Prime-Time Ratings:
Thursday 2/19/09

-Total Viewers:
CBS: 13.92 million, ABC: 11.47, Fox: 8.04, NBC: 6.24, CW: 2.12

-Adults 18-49:
ABC: 4.2 rating/11 share, CBS: 3.9/10, Fox: 3.0/ 8, NBC: 2.5/ 7, CW: 0.8/ 2

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-Yesterday’s Winners:
Survivor: Tocantins (CBS), CSI (CBS), Grey’s Anatomy (ABC), Private Practice (ABC)

-Honorable Mention:
Bones (Fox), Hell’s Kitchen (Fox)

-Yesterday’s Losers (excluding repeats):
My Name is Earl (NBC), Kath & Kim (NBC), ER (NBC)

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-Ratings Breakdown:
It was another Thursday of split leadership, with CBS the most-watched network and ABC No. 1 among adults 18-49. Third overall was Fox, followed by NBC and the CW.

Episode two of CBS’ Survivor: Tocantins dominated the 8 p.m. hour, with a healthy 13.67 million viewers and a 4.5 rating/12 share among adults 18-49. Needless to say, we have someone new this season to hate: Coach. Second in the time period was Fox’s underrated Bones at 9.50 million viewers and a 2.9/ 8 in the demo. Comparably, this is a vast improvement demographically from former occupant Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader?

Rounding off the 8-9 p.m. hour was ABC’s hiatus-bound Ugly Betty (Viewers: #3, 7.65 million; A18-49: #4, 2.3/ 6), NBC sitcoms My Name is Earl (Viewers: #4, 5.93 million; A18-49: #3, 2.6/ 7) and departing Kath & Kim (Viewers: #4, 5.13 million; A18-49: #4, 2.2/ 6), and a repeat of the CW’s Smallville (Viewers: #5, 2.28 million; A18-49: #5, 0.9/ 2). One look at the promos for upcoming Amy Poehler sitcom Parks and Recreation and it is painfully obvious that the humor will appeal to only a small core audience. Doesn’t NBC realize this?

Tied for first from 9-10 p.m. was CBS’ CSI and Grey’s Anatomy on ABC as follows:

Thursday 9 p.m.
CSI (CBS)
Viewers: 16.85 million (#1), A18-49: 4.4/11 (#2)

Grey’s Anatomy (ABC)
Viewers: 15.38 million (#2), A18-49: 5.8/14 (#1)

Although there was some expected defections following William Petersen’s departure, what was very noticeable about CSI was how it did not build from lead-in Survivor among adults 18-49.

Also airing in the 9 p.m. hour was loud Hell’s Kitchen on Fox (Viewers: #3, 6.58 million; A18-49: #3, 3.2/ 8), which built from lead-in Bones by 10 percent in the demo, repeats of NBC’s The Office (Viewers: #4, 5.84 million; A18-49: #4, 2.7/ 7) and 30 Rock (Viewers: #4, 4.85 million; A18-49: #4, 2.1/ 5), and a repeat of Supernatural on the CW (Viewers: #5, 1.97 million; A18-49: #5. 0.8/ 2). Keep in mind that the start of the February 2009 sweeps is March 5, hence all the non-originals.

The recent two crossover episodes from parent Grey’s Anatomy has, no doubt, benefited Private Practice, with this stand-alone episode first with 11.37 million viewers and a 4.4/12 among adults 18-49. The retention out of Grey’s Anatomy was respectable at 74 percent in total viewers and 76 percent in the demo. Rounding off the time period was CBS’ hiatus bound Eleventh Hour (Viewers: #2, 11.23 million; A18-49: #2t, 2.7/ 7), which has minimal chance of renewal for 2009-10, and NBC’s veteran ER (Viewers: #3, 7.44 million; A18-49: #2t, 2.7/ 7), which featured the return of Noah Wyle. Hey Noah…remember how much stronger the ratings were when you were a regular on ER?

Source: Nielsen Media Research data

CSI is bleeding. Good for PP but i think it'll go down to pre-crossover numbers later in the season

A round of applause to Survivor for that demo number. This show is aging very well and still seems fresh with the new cast.

It looks like ABC did pull Private Practice out of its nosedive, but the real test will be in coming weeks now that the audience is aware that the 'crossover' stuff is done.

ER was fantastic last night. Welcome back Noah Wyle.

