Prime Time Ratings:
Monday 5/21/07

The following results are based on the fast national ratings (Live Plus Same Day data)

-Total Viewers:
ABC: 15.15 million, NBC: 10.70, CBS: 10.60, Fox: 10.19, CW: 1.85

-Adults 18-49:
ABC: 4.9 rating/13 share, NBC: 4.1/11, Fox: 3.8/10, CBS: 3.3/ 9, CW: 0.7/ 2

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-Yesterday’s Winners:
Dancing With the Stars (ABC), The Bachelor: An Officer and a Gentleman (ABC), Heroes (NBC)

-Disappointing:
24 (Fox)

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-Ratings Breakdown:
Led by the final competition on this season’s Dancing With the Stars, ABC cha-cha-ed to victory with an advantage over second-place NBC of a significant 4.44 million viewers and 20 percent among adults 18-49. Tied for third and fourth overall were a night of repeats on CBS and the season-finale of 24 on Fox, followed by repeat-riddled The CW.

Dancing With the Stars opened the evening for ABC with a stellar 19.75 million viewers and a 5.1 rating/15 share among adults 18-49 from 8-9 p.m. Comparably, the second most-watched show in the hour was the Monday season-finale of NBC’s fading Deal or No Deal at a distant 9.66 million viewers (and a third-place 3.0/ 9 among adults 18-49). The first-hour of the expanded season-finale of Fox’s 24 averaged 9.34 million viewers (#3) and a second-place 3.5/10 among adults 18-49.

Also in the 8 p.m. hour were back-to-back repeats of CBS’ Two and a Half Men (Viewers: #4, 8.22 million; A18-49: #3, 3.0/ 9), and repeats of Everybody Hates Chris (Viewers: 2.0/ 6 million; A18-49: 0.8/ 2) and the canceled All of Us (Viewers: 1.88 million, A18-49: 0.8/ 2) on The CW.

NBC’s Heroes closed season one first in both total viewers (13.21 million) and adults 18-49 (6.1/15) at 9 p.m., with growth out of lead-in Deal of No Deal of 3.55 million viewers and 103 percent among adults 18-49. Second was the first hour of the expanded season-finale of The Bachelor: An Officer and a Gentleman on ABC at 12.46 million viewers and a 4.3/11 among adults 18-49. The second half of Fox’s expanded 24 season-opener averaged 11.04 million viewers (#4) and a third-place 4.0/10 among adults 18-49. Overall, the two-hour telecast of 24 averaged a disappointing 10.19 million viewers and a 3.7/10 in the demo from 8-10 p.m. Comparably, that trailed it’s year-ago season-finale (Viewers: 13.75 million, A18-49: 5.5/14 on Monday, May 22, 2006, based on the final nationals) by a hefty 3.56 million viewers and 27 percent among adults 18-49.

Also in the 9 p.m. hour were repeats of The CW’s Girlfriends (Viewers: 1.75 million, A18-49: 0.7/ 2) and The Game (Viewers: 1.70 million, A18-49: 0.7/ 2).


The second half of ABC’s two-hour The Bachelor season-finale moved into the top spot at 10 p.m., with 13.25 million viewers and a 5.3/14 among adults 18-49. Overall, The Bachelor: An Officer and a Gentleman concluded with a still potent 12.85 million viewers and a 4.8/12 among adults 18-49 from 9-11 p.m. No wonder why ABC renewed it. Second was a repeat of CSI: Miami on CBS (Viewers: 11.48 million; A18-49: 3.5/ 9), followed by the season-finale of NBC’s Law & Order: Criminal Intent at 9.24 million viewers and a 3.2/ 8 in the demo. Next season, look for original episodes of Criminal Intent on USA Network.

Source: Nielsen Media Research data

Heroes's fans will hate me but i think next season this show will drop dramatically

Wow, 24 has really lost power. It was just last spring when 24 used to dominate the Monday 9pm hour - especially in the demo. Not anymore!

Didn't last year's Deal or No Deal finale score near 20-21 million? Wow.

I am really surprised that the Bachelor has done as well as it has. I still would have put another show on after DWTS instead of the Bachelor. I dont know why abc just doesnt use for summer programming.

quote:

-Ratings Breakdown:
Led by the final competition on this season’s Dancing With the Stars, ABC cha-cha-ed to victory with an advantage over second-place NBC of a significant 4.44 million viewers and 20 percent among adults 18-49.

I think freestyled its way to victory might have been a better word. The judges weren't that impressed with Joey and Kym's Cha Cha.

