Prime-Time Ratings:
Thursday 11/23/06

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

Overall Averages

-Households:
CBS: 8.2 rating/15 share, ABC: 7.1/13, NBC: 6.9/13, Fox: 4.5/ 8, CW: 0.9/ 2

-Total Viewers:
CBS: 14.05 million, ABC: 12.10, NBC: 12.03, Fox: 7.65, CW: 1.71

-Adults 18-49:
ABC: 4.7 rating/13 share, CBS: 4.2/12, NBC: 4.0/11, Fox: 2.9/ 8, CW: 0.7/ 2


-Thursday’s Winners:
Survivor: Cook Islands (CBS), Deal or No Deal (NBC), Grey’s Anatomy (ABC), CSI (CBS), ER (NBC)

-Thursday’s Losers (excluding repeats)
Primetime Live (ABC)

----------

CBS
8:00 p.m. Survivor: Cook Islands
Viewers: 12.70 million (#1), Adults 18-49: 4.3/13 (#1)

9:00 p.m. CSI
Viewers: 17.13 million (#2), A18-49: 5.2/14 (#2)

10:00 p.m. Shark
Viewers: 12.32 million (#2), A18-49: 3.1/ 9 (#2)

---

ABC
8:00 p.m. Ugly Betty
Viewers: 8.73 million (#3), A18-49: 2.9/ 9 (#3)

9:00 p.m. Grey’s Anatomy (9-10 p.m. portion only)
Viewers: 18.46 million (#1), A18-49: 7.6/20 (#1)

10:30 p.m. Primetime Live
Viewers: 6.36 million (#3), A18-49: 2.4/ 7 (#3)
(Note: Due to the expanded Grey’s Anatomy lead-in, only the 10:30 p.m. portion of Primetime Live is being reported)

---

NBC
8:00 p.m. Deal or No Deal (two-hours)
Viewers: 11.56 million (#2), A18-49: 3.5/10 (#3)

10:00 p.m. ER
Viewers: 12.98 million (#1), A18-49: 5.0/14 (#1)

---

Fox:
8:00 p.m. Movie – “Spider-Man 2”
Viewers: 7.46 million (#4), A18-49: 2.9/ 8 (#4)

---

The CW
8:00 p.m. Smallville (R)
Viewers: 4.052.04 million (#5), A18-49: 0.9/ 2 (#5)

9:00 p.m. Supernatural (R)
Viewers: 1.38 million (#5), A18-49: 0.6/ 2 (#5)

Source: Nielsen Media Research data (R = repeat)

Marc I have a question, do you think networks should waste new programming on Thanksgiving? I know it is for sweeps period or do you think they should do repeats. I always keeping thinking these episodes could be saved for later because Thanksgiving is a low vieweing night. It seems Ugly Betty's audience was not watching last night. Grey's still did very very strong numbers. Grey's was awesome last night and Oh looks like a lock for an emmy right now. Marc what do you think do new programming or use repeats on Thanksgiving?

Wow, that is a season-low for Ugly Betty, and an ugly one at that (no pun intended). Clearly, networks need to learn that programming on and before Thanksgiving is not going to work.

Hey Jonnysbro. Sweeps or no sweeps, I think it is a total waste airing original programming on Thanksgiving given the lower HUT levels. The networks would be better served if they utilized these originals later in the season.

quote:

Originally posted by JONNYSBRO:
Marc I have a question, do you think networks should waste new programming on Thanksgiving? I know it is for sweeps period or do you think they should do repeats. I always keeping thinking these episodes could be saved for later because Thanksgiving is a low vieweing night. It seems Ugly Betty's audience was not watching last night. Grey's still did very very strong numbers. Grey's was awesome last night and Oh looks like a lock for an emmy right now. Marc what do you think do new programming or use repeats on Thanksgiving?

I think Betty's viewers were caught between turkey, recovery, and Deal or No Deal. 8pm is just too early on Thanksgiving night. Too bad, it was fantastic (I, uh, caught up on it this morning...)

Interesting that with Deal or No Deal back in the mix, Grey's whomped CSI in viewers (CSI also had a hugely promoted episode, so it's not just that it was a Grey's "event"). Speaking of DOND... what were the half-hour breakdowns (if anyone has them)?

Even on The CW, repeats don't work... that network doesn't have the money for year-round originals, but it can't air these repeats! 2.04 million for Smallvile and 1.38 for Supernatural!? Atrocious.

I still don't understand the point of airing new episodes on Thanksgiving. It's sweeps, sure, but it hurts the program averages. I mean... Betty was down about 5 million viewers and a whole point in 18-49!

Meanwhile, Fox had the right strategy (gotta be the first time anyone has said that so far this season...) It practically doubled up on its usual Thursday numbers with a movie!

quote:

Originally posted by TAYLORJNG:
Wow, that is a season-low for Ugly Betty, and an ugly one at that (no pun intended). Clearly, networks need to learn that programming on and before Thanksgiving is not going to work.

I think that Ugly Betty will rebound next week...but from my point of view Supernatural is far more concerning. Whereas Smallville hold steady @ approximately 4 million viewers...SN just had 1.38 million viewers which puts retention out of Smallville around 35%. Or do the Supernatural numbers happen to be a typo?

quote:

Or do the Supernatural numbers happen to be a typo?

I think the Smallville numbers are a typo. Marc put 4.05 (Top Model's viewers from Wednesday night) then 2.04. It think 2.04 is Smallville's number (would make sense if CW averaged 1.71 million viewers).

Yeah...its definitely a typo.

auuch...Ugly Betty...down down last nigth.

Im so glad for ER..GOOD EPISODE last nigth, but next week comback 30 ROCK and CSI..good ..EPISODE.

quote:

Yeah...its definitely a typo.

But whatever, right? Thanks for the numbers, Marc! Hope Thanksgiving was great for you your loved ones.

WOW, that heavily hyped Grey's Anatomy was at a season low. Ouch.

Yeah, no more programming on Thanksgiving.

quote:

Originally posted by TravisYanan:

quote:

Or do the Supernatural numbers happen to be a typo?

I think the Smallville numbers are a typo. Marc put 4.05 (Top Model's viewers from Wednesday night) then 2.04. It think 2.04 is Smallville's number (would make sense if CW averaged 1.71 million viewers).

Yeah, I was wondering about that too...Marc, what were the actual number for Smallville and Supernatural?

quote:

Originally posted by Artist:
WOW, that heavily hyped Grey's Anatomy was at a season low. Ouch.

Yeah, no more programming on Thanksgiving.

Well...but its numbers show that the fans are very devoted to the show. Grey's was just down a bit over 10% from its last airing whereas all other shows (with exception of ER) suffered more. Don't forget that the finals are not out yet and I can imagine that a lot of people tuned into the last 10 minutes of Grey's after CSI ended...so it should be up a few hundred thousand viewers once the finals are released.

I just mean one episode with 18 million viewers brings down the overall season average. I think all the networks would have been better served airing specials.

quote:

Originally posted by Artist:
I just mean one episode with 18 million viewers brings down the overall season average. I think all the networks would have been better served airing specials.

That is for shure...sweeps or no sweeps - wasting original programming on Thanksgiving doesn't seem a good idea to me either...and yes recap episodes of ABC's soap line-up would have been very effective...especially for Ugly Betty and Men in Trees.

Speaking of Men in Trees. Am I the only one who thinks that ABC is doing a terrible job on that move? If I were ABC I would have aired the MiT pilot last week after Grey's and a recap episode last night...but without that MiT will have a hard time in gaining viewers.