Prime-Time Ratings:
Monday 3/30/09

-Total Viewers:
ABC: 16.76 million, CBS: 11.86, Fox: 11.70, NBC: 6.40, CW: 2.38

-Adults 18-49:
Fox: 4.2 rating/11 share, CBS: 4.1/11, ABC: 4.0/10, NBC: 2.5/ 7, CW: 1.1/ 3

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-Yesterday’s Winners:
Dancing With the Stars (ABC), Two and a Half Men (CBS), House (Fox), CSI: Miami (CBS)

-Honorable Mention:
The Big Bang Theory (CBS), How I Met Your Mother (CBS)

Disappointing:
Castle (ABC)

-Yesterday’s Losers (Excluding Repeats):
Chuck (NBC), Gossip Girl (CW), Heroes (NBC), One Tree Hill (CW)

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-Ratings Breakdown:
Led by Dancing With the Stars, ABC was the most-watched network on this final Monday in March. But Fox dominated among adults 18-49, with just 0.2 rating points separating Fox, CBS and ABC in the demo. Fourth in both categories was NBC, followed by the CW, which is not exactly setting the word on fire with its combination of Gossip Girl (Viewers: #5, 2.48 million; W18-34: #4, 2.7/ 7) and One Tree Hill (Viewers: #5, 2.29 million; W18-34: #5, 2.4/ 6). Notice that I used women 18-34 because this is the CW’s target demo. And notice the fourth and fifth-place time period finishes in the demo.

ABC stalwart Dancing With the Stars averaged a hefty 20.23 million viewers, with a 4.8 rating/12 share among adults 18-49 from 8-10 p.m., building by half-hour as follows:

Dancing With the Stars (ABC)
8:00 p.m. – Viewers: 17.53 million (#1), A18-49: 3.8/11 (#2t)
8:30 p.m. – Viewers: 20.09 million (#1), A18-49: 4.7/12 (#2)
9:00 p.m. – Viewers: 21.41 million (#1), A18-49: 5.3/13 (#1)
9:30 p.m. – Viewers: 21.88 million (#1), A18-49: 5.4/13 (#1)

Effective next Monday, Dancing With the Stars will air for only 90-minutes, leading into the debut of new sitcom Surviving Suburbia (which was originally scheduled on the CW on Sundays last fall). Surviving Suburbia features Full House Dad Bob Saget and former Men in Trees co-star Cynthia Stevenson as a couple married for 20 years with two kids.

As for the double elimination on Dancing With the Stars tonight, while I wish it was Steve-O and Steve Wozniak, the Apple co-founder and Playboy’s Holly Madison are likely to be going home tonight. There is just no way Steve Wozniak will survive another week.

Dancing With the Stars led into week four of drama Castle, which looks like it has settled with 9.81 million viewers (#2) and a 2.5/ 7 among adults 18-49 (#2t) at 10 p.m. Retention out of the last half-hour of lead-in Dancing With the Stars was weak at just 45 percent in total viewers and 46 percent among adults 18-49.

CBS had a typically respectable Monday with its combination of The Big Bang Theory (Viewers: #3, 9.76 million; A18-49: #2t, 3.8/11), How I Met Your Mother (Viewers: #3, 9.23 million; A18-49: #2, 3.9/10), Two and a Half Men (Viewers: #2, 14.44 million; A18-49: #2, 5.1/12), Rules of Engagement (Viewers: #3, 10.99 million; A18-49: #2, 4.1/10) and CSI: Miami (Viewers: #1, 13.36 million; A18-49: #1, 3.9/10). The next time someone tells you the sitcom is “dead,” remind them of The Big Bang Theory, the funniest show currently on the air. Rules of Engagement, meanwhile, remains an improvement from former occupant Worst Week.

Fox’s aforementioned win among adults 18-49 comes as a result of House (Viewers: #2, 12.19 million; A18-49: #1, 4.7/13) and 24 (Viewers: #3, 11.21 million; A18-49: #3, 3.7/ 9). And struggling NBC capped off the evening with Chuck (Viewers: #4, 5.62 million; A18-49: #4, 2.0/ 6), Heroes (Viewers: #4, 6.32 million; A18-49: #4, 3.1/ 7) and Medium (Viewers: #3, 7.26 million; A18-49: #2t, 2.5/ 7).

Source: Nielsen Media Research data

quote:

Dancing With the Stars led into week four of drama Castle, which looks like it has settled with 9.81 million viewers (#2) and a 2.5/ 7 among adults 18-49 (#2t) at 10 p.m. Retention out of the last half-hour of lead-in Dancing With the Stars was weak at just 45 percent in total viewers and 46 percent among adults 18-49.

And let's recall that just last week, Castle went from a 2.7 to a 2.5 in the demo, once the finals were out. So maybe a bit soon to talk about 'settling'. The pattern seems to be that it plateaus--then the bottom drops out again.

quote:

Originally posted by pisher:

quote:

Dancing With the Stars led into week four of drama Castle, which looks like it has settled with 9.81 million viewers (#2) and a 2.5/ 7 among adults 18-49 (#2t) at 10 p.m. Retention out of the last half-hour of lead-in Dancing With the Stars was weak at just 45 percent in total viewers and 46 percent among adults 18-49.

