Prime-Time Ratings:
Monday 3/03/08
The following results are based on the fast affiliate ratings (Live Plus Same Day data)
-Total Viewers:
ABC: 11.21 million, NBC: 9.06, CBS: 8.22, Fox: 7.98, CW: 1.54
-Adults 18-49:
ABC and Fox: 3.1 rating/8 share each, NBC: 2.8/ 7, CBS: 2.6/ 7, CW: 0.7/ 2
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-Yesterday’s Winners:
20/20: The Royal Family (ABC), Two and a Half Men R (CBS), Deal or No Deal (NBC)
-Yesterday’s Losers (Excluding Repeats):
Welcome to the Captain (CBS), Pussycat Dolls Present: Girlicious (CW), October Road (ABC)
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-Ratings Breakdown:
A special edition of 20/20 focusing on the Royal Family led ABC to Monday victory, with a first-place finish in total viewers and a tie with Fox among adults 18-49. Anchored by Barbara Walters, the two-hour edition of 20/20 averaged a solid 14.16 million viewers and a 3.7 rating/10 share among adults 18-49 from 8-10 p.m., building in each half hour as follows:
20/20: The Royal Family (ABC)
8:00 p.m. Viewers: 14.20 million (#1), A18-49: 3.4/10 (#1)
8:30 p.m. Viewers: 14.75 million (#1), A18-49: 3.8/10 (#1)
9:00 p.m. Viewers: 14.22 million (#1), A18-49: 3.9/ 9 (#1)
9:30 p.m. Viewers: 13.46 million (#1), A18-49: 3.8/ 9 (#1)
Despite the ample lead-in support, ABC drama October Road still finished third from 10-11 p.m., with a mere 5.30 million viewers and a 2.0/ 5 among adults 18-49. Tick, tock…the cancellation clock is ticking!
CBS had what you could refer to as a typical Monday, with its combination of a repeat of How I Met Your Mother (Viewers: #4, 6.85 million; A18-49: #3t, 2.3/ 6), the waiting-to-be axed Welcome to the Captain (Viewers: #4, 5.63 million; A18-49: #4, 1.8/ 5), a repeat of Two and a Half Men (Viewers: #3, 9.91 million; A18-49: #2t, 3.2/ 8), The New Adventures of Old Christine (Viewers: #4, 8.24 million; A18-49: #4, 2.8/ 7), and a repeat of CSI: Miami (Viewers: #1, 9.36 million; A18-49: #2, 2.6/ 8). In terms of the sitcom battle of Old Christine versus Rules of Engagement for a spot Monday at 9:30 p.m. next season, here is how I answered a question emailed to me at last week’s live webcast:
CBS seems to be going back and forth on Mondays between sitcoms Rules of Engagement and The New Adventures of Old Christine. Of the two, which has the better chance of returning next season?
“In terms of quality, I have to say Old Christine is, hands down, a funnier show than Rules of Engagement. But since both half hours do not seem capable of ever being able to anchor a time period, it could be a draw. If midlevel How I Met Your Mother returns earlier in the evening (and because it needs that fourth season for off-network syndication, it probably will), CBS may want to free up the 9:30 p.m. time period for something completely new.”
In time period-premiere news, week three of NBC’s non-scripted My Dad is Better Than Your Dad moved into the 8 p.m. hour with a could be better/could be worse 7.27 million viewers (#3) and a 2.4/ 7 among adults 18-49 (#3). But Deal or No Deal, now Monday at 9 p.m., rose to 10.80 million viewers (#2) and a 3.1/ 8 among adults 18-49 (#3t) at 9 p.m. Drama Medium capped off the evening for NBC with 9.11 million viewers (#2) and a first-place 3.0/ 8 among adults 18-49, which could probably be better given that CSI: Miami is in repeats.
Over at Fox, the two-hour season-finale of Terminator: Sarah Connor Chronicles scored a respectable 7.98 million viewers (#4) and a 3.1/ 8 among adults 18-49 #2) from 8-10 p.m. While Sarah Connor is no 24, it is still worthy of a second season.
A repeat of the CW’s just renewed Gossip Girl opened the evening with just 1.39 million viewers and a 0.6/ 2 among adults 18-49 at 8 p.m., leading into another original installment of Pussycat Dolls Present: Girlicious at a very disappointing 1.69 million viewers and a 0.9/ 2 in the demo at 9 p.m. Personally, I think one season of the Pussycat Dolls would have been enough.
Source: Nielsen Media Research data