Prime-Time Ratings:
Wednesday 3/12/08

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

-Total Viewers:
Fox: 18.50 million, NBC: 9.91, CBS: 6.39, ABC: 5.95, CW: 2.60

-Adults 18-49:
Fox: 7.1 rating/19 share, NBC: 2.6/ 7, ABC: 2.1/ 6, CBS: 1.8/ 5, CW: 1.3/ 4

----------

-Yesterday’s Winners:
Deal or No Deal (NBC), The Moment of Truth (Fox), American Idol (Fox), Law & Order (NBC)

-Yesterday’s Losers (Excluding Repeats):
Big Brother (CBS), Men in Trees (ABC)

----------

-Ratings Breakdown:
Led by the live American Idol Results Show, Fox’s streak continued. In the distant No. 2 spot was NBC. Although American Idol was in a class of its own with a hefty 26.63 million viewers and a 10.1 rating/26 share among adults 18-49 at 9 p.m. (so long, David Hernandez -- I got it wrong!), also worthy of accolades on Fox was The Moment of Truth. The controversial game show kicked-off the evening first in the 8 p.m. hour, with 10.36 million viewers and a 4.2/12 in the demo. Second was NBC’s Deal or No Deal (Viewers: 10.17 million; A18-49: 2.5/ 8), followed by ABC’s Wife Swap (Viewers: 6.34 million; A18-49: 2.4/ 7), CBS’ Big Brother 9 (Viewers: 5.44 million; A18-49: 1.9/ 5) and deteriorating America’s Next Top Model on the CW (Viewers: 3.57 million; A18-49: 1.8/ 5). All five series were of a non-scripted nature!

To the more than one dozen readers, by the way, who emailed with an update on Big Brother yesterday -- thank you.

Tied for the distant No. 2 spot behind American Idol from 9-10 p.m. was NBC’s Law & Order: Criminal Intent (Viewers: #2, 7.87 million; A18-49: #3, 2.0/ 5) and Supernanny on ABC (Viewers: #4, 5.88 million; A18-49: #2, 2.3/ 6). Rounding off the hour was a repeat of CBS’ Criminal Intent (Viewers: #3, 7.37 million; A18-49: #4, 1.8/ 5) and a repeat of Pussycat Dolls: Girlicious on the CW (Viewers: #5, 1.63 million; A18-49: #5, 0.8/ 2). Damn that word repeat!

Top rated 10 p.m. honors went to NBC’s veteran Law & Order, with 11.68 million viewers and a 3.3/ 9 among adults 18-49. Comparably, growth out of lead-in Criminal Intent was a considerable 4.31 million viewers and 65 percent in the demo. Yes, Dick Wolf, it looks like your goal of outlasting the longest running scripted drama in the history of television, Gunsmoke, could very well come true.

Second at 10 p.m. was a repeat of CBS’ fading CSI: NY (Viewers: 6.37 million; A18-49: 1.9/ 5), followed by ABC’s relocated Men in Trees at 5.62 million viewers and a 1.7/ 5 in the demo. Does anyone even know that Men in Trees is back?

Source: Nielsen Media Research data

quote:

Second at 10 p.m. was a repeat of CBS’ fading CSI: NY (Viewers: 6.37 million; A18-49: 1.9/ 5), followed by ABC’s relocated Men in Trees at 5.62 million viewers and a 1.7/ 5 in the demo. Does anyone even know that Men in Trees is back?

And if Men in Trees airs and nobody sees it--does it make a sound? Heavy stuff.

The rumors of AI's demise have been greatly exaggerated. Good numbers for L/O. Really, I can't blame NBC for bringing it back next season.

quote:

The Moment of Truth kicked-off the evening first in the 8 p.m. hour, with 10.36 million viewers and a 4.2/12 in the demo.

Love it or Hate it, the show is doing well.

quote:

Tied for the distant No. 2 spot behind American Idol from 9-10 p.m. was NBC’s Law & Order: Criminal Intent (Viewers: #2, 7.87 million; A18-49: #3, 2.0/ 5) and a repeat of CBS’ Criminal Intent (Viewers: #3, 7.37 million; A18-49: #4, 1.8/ 5)

NBC needs to move L&O: CI to another night to help Marc out on Thursdays.

quote:

Originally posted by TV-aholic:

quote:

The Moment of Truth kicked-off the evening first in the 8 p.m. hour, with 10.36 million viewers and a 4.2/12 in the demo.