And let's recall that just last week, Castle went from a 2.7 to a 2.5 in the demo, once the finals were out. So maybe a bit soon to talk about 'settling'. The pattern seems to be that it plateaus--then the bottom drops out again.

And it may well get "unsettled" next week with the scedule change taking place at 9:30pm

And what's more, it's now tied for second place in the demo with Medium--and it's only a three horse race.

MEDIUM - it appears some viewers returned from last week. Good tidings may be ahead as it gets to counterpro the NCAA title game next week with MIAMI down, possible or probable declines for CASTLE, and the upcoming changes in the NBC sked down the road which will get the incompatible HEROES out of its way.

I know HUT levels are lower but i'm still surprised BBT loses to HIMYM in demos

GG grew very little without Secret Life,

Dancing had its best episode of the season last night as it was finally interesting after I had been bored with it. Too bad Denise is gone though b/c I can't stand Melissa reality TV star lookin' ass.

Castle looks to have officially settled at that 10 million viewer mark. Not too much Castle can do against The Tiffany Network powerhouse Miami. I really hope Surviving Suburbia makes a good impression next week as it can save the sitcom genre on network television but the NCAA Championship will be major competition for it and Rules after that.

HIMYM had its funniest episode of the season and the whole Tiffany Network Monday lineup was LOL!

The Peacock continues to be pathetic as those numbers were super low and I mean super low. It would be a joke if they don't renew Knight Rider at this point. The last airing beat Chuck numbers last night.

CW Monday has gotten pathetic as Secret Life's season ended last week and there should be no more excuses. Time to get rid of the whole network.

Rule of Engagement deserves honorable mention if BBT and How I Met are on the list.

quote:

Originally posted by pisher:

quote:

Dancing With the Stars led into week four of drama Castle, which looks like it has settled with 9.81 million viewers (#2) and a 2.5/ 7 among adults 18-49 (#2t) at 10 p.m. Retention out of the last half-hour of lead-in Dancing With the Stars was weak at just 45 percent in total viewers and 46 percent among adults 18-49.

And let's recall that just last week, Castle went from a 2.7 to a 2.5 in the demo, once the finals were out. So maybe a bit soon to talk about 'settling'. The pattern seems to be that it plateaus--then the bottom drops out again.

Especially with the half-hour results this week going form a 3.0 to a 2.1 while last week was a 3.0 to a 2.4 in the prelims.

24 - good uptick to typical levels this season after a slight drop last week.

While alot of talk has centered on Annie Wersching's "Rene'" character, I think the new character who most figures to be decisive in whatever the outcome is would be the president's daughter, Olivia. What's on her mind? President Taylor is showing an awful lot of trust in her for someone who, literally, the previous "day" she was at odds with.

quote:

Castle looks to have officially settled at that 10 million viewer mark.

It's officially BELOW 10mil, with poor demo, on a network that prizes demo above all else--it wouldn't qualify as a hit even on CBS.

And after just a few weeks, and several significant drops, it's premature to talk about settling--for one thing, it's going to have to air without DWTS backing it up at some point.

Disappointing, as Marc says--and things can only get worse. Not better.

quote:

Originally posted by robert:
I know HUT levels are lower but i'm still surprised BBT loses to HIMYM in demos

You answered your own question. If they switched time slots BBT would get about .3 higher in the demo at 8:30, and HIMYM would get about .3 lower in the demo at 8:00. Do the math, and BBT would be way ahead.

Also, look at the shares, BBT got an 11 share in the demo and HIMYM got a 10 share. It simply means less 18-49 year olds are watching at 8:00 than at 8:30.

quote:

Originally posted by pisher:

quote:

Castle looks to have officially settled at that 10 million viewer mark.

It's officially BELOW 10mil, with poor demo, on a network that prizes demo above all else--it wouldn't qualify as a hit even on CBS.

And after just a few weeks, and several significant drops, it's premature to talk about settling--for one thing, it's going to have to air without DWTS backing it up at some point.

Disappointing, as Marc says--and things can only get worse. Not better.

Next week, indeed, will be very telling with DWTS no longer in the 9:30pm half hour. Who knows how Surviving Suburbia will do (I've got an idea, though...!) but without that big lead-in directly behind it, there's only one direction Castle can be expected to continue going. And history has shown once ABC puts a buffer comedy between DWTS and the 10pm drama on Mondays, the 10pm drama sinks.

Reviews from what I watched last nite:

TBBT - yes, funny. One little detail: when the new neighbor actress said she was going out for her role on CSI, she said she needed a ride to "Universal." ???

24 - fairly decent, although I'm a little more into the politcal drama at the top then these action confrontations.

MEDIUM - creative, funny, and a fairly good whodunit. It was fairly clear from the beginning the other couple was implicated, but the "how" of that took awhile to unravel. Not exactly your "paint by the numbers" procedural.

Hi! Brand new poster to this forum but have been lurking here for quite a while. Wanted to mention that in Denver, the CW channel has shifted their programming an hour in order to air a 7:00PM (MDT) newscast. So any CW ratings would be affected by this shift. Sure, Denver isn't a HUGE market, but it could be enough of a difference for shows like Reaper and Smallville.