Prime-Time Tuesday Ratings:
ABC Wins; Fox’s House Scores at 9 p.m.

Tuesday 10/31/06
Metered Market Ratings

Household Rating/Share
ABC 10.4/16
CBS 7.9/12
Fox 6.7/10
NBC 6.5/10
CW 1.9/ 3

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Fast Affiliate Ratings

-Total Viewers:
ABC: 15.26 million, CBS: 11.77, Fox: 9.50, NBC: 8.55, CW: 2.74

-Adults 18-49:
ABC: 4.1 rating/11 share, Fox: 3.9/11, CBS: 3.2/ 9, NBC: 3.0/ 8, CW: 1.2/ 3

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-Yesterday’s Winners:
Dancing With the Stars (ABC), NCIS (CBS), House (Fox), Law & Order: SVU (NBC)

-Yesterday’s Losers (excluding repeats):
Standoff (Fox), Help Me Help You (ABC)

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-Ratings Breakdown:
Led by Dancing With the Stars, ABC’s Tuesday winning streak continued, with another first-place finish in the overnights, total viewers and adults 18-49. The dancing extravaganza took top-rated Tuesday honors, with a hefty 13.7/21 in the overnights, 20.46 million viewers and a 5.3/15 among adults 18-49 from 8-9:30 p.m. Lead-out Help Me Help You (which has received an order for additional scripts) continues to squander the opportunity, with a series-low 6.4/10 in the overnights (#4), 9.51 million viewers (#3) and a 2.8/ 7 among adults 18-49 (#4) at 9:30 p.m. Compared to the last half-hour of Dancing With the Stars (Overnights: 14.4/21, Viewers: 21.51 million, A18-49: 5.8/15 at 9 p.m.), retention for Help Me Help You was just 44 percent in the overnights and total viewers, and 48 percent among adults 18-49. It looks like Ted Danson may really need to see a shrink! Boston Legal (Overnights: #2, 7.4/12, Viewers: #2, 10.33 million, A18-49: #2, 2.9/ 8) capped off the evening for ABC with growth out of Help Me Help You of 16 percent in the overnights, 820,000 viewers and four percent among adults 18-49.

Despite facing Dancing With the Stars, there was plenty of room for CBS’ underrated NCIS, with a comfortable second-place finish in the overnights (10.6/17), total viewers (15.88 million) and adults 18-49 (3.9/11) at 8 p.m. For any station or station group considering acquiring NCIS in off-network syndication, keep in mind that this is one of the few shows that can successfully also compete opposite Fox’s American Idol.

Also at 8 p.m. was the time period premiere of Fox’s Standoff at a deadly (and distant third-place) 3.4/ 5 in the overnights, 4.92 million viewers and a 2.0/ 6 among adults 18-49; followed by a repeat of NBC’s Friday Night Lights (Overnights: 2.8/ 4; Viewers: 3.91 million; A18-49: 1.6/ 5), and a repeat of the CW’s Gilmore Girls (Overnights: 2.0/ 3, Viewers:2.72 million, A18-49: 1.3/ 4). Needless to say, former occupant House was a much great draw in the time period.

Despite the lack of lead-in support, the big news at 9 p.m. was the time period premiere of Fox’s House, with a 10.0/15 in the overnights (#1), 14.08 million viewers (#2) and a 5.8/15 among adults 18-49(#1). Compared to Standoff, that was an increase of a whopping 194 percent in the overnights, 9.16 million viewers and 190 percent among adults 18-49. But House was not the only show to build considerably from its lead-in. NBC’s Law & Order: Criminal Intent (Overnights: #4, 6.7/10, Viewers: #4, 8.52 million, A18-49: #4, 2.7/ 7) grew from the repeat of Friday Night Lights by 139 percent in the overnights, 4.61 million viewers and 69 percent among adults 18-49. CBS’ competing The Unit finished third overall in the hour with an ample 7.2/11 in the overnights, 11.35 million viewers and a 3.2/ 8 among adults 18-49.

Also in the 9 p.m. hour was the CW’s Veronica Mars, which dipped to a season-low 1.8/ 3 in the overnights, 2.77 million viewers and a 1.2/ 3 among adults 18-49 without the benefit of an original Gilmore Girls lead-in. But worth noting for the sexy crime solving sleuth was growth out of the Gilmore Girls lead-in of 50,000 viewers.