FOX Maintains 0.1 A18-49 Lead After 26 Days of the May Sweep:

2007 A18-49 vs first 26 nights 2006 A18-49
(results weighted for extra hour on Sundays)

1. FOX 3.6 vs 4.3 (-16%)
2. ABC 3.5 vs 3.3 (+6%)
3. CBS 3.0 vs 3.7 (-19%)
4. NBC 2.4 vs 3.2 (-25%)
5. CW 1.2 vs. 1.2 (even to The WB)
6. MNT 0.4 vs 1.2 (-67% from UPN, first 22 nights only)
TOTAL 6 NETS: 14.1 vs. 16.7 (-16%)

FOX continues to hold on to first place by a slim 0.1 lead over ABC in A18-49 after 26 days of the May Sweep.

ABC is the only broadcast network to show year-over-year improvement in A18-49 after 26 days of the May Sweep.

Will Deal or No Deal perk up next week with DWTS gone?

I think the nets should push the reality fare in the summer. I loved The Amazing Race when it aired in the summer. I think The Bachelor would do well in the summer. I think the game shows like 1 vs. 100, Identity, Bingo, etc. will do well in the summer (maybe not on Friday nights).

With everything going into repeats, I think people would turn to the reality shows or game shows for something to watch that is not a rerun.

I think the 9PM Two and a Half Men numbers are missing.

I really see this show crashing and burning next season. NBC is making the same mistakes that abc did with Millionaire. They have overused it to mplug holes in so many different time slots that quite frankly the novelty has just worn off. I think their wed. edition next fall will be the nail in the coffin. They just dont learn that game shows have a short shelf life and you dont want to abuse them the way that these two networks did. Hopefully fox will take notes for it 5th grader show. I personally would take it off the air during the summer so that people arent sick of it come fall.

quote:

Originally posted by mrpotato531:
Didn't last year's Deal or No Deal finale score near 20-21 million? Wow.

quote:

Originally posted by Paul Ketz:
I think the nets should push the reality fare in the summer. I loved The Amazing Race when it aired in the summer. I think The Bachelor would do well in the summer. I think the game shows like 1 vs. 100, Identity, Bingo, etc. will do well in the summer (maybe not on Friday nights).


I agree. I love 1 vs 100. I usually watch So You Think You Can Dance? Last year I also watched Americas Got Talent.
With everything going into repeats, I think people would turn to the reality shows or game shows for something to watch that is not a rerun.

quote:

NBC’s Heroes (13.21 million)

ABC's The Bachelor 13.25 million viewers

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAA
'

quote:

NBC’s fading Deal or No Deal at a distant 9.66 million viewers

Sorry but I can't help but to take a guilty pleasure in the fade out of this show. I remember when it first premiered they were showing it five nights a week! Then down to three and eventually two. If they had used it more sparingly they could have lengthened its power. So they learned nothing from MILLIONAIRE...worse yet they are basing the majority of their 8-9PM programming next year on game shows that may have hit their peak and are on the decline.

One question to TRAVIS if you're out there.
Could you elaborate more on the flaws of SWINGTOWN that troubles you? The premise coupled with the 1970's setting sounds like a good draw for viewers. Did what you see make you think that they weren't confident in it enough so they are holding it back till midseason? Thanks.

quote:

Originally posted by Marc Berman:
Also in the 8 p.m. hour were back-to-back repeats of CBS’ Two and a Half Men (Viewers: #4, 8.22 million; A18-49: #3, 3.0/ 9), and repeats of Everybody Hates Chris (Viewers: 2.0/ 6 million; A18-49: 0.8/ 2) and the canceled All of Us (Viewers: 1.88 million, A18-49: 0.8/ 2) on The CW.

Can we see the numbers for all 4 of the Two & a 1/2 Men airings so that we can see just how glaring the problem CBS has with the 8pm hour? Clearly, putting on a 'good' show at that hour doesn't bring viewers to the network. What can CBS do to change that? How can CBS get TV viewers to realize that the sitcoms they already offer are worth watching at that time? Does CBS just have to expect much lower ratings for the sitcoms aired in that earlier hour?

Meanwhile, 6 million viewers for EHC is hard to believe.

BTW, Marc, what sort of ratings will you be posting here and discussing at MediaWeek this fall? This article (worth reading) Advertising Age article hints a bit about the commercial ratings as well as 'live' ratings being offered this fall. Obviously, the commercial ratings will be of more interest to 'the business' and 'live' ratings will be of more interest to the TV fans. What is your plan to attack/balance that issue?