Note: Any prior rating results are based on the final nationals. Since the level of DVR penetration has increased from 20 percent at this same point last year to approximately 28 percent at present, the overall results may be negatively impacted.
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-Friday’s Winners: Ghost Whisperer (CBS)
-Down but Not Out: Numb3rs (CBS)
-Disappointing: The Ex List (CBS), Supernanny (ABC), Don’t Forget the Lyrics (Fox)
-Friday’s Losers (excluding repeats): Wife Swap (ABC), America’s Toughest Jobs (NBC), Everybody Hates Chris (CW), The Game (CW), Life (NBC)
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-Ratings Breakdown: CBS led this very uneventful second Friday of the 2008-09 season, with a first-place finish in households, total viewers and adults 18-49. Even so, barely 8 million viewers and a mere 2.2 rating/ 7 share in the demo is nothing to boast about. Since last Friday featured the first presidential debate, this week included one series-premiere (CBS’ The Ex List) and six season premieres on the evening. The biggest loser was the CW, which is now paying the price for letting old faithful Friday Night Smackdown! slip out of its hands.
The fourth season-premiere of CBS’ Ghost Whisperer won the 8 p.m. hour, with 9.31 million viewers and a 2.5 rating/9 share among adults 18-49 -- the most-watched show and highest rated in the demo of the evening. Compared to one year earlier (Viewers: 8.91 million; A18-49: 2.5/ 9 on Oct. 5, 2007) that was an increase of 400,000 viewers. In the battle of the three non-scripted programs from 8-9 p.m., Fox’s Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader? had the advantage, delivering more viewers than the fifth season-premiere of ABC’s relocated Wife Swap and squashing America’s Toughest Jobs on NBC, which is moving Saturday at 8 p.m. on Oct. 18. Take a look:
Friday 8 p.m. Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader? (Fox) Viewers: 5.81 million (#2), A18-49: 1.3/ 5 (#2t)
Wife Swap (ABC) – season premiere Viewers: 3.76 million (#3), A18-49: 1.3/ 5 (#2t)
America’s Toughest Jobs (NBC) Viewers: 3.42 million (#4), A18-49: 1.0/ 3 (#4)
Needless to say, this was a massive loss of audience for Wife Swap compared to last season. Last, and very least, were the season-premieres of the CW’s relocated Everybody Hates Chris (Viewers: 2.10 million; A18-49: 0.8/ 3), which has completely lost its creative juice, and The Game (Viewers: 1.91 million; A18-49: 0.8/ 3). The CW should never have let Smackdown! move to MyNetworkTV.
The series-premiere of CBS’ The Ex List won the 9 p.m. hour, with 6.85 million viewers and a 2.0/ 6 among adults 18-49. But the retention out of lead-in Ghost Whisperer was disappointing at 74 percent in total viewers and 80 percent in the demo. Failed year-ago occupant Moonlight was stronger at 8.04 million viewers and a 2.2/ 7 among adults 18-49 on Oct. 5, 2007. And slippage in the second half hour was 720,000 viewers (7.21 to 6.49 million) and five percent in the demo (2.1/ 7 to 2.0/ 6). While The Ex List did dominate, it was a disappointment and proves just how troubled Friday night is.
Second overall in the 9 p.m. hour was NBC’s Deal or No Deal (Viewers: 6.26 million; A18-49: 1.5/ 5), which is not benefiting by revealing what happens later in the game (is this idiotic, or what?), followed by the fifth season-premiere of ABC’s relocated Supernanny and Fox’s Don’t Forget the Lyrics, which tied for the No. 3 and 4 spots. Take a look:
Friday 9 p.m. Supernanny (ABC) – season premiere Viewers: 4.20 million (#4), A18-49: 1.5/ 5 (#3)
Don’t Forget the Lyrics (Fox) Viewers: 4.41 million (#3), A18-49: 1.4/ 4 (#4)
Although growth for Supernanny out of Wife Swap of 440,000 viewers and 15 percent among adults 18-49 keeps it off the loser’s list, this is still considerably below its performance from last season. And Don’t Forget the Lyrics is a disappointment too. Capping off the 9 p.m. hour was a repeat of the CW’s America’s Next Top Model (which does not play well in encores like the network says) at 1.49 million viewers and a 0.7/ 2 among adults 18-49.