Love it or Hate it, the show is doing well.

Yeah, and they need to get Gov Spitzer on...it's the only way for him to fess up on all that he did. P.S. Kristen=cute.

I've supported BIG BROTHER 9 this season but I didn't appreciate being PLAYED like I was one of the houseguests by the promise of putting someone back in the house only to learn that ultimatly it was going to be up the the HG if anyone came back in and they wind up picking that freak with the Mohawk to return over the mystery guest+I got suspended at TWOP for encouraging people to vote Allison in and it was for nothing as neither Allison or anybody of the other sequestered HG got back in. Not smart to alientate the few loyal viewers BB9 has this year.

The Big Brother twist did prove to be disappointing when James was voted back in.

Kudos to the Moment of Truth on the decent numbers! Glad to see it doing so well.

Two game shows topping 10 mil in the same hour is somewhat surprising nowadays, and very good news for Moment of Truth. It may just be strong enough to replace Lyrics on Thursdays in the fall (with Lyrics shipping to Fridays or confined to summer/midseason?). But probably need to see some summer MoT numbers to be sure.

Law & Order: highest viewer number since the premiere. Everything NBC seemed to bounce back from last week's CI at 8, Deal at 9 debacle.

A quote from Leslie Moonves
from the article "CBS’ Leslie Moonves Eyes Acquisitions' by broadcastingcable.com

The CBS chief was defensive about the network’s older viewers, chastising rival networks for favoring the 18-year-old consumer over the 50-year-old. He derisively noted seeing a reference to “upscale” 18- to 34-year-olds: “The only 18-34 upscale people I know are my children, and they come to me when they want to buy a car … It’s a bullshit demographic.”

Similarly, Moonves said the notion that the older demo was set in its ways in terms of purchases was “a great old wives’ tale. We think the boomer is still where the money is and where we want to go.”

quote:

Originally posted by Hawk-eye:
The rumors of AI's demise have been greatly exaggerated. Good numbers for L/O. Really, I can't blame NBC for bringing it back next season.

Yep Last years first Tuesday of the top 12 got almost identical viewers and the first elimination had 1 million less viewers last season (and that was only 30 minutes). I do think this years finalists are definitely more diverse and I no longer think David A. is a shoo in to win the whole thing. That should keep interest fairly high, whereas last year ratings really fell throughout the latter half of the season (dropping below 24 million at times)

quote:

Originally posted by xwiseguyx:
The Big Brother twist did prove to be disappointing when James was voted back in.

Kudos to the Moment of Truth on the decent numbers! Glad to see it doing so well.

Not sure if true, but read on another board that a lot of viewers have cancelled their online subscription. who knows if enough people cancel/or send nasty emails the next twist may be to send the person in anyway..it was pretty silly last night though, really what was the point?

Wow, BB has some big issues when it can't even beat Wife Swap AND it demo falls vs. when it's against Idol. Eek.

quote:

Originally posted by tvchtw:

quote:

Originally posted by Hawk-eye:
The rumors of AI's demise have been greatly exaggerated. Good numbers for L/O. Really, I can't blame NBC for bringing it back next season.

Yep Last years first Tuesday of the top 12 got almost identical viewers and the first elimination had 1 million less viewers last season (and that was only 30 minutes). I do think this years finalists are definitely more diverse and I no longer think David A. is a shoo in to win the whole thing. That should keep interest fairly high, whereas last year ratings really fell throughout the latter half of the season (dropping below 24 million at times)

AI sort of caught its second wind a couple of weeks ago -- if the networks had new hit shows to slot against it, they could have had a shot to weaken it, but the "cavalry" is arriving a few weeks too late. Still, it'll be interesting to see how Dancing with the stars does on the same night, if not directly against it, this coming Tuesday. But unless ABC, CBS, and NBC schedule more aggressively on Tuesdays and Wednesdays, this juggernaut will continue to dominate. Perhaps NCIS on tuesdays and Criminal Minds on Wednesdays will take a couple of million away once they return with new episodes. But ABC is completely punting any direct competition with Idol.

I don't throw this phrase around usually but Big Brother jumped the shark last night. Playing the audience and wasting the whole last week. People are pissed.