 million (#1), A18-49: 3.2/ 9 (#1)
NBC – Viewers: 7.75 million (#2), A18-49: 2.4/ 7 (#2)
CBS – Viewers: 7.44 million (#3), A18-49: 2.1/ 6 (#3)
Fox – Viewers: 4.14 million (#4), A18-49: 1.4/ 4 (#4)

Do the math, and an estimated 29.53 million viewers tuned into see John McCain versus Barack Obama.

At 10:30 p.m., a half-hour analysis on the Big 3 networks performed as follows:

Presidential Debate Analysis
ABC – Viewers: 8.74 million (#1), A18-49: 2.7/ 8 (#1)
NBC – Viewers: 6.63 million (#2), A18-49: 2.2/ 6 (#2)
CBS – Viewers: 6.41 million (#3), A18-49: 1.9/5 (#3)

Source: Nielsen Media Research data (R = repeat)

I'm not sure I'll ever get how CBS does so poorly with special news broadcasts even as their other programming still does so well.

Considering the general exodus for important events like this from the networks towards Cable, I'd stay that's still pretty good, especially since CNN and Fox News COULD top 10 million viewers each. Do you have the actual overnight percentages? These are what we got for the first 2004 debate, which was on a Thursday:

NBC: 12.7/17
CBS: 9.4/13
ABC: 8.4/11
FOX: 3.8/5

Obviously they're much lower, but considering the 50-100% increases in convention coverage for cable, we'll need to wait...

It looks close to 50 million for the debate.

ABC News was off and running with the debate.

Time for Fox to start schedule surgery. Repeat of KN this Wed. at 9. New eps starting the following week. 5th Grader repeat this Thursday into the debate. 5th Grader/Lyrics as scheduled next Friday with new eps moving to Thursday the following week. Movie up Fridays til sweeps when specials can be scheduled. Til Death can be burned off in the 7pm half hour of non-NFL overrun Sundays.

The Mentalist did very well for a repeat. Over 7 million? Not bad.

AYSTA5thG is terrible in the ratings two weeks in a row. How is it not a loser? Compared to where it debuted, it has fallen hard.

I looked on FOX's website and didnt realize that they were having two NEW episodes of 'Til Death. I thought one was new and one was a repeat. Anyways, Hole in the Wall isnt gone yet. They have it scheduled for an hour on Thursday at 8 before the VP Debate.

I didn't even know 5th Grader would be on last night. They should have scheduled a repeat of House or something at 8pm - why waste an episode of 5th Grader like that?

Does FOX not see the errors in their schedule? They are really getting hit hard this fall, harder than usual. They need to change Wednesdays-Fridays immediately. Wednesdays at 9pm should be Kitchen Nightmares (it's a good show, it shouldn't be wasted on Thursdays against all the competition). Thursdays need to be 5th Grader/Lyrics again. With 5th Grader at 8pm on Thursdays, my guess is it could easily get back up to 8 million. And Lyrics, while not doing all that bad on Fridays, could easily manage the same thing, if not more, on Thursdays. Fridays for them have been way below what it should be. Get Moment of Truth back - that would be grat on Fridays, along with Til Death or Hole in the Wall.

I imagine Fox will just want to burn-off the episodes of 'Til Death this season.

quote:

Originally posted by yankeesrj12:
I looked on FOX's website and didnt realize that they were having two NEW episodes of 'Til Death. I thought one was new and one was a repeat. Anyways, Hole in the Wall isnt gone yet. They have it scheduled for an hour on Thursday at 8 before the VP Debate.

I wonder what "Til Death's" episode order was for the season -- considering the 4 holdover episodes from Season 2. (One of them, incidentally, is what FOX is using to replace "Do Not Disturb," so any of "Til Death's" 3 fans who are mourning the loss of Eddie Kaye Thomas and Kat Foster can get their fix in this Wednesday.) I'd laugh if they ordered 22. Talk about bang for your buck.

quote:

Originally posted by Riff Rafferty:
I wonder what "Til Death's" episode order was for the season -- considering the 4 holdover episodes from Season 2. (One of them, incidentally, is what FOX is using to replace "Do Not Disturb," so any of "Til Death's" 3 fans who are mourning the loss of Eddie Kaye Thomas and Kat Foster can get their fix in this Wednesday.) I'd laugh if they ordered 22. Talk about bang for your buck.

I bet the Woodcocks arent in the episode.

Great numbers for Mentalist. There are 2 categories: those so impressed by the pilot that they wanted to see it again and those who watch it beacause of the worde of mouth. Either way it's great for CBS

They need to get the woodcocks back on i think thats whats killing them!! over all the shows not that bad. OH POOR BACK TO YOU!

How could there be only regular characters on 'Til Death? That's insane! Yes, they need the neighbors back. And bring the daughter and her nutty boyfriend back.

quote:

Originally posted by yankeesrj12:

quote:

Originally posted by Riff Rafferty:
I wonder what "Til Death's" episode order was for the season -- considering the 4 holdover episodes from Season 2. (One of them, incidentally, is what FOX is using to replace "Do Not Disturb," so any of "Til Death's" 3 fans who are mourning the loss of Eddie Kaye Thomas and Kat Foster can get their fix in this Wednesday.) I'd laugh if they ordered 22. Talk about bang for your buck.

I bet the Woodcocks arent in the episode.