NBC’s Law & Order: SVU remains the show to beat at 10 p.m., with a 10.1/17 in the overnights, 13.22 million viewers and a 4.7/13 among adults 18-49 (and an advantage over second-place Boston Legal on ABC of 36 percent in the overnights, 2.89 million viewers and 62 percent among adults 18-49). A repeat of CBS’ CSI: NY capped off the hour with a third-place 5.9/10 in the overnights, 8.08 million viewers and a 2.5/ 7 among adults 18-49. In two weeks, look for the premiere of CBS medical drama 3 Lbs. in the time period.

Source: Nielsen Media Research data

quote:

Also in the 9 p.m. hour was the CW’s Veronica Mars, which dipped to a season-low 1.8/ 3 in the overnights, 2.77 million viewers and a 1.2/ 3 among adults 18-49 without the benefit of an original Gilmore Girls lead-in. But worth noting for the sexy crime solving sleuth was growth out of the Gilmore Girls lead-in of 50,000 viewers.

i believe daytime soaps get more viewers

I actually think this is a positive for Veronica Mars. Ratings could have been much worse considering the competition from the other 4 networks was huge.

Can anyone figure out why NBC would squander whatever promotional value it may have gotten from the Monday 10 PM Friday Night Lights by airing the same episode on Tuesday at 8?

Not too many worse ways to turn off potential new viewers.

Looks like it's bye-bye for Standoff!

You said it Gee! If another new episode had aired last night, I bet it would've hit a season high on Tuesday as well.

I think NBC was trying to take a page from cable and air the same episode in the same week. But broadcast is not cable, and NBC blew it last night.

House didn't have much trouble taking over its new timeslot--it'll go up next week.

I bet Standoff is cancelled by the end of November. Hopefully Justice can pull up its viewers in a few weeks or Fox will go 0/3 on new dramas.

These are great numbers, especially for DWTS, NCIS and House, and to a lesser extent - Boston Legal, especially considering it was Halloween night.

I was one who thought ABC should have done a clip show last night, and utilized another Tuesday and Wednesday of DWTS during sweeps - but these numbers proved me wrong.

Marc, I read this article and quote from Steve McPherson yesterday in USA Today regarding DWTS, and had a question:

The show's success, however, doesn't mean McPherson will be scheduling reality shows at 8 across the board, as NBC chief Jeff Zucker recently announced at his network.

"I thought that statement was one of the most bizarre and ill-advised I've seen in my career," McPherson says. Dancing works at 8 "because it's something all ages can sit down and enjoy. But we're programming every one of our nights to win. Ugly Betty (at 8 on Thursdays) is our biggest hit this year. And we intend to develop great scripted shows at 8, 9 and 10 p.m."

This was quite a direct slam from Steve to Jeff Zucker and Kevin Reilly.... do you see this type of verbal warfare from the entertainment heads often? Although I agree w/ Mr. McPherson 100% (and get a big kick out of it, because of NBC's - and Jeff Zucker's arrogance for so many years), I would have thought that verbal jousting between these guys would be at a more respectable and diplomatic level. I guess not!

No...they go after each other all the time. It's a competitive job and those little jabs are always out there. And I would have said the same thing if I was Steve McPherson.

quote:

Originally posted by Marc Berman:
ABC 10.4/16
CBS 7.9/12
Fox 6.7/10
NBC 6.5/10
CW 1.9/ 3

Source: Nielsen Media Research data

These are fantasy stock pricings, not actual share values.

TV Stock Pricings for the day

ABC $86.31
CBS $107.54
Fox $62.12
NBC $83.86
The CW $23.25

Individual show prices will be listed later today after the system has compiled and calibrated.

quote:

I actually think this is a positive for Veronica Mars. Ratings could have been much worse considering the competition from the other 4 networks was huge.

I choose to agree with this sentiment. Given the competition, lack of lead-in, and that on Halloween the teen and 18-34 demos that VM attracts (in larger numbers, anyway, than other demos) are out, away from the television (I know I was... this is the first time I've ever missed watching an original VM live). A loss of about 500K viewers, given all of these hurdles, is lower than my expectations for what the show would lose (I placed the loss in loser to the million range... which would certainly have signaled imminent cancellation).

House may have been well above Standoff, but wasn't it doing better at 8pm earlier this season?

why is abc so low? they've won the key demo 6 weeks straight now!!!

Marc, what is your take on these ratings for Veronica Mars?