CBS remained the top-rated network at 10 p.m., with the fifth season-premiere of Numb3rs at 8.13 million viewers and a 2.1/ 7 among adults 18-49. But one year earlier, the results were considerably stronger at 9.76 million viewers and a 2.8/ 9 in the demo. Next was ABC’s veteran 20/20 (Viewers: 6.81 million; A18-49: 1.9/ 6), followed by the time period-premiere of NBC’s Life at 5.44 million viewers and a 1.7/ 5 in the demo. Comparably, Life dipped from former occupant Las Vegas (Viewers: 7.48 million; A18-49: 2.2/ 7 on Oct. 5, 2007) by 2.04 million viewers and 23 percent in the demo. The network would have been better off bringing Las Vegas back.
The unfortunate reality of Friday is the growing similarities to Saturday, which the Big 3 no longer cares about. Let’s just hope that the networks do not also eventually give up on Friday.
Source: Nielsen Media Research data
This message has been edited. Last edited by: Marc Berman,
Unfortunately it looks like they will give up on Friday's in masse with these results.
Anyone know when we will get numbers for the relocated WWE, I never paid any attention to what effect its move from UPN to the Cw had on it, so I ma curious to see how this move will effect it.
Wow, the night overall was terrible. Only Ghost Whisperer produced really good numbers.
Ex-List came in DOA. Those numbers are premiering way too low. Losing ratings through the half hour is not a good sign either. CBS has another Moonlight here where viewers abandoned and came back for Numbers. The Mentalist produced higher ratings in repeat mode than Ex List. That is not good.
Talking about Numbers, what happened to it? Those numbers are way off where they should be.
CW is absolutely dead on Fridays. Both EHC and The Game came in way too low. However, they did rate better than Privileged.
Wife Swap/Supernanny also came in DOA. Those are way off the numbers it should be getting.
AYSTA5thG and DFTL are both way too low also, especially DFTL.
NBC should do better moving ATJ to Saturdays. DOND did decently, but its demos are low. Life is really low, but it grew in the demos from DOND.
It is hard to believe that powerhouses like The Dukes of Hazzard, Dallas and Miami Vice once aired on Friday.
quote:
Originally posted by WlcmLAPD: Wow, the night overall was terrible. Only Ghost Whisperer produced really good numbers.
Ex-List came in DOA. Those numbers are premiering way too low. Losing ratings through the half hour is not a good sign either. CBS has another Moonlight here where viewers abandoned and came back for Numbers. The Mentalist produced higher ratings in repeat mode than Ex List. That is not good.
Talking about Numbers, what happened to it? Those numbers are way off where they should be.
CW is absolutely dead on Fridays. Both EHC and The Game came in way too low. However, they did rate better than Privileged.
Wife Swap/Supernanny also came in DOA. Those are way off the numbers it should be getting.
AYSTA5thG and DFTL are both way too low also, especially DFTL.
NBC should do better moving ATJ to Saturdays. DOND did decently, but its demos are low. Life is really low, but it grew in the demos from DOND.
I thought The Ex-List pilot was fine. I actually think Reaser makes a very charming leading lady. And from what I read, people were pretty impressed by how cute and down to earth the show was. I don't think those numbers are good for a premiere, but they would be decent if they remained the same throughout the season. By the sound of how people reacted to it, I wouldn't be surprised if it kept this audience.
While those CW numbers are nothing to crow about when compared to Smackdown's performance there before, I think Everybody Hates Chris and The Game actually did well compared to last season when they constantly got 0.4 and 0.5 in the demo. 0.8 is basically a double in the demo for Chris. And I actually found the premiere funny, as opposed to Marc.
This is the exact same argument Moonlight fans had last year. It's like deja vu.
2.0 is not a good number for scripted shows, unless it is a co-production or extremely cheap (only Flashpoint qualifies for CBS). If it keeps a 2, that might keep it until December but not much more.
quote:
Originally posted by robert: Not as bad as i thought for EX-List. Let's wait next week. If it stays at 2 in demos it may survive longer than i thought
Originally posted by WlcmLAPD: This is the exact same argument Moonlight fans had last year. It's like deja vu.
2.0 is not a good number for scripted shows, unless it is a co-production or extremely cheap (only Flashpoint qualifies for CBS). If it keeps a 2, that might keep it until December but not much more.
quote:
Originally posted by robert: Not as bad as i thought for EX-List. Let's wait next week. If it stays at 2 in demos it may survive longer than i thought
If it gets 2 at least will air all the filmed episodes. I didn't say it's gonna get renwed. It's just that i expected (and still expect) this show to be cancleed after 3-4 episodes.
Originally posted by robert: Marc, this show is one of the most women oriented i've ever seen. We're not women.
It definitely was female oreinted. But, as a gay man, I thought it was quite funny and I could relate. I know....being majorly stereotypical right now. I just miss the days of seeing a nice, female oriented show on tv that is about love and dating.
