Prime-Time Ratings:
Thursday 9/27/07
The following results are based on the fast affiliate ratings (Live Plus Same Day data)
-Total Viewers:
CBS: 18.58 million, ABC: 14.36, NBC: 9.37, Fox: 6.37, CW: 3.80
-Adults 18-49:
CBS: 5.8 rating/15 share, ABC: 5.7/15, NBC: 4.3/11, Fox: 1.9/ 5, CW: 1.4/ 4
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-Yesterday’s Winners:
Survivor: China (CBS), CSI (CBS), Grey’s Anatomy (ABC), The Office (NBC), Without a Trace (CBS)
-Down But Far From Out:
Ugly Betty (ABC)
-Honorable Mention:
Smallville (CW), Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader? (Fox), Don’t Forget the Lyrics (Fox)
-Yesterday’s Losers:
Big Shots (ABC), ER (NBC)
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Note: Any prior rating results are based on the final nationals. Also, since the level of DVR penetration has increased from 8.54 percent during premiere week in 2006 to 19.43 million percent at present, the overall results may be negatively impacted.
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-Ratings Breakdown:
CBS opened this first Thursday of the 2007-08 season at a first-place finish in both total viewers and adults 18-49, with 4.22 million more viewers and a one-tenth of a rating point advantage in the demo over No. 2 ABC. Third overall was NBC, followed by Fox, and the CW. The biggest news, and this is not positive, was significant unexpected slippage for Grey’s Anatomy on ABC. Keep reading…
Week two of CBS’ Survivor: China opened the evening with a first-place 14.16 million viewers and a 4.6 rating/13 share among adults 18-49 from 8-9 p.m. Second was the sophomore season-premiere of ABC’s Ugly Betty at 11.05 million viewers and a 3.8/11 in the demo. While this is certainly still a vast improvement over all programming on ABC in this time period before last season, Ugly Betty debuted on Sept. 28, 2006 with a much heftier 16.32 million viewers and a 5.0/14 among adults 18-49. Comparably, that’s a loss of a significant 5.27 million viewers and 24 percent in the demo.
Over at NBC, the one-hour season-premiere of competing My Name is Earl was on par with year-ago levels, at 8.52 million viewers (#3) and a 3.7/11 among adults 18-49 (#3). Also in the 8 p.m. hour was Fox’s Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader? (Viewers: #4, 7.35 million; A18-49: #4, 2.0/ 6), and the season-premiere of the CW’s Smallville (Viewers: #5, 5.08 million; A18-49: #5, 1.9/ 5). The positive news for Smallville was a performance close to year-ago opening levels.
At 9 p.m., the battle of the two big season premieres -- CSI vs. Grey’s Anatomy -- resulted as follows:
CSI (CBS)
Viewers: 24.85 million (#1), A18-49: 8.0/19 (#2)
Grey’s Anatomy (ABC)
Viewers: 20.48 million (#2), A18-49: 8.7/21 (#1)
While leadership was mixed, CSI built from it’s year-ago opener (Viewers: 22.57 million; A18-49: 7.7/18, on Sept. 21, 2006) by 2.28 million viewers and four percent among adults 18-49. Grey’s Anatomy, however, was down by 4.93 million viewers (25.41 to 20.48) and 21 percent in the demo (11.0/26 to 8.7/21). Are viewers tiring of the soggy dramatics between Meredith and Dr. “McDreamy”?
A one-hour edition of NBC’s The Office finished third in the 9 p.m. hour, with 9.67 million viewers and a series-high 5.1/12 among adults 18-49. Comparably, that built by a hefty 31 percent in adults 18-49 from the second half of lead-in My Name is Earl (3.9/11), with growth 19 percent in the demo from its year-ago season opener (4.3/11 on Sept. 21, 2006).
Also in the 9 p.m. hour was Fox’s Don’t Forget the Lyrics (#4, 5.39 million; A18-49: #4, 1.8/ 4), which is a big improvement over year-ago occupant Celebrity Duets, and a repeat of the CW’s Reaper (Viewers: #5, 2.53 million; A18-49: #5, 1.0/ 2).
As expected, the sixth season-premiere of CBS’ Without a Trace led the 10 p.m. hour, with 16.73 million viewers and a 4.8/13 among adults 18-49. Comparably, former occupant Shark debuted in the time period with 14.47 million viewers and a 4.1/11 in the demo on Thursday, Sept. 21, 2006. Last season, Without a Trace kicked-off with a similar 17.56 million viewers and a 4.8/12 in the demo on Sunday, Sept. 24, 2006 at 10 p.m.
In series-premiere news, ABC’s Big Shots opened second in the hour, with 11.56 million viewers and a 4.7/13 in the demo. Under different circumstances this might have been considered positive. But retention for Big Shots out of Grey’s Anatomy of just 56 percent in total viewers and 54 percent among adults 18-49, and the following losses at 10:30 p.m. lands it in the loser’s listing:
Big Shots
10:00 p.m. Viewers: 12.98 million, A18-49: 5.4/14
10:30 p.m. Viewers: 9.97 million, A18-49: 4.0/11
Percent Change
Viewers: -23, A18-49: -26
Former failed occupant Six Degrees debuted with 12.56 million viewers and a 5.4/14 among adults 18-49 in this time period on the year-ago opening Thursday.
Last, but not least, was the 14th season premiere of NBC’s ER at a last-place 9.93 million viewers and a 4.1/11 among adults 18-49. Compared to it’s year-ago opener (Viewers: 15.59 million; A18-49: 6.8/18 on Sept. 21, 2006), that was a loss of 5.56 million viewers and a 40 percent in the demo. So long, ER!
Source: Nielsen Media Research data
