Prime-Time Ratings:
Tuesday 3/25/08
The following results are based on the fast affiliate ratings (Live Plus Same Day data)
-Total Viewers:
Fox: 20.99 million, ABC: 12.67, NBC: 8.06, CBS: 7.11, CW: 1.64
-Adults 18-49:
Fox: 8.3 rating/21 share, ABC: 3.0/ 8, NBC: 2.9/ 8, CBS: 2.0/ 5, CW: 0.7/ 2
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-Ratings Breakdown:
Fox, of course, led the Tuesday troops care of American Idol, which averaged a hefty (but below average) 24.38 million viewers and a 9.6 rating/24 share among adults 18-49 from 8-9:30 p.m. Here is the half-hour breakdown:
American Idol (Fox)
8:00 p.m. Viewers: 22.24 million, A18-49: 8.7/24
8:30 p.m. Viewers: 25.38 million, A18-49: 9.9/25
9:00 p.m. Viewers: 25.53 million, A18-49: 10.1/24
Amazing that 24.38 million viewers is below average! As for the show itself, here are my picks for tonight’s bottom three: Chikezie, Ramiele Malubay and Carly Smithson. Although I would love to see deer-in-headlights Jason Castro sent packing (John Travolta…is that you in there?), and am tired of “gosh-golly” David Archuleta, let’s be honest here. Chikezie was a snore last night, Ramiele is weaker than perennial bottom three occupant Kristy Lee Cook, and I am not necessarily sure artsy Carly appeals to middle America. We’ll see what happens tonight.
American Idol led into an original installment of ‘Til Death, which dipped to 10.82 million viewers (#2) and a 4.6/11 among adults 18-49 (#1) at 9:30 p.m. Retention out of the last half-hour of American Idol was just 42 percent in total viewers and 46 percent in the demo.
ABC was also on the map last night care of the live Dancing With the Stars results show, which scored a healthy 17.19 million viewers and a 3.8/ 9 among adults 18-49 from 9-10 p.m., building by half-hour as follows:
Dancing With the Stars (ABC)
9:00 p.m. Viewers: 14.97 million (#2), A18-49: 3.1/ 7 (#2t)
9:30 p.m. Viewers: 19.41 million (#1), A18-49: 4.4/11 (#2)
Keep in mind, of course, that American Idol ended at 9 p.m. As for the departures of Monica Seles (doesn’t she look like Celine Dion?) and Penn Gillette, neither was a surprise.
Earlier in the evening on ABC was a Dancing With the Stars recap, which averaged 10.43 million viewers (#2) and a third-place 2.1/ 6 among adults 18-49 from 8-9 p.m. Newsmagazine Primetime: What Would You Do? got a boost airing out of Dancing With the Stars, with a dominant 10.40 million viewers and a 3.2/ 9 among adults 18-49 at 10 p.m.
Despite facing the killer combination of American Idol and Dancing With the Stars, another two-hour edition of NBC’s The Biggest Loser 5 scored a consistent 7.86 million viewers and a 3.1/ 8 among adults 18-49 from 8-10 p.m., building in each half-hour as follows:
The Biggest Loser 5 (NBC)
8:00 p.m. Viewers: 6.87 million (#4), A18-49: 2.4/ 7 (#2)
8:30 p.m. Viewers: 6.97 million (#4), A18-49: 2.8/ 7 (#2)
9:00 p.m. Viewers: 7.79 million (#3), A18-49: 3.1/ 8 (#2t)
9:30 p.m. Viewers: 9.82 million (#3), A18-49: 3.9/10 (#3)
That led into a repeat of Law & Order: SVU at a second-place 8.54 million viewers and a 2.6/ 7 among adults 18-49 at 10 p.m.
CBS got off to a respectable start with a repeat of NCIS at 9.40 million viewers (#3) and a 1.9/ 5 among adults 18-49 (#4) at 8 p.m. But the news was bleak for the Eye net from 9-11 p.m. with its combination of Big Brother 9 (Viewers: #4, 5.95 million; A18-49: #4, 2.2/ 5) and the series-finale of Jericho (Viewers: #3, 5.99 million; A18-49: #3, 1.9/ 5), which would have had a better chance of survival if the network put it back in the Wednesday 8 p.m. hour.
Last, and very least, was CW duo Beauty and the Geek (Viewers: 1.62 million; A18-49: 0.7/ 2) and a repeat of Reaper (Viewers: 1.67 million; A18-49: 0.6/ 2). Worth noting – or really not noting – last night was 73 percent of the schedule of a non-scripted nature. Idol, Dancing With the Stars, Big Brother, The Biggest Loser and Beauty and the Geek is just too much on one evening.
Source: Nielsen Media Research data
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