Line of the night on ER: women: you can't live with them and you can't shoot them. Now, before anyone tells me how old that line is or how unfunny it is, think for a moment about the context: the line was said to a kid whose mom shot his dad to death. I hope the writers did that intentionally.

I don't watch Grey's but wasn't last night the last night of the crossover? Or atleast that's what ABC was advertising all week with those ridiculously over the top "Doctor or God?" commercials

quote:

Originally posted by robert:
CSI is bleeding. Good for PP but i think it'll go down to pre-crossover numbers later in the season

And PP was touted as a crossover but it wasn't really. The storyline was wrapped up on Grey's and only Addison appeared on Grey's this week before going back to PP. There wasn't really any reason for loyal Grey's viewers to tune into PP this week

Hmmm look at that. Reruns of NBC's 9 p.m. comedies were up against CSI AND Grey's AND Hell's Kitchen and still scored higher demos that Old Christine got on Wednesday.

quote:

Originally posted by robert:
CSI is bleeding. Good for PP but i think it'll go down to pre-crossover numbers later in the season

It was the first PP post crossover episode, but not GA's. I would expect it go down too, and hurt PP in the process.

quote:

Fox’s underrated Bones

quote:

One look at the promos for upcoming Amy Poehler sitcom Parks and Recreation and it is painfully obvious that the humor will appeal to only a small core audience. Doesn’t NBC realize this?

OK, lets judge a show by a 30 second promo. Great idea.

Private Practice is really hurting ER.

CSI needs a boost.

quote:

I don't watch Grey's but wasn't last night the last night of the crossover? Or atleast that's what ABC was advertising all week with those ridiculously over the top "Doctor or God?" commercials

I saw them also, last night was still promoted as crossover for Practice it was not a standalone. Once that is over I think it will go back to where it was. What are the half hours for Practice?

quote:

NBC’s veteran ER (Viewers: #3, 7.44 million; A18-49: #2t, 2.7/ 7), which featured the return of Noah Wyle. Hey Noah…remember how much stronger the ratings were when you were a regular on ER?

Anyone who follows ratings data knows that ER gets a tiny fraction of the ratings it got in its heyday. Why such an idiotic statement?

ER should have ended three years ago.

quote:

Originally posted by lopez:
Private Practice is really hurting ER.

quote:

One look at the promos for upcoming Amy Poehler sitcom Parks and Recreation and it is painfully obvious that the humor will appeal to only a small core audience. Doesn’t NBC realize this?

Hey - didn't you just write somewhere else that you dismissed Cheers based on the concept? Hmmmm.
As for PP, 74% is not really that impressive considering it was a crossover. WAT did much better with it's crossover with CSI as I recall.

Perhaps they can do a crossover with Life On Mars for sweeps.

FOX Winning Week 22 in A18-49, But ABC Has Oscar Up It's Sleeve

After four nights of Week 22, FOX holds a sizeable lead over all the other nets in A18-49 with a 5.88 average. CBS is in second with a 3.28 average, while ABC is just behind in third with a 3.18 average. NBC sits in fourth with a 2.65 average, Univision is fifth with 1.83, The CW is sixth with a 0.50, and MyNetworkTV just a bit behind with 0.34.

In viewers, FOX leads with an average of 15,980,000 viewers, while CBS is second, ABC third, NBC fourth, Univision fifth, The CW is in sixth and MyNetworkTV in seventh.

CBS and ABC are the only networks showing improvements in both demo and viewers over last season, and overall, the seven networks are even in viewers (down -5% in demo) from the same week last season (which was a Sweep week with mostly original programming on offer).

Week 22, Four Nights (2 Finals, 2 FASTnats)
# Network A18-49 (%YOY) Millions of Viewers (%YOY)
====================================================
1. FOX 5.88  (-27%)  15.980 (-23%)
2. CBS 3.28  (+30%)  12.856 (+48%)
3. ABC 3.18  (+44%)   8.528 (+26%) 
4. NBC 2.65  (-11%)   7.275 (-18%)
5. UNI 1.83  (-11%)   4.687 (even)
6. CW  0.50  (-53%)   1.246 (-48%) 
7. MNT 0.34  (-29%)   1.090 (-17%) <- 3 nights

YOY = Year-Over-Year increase/decrease to same week last year.

Year-Over-Year 7-Network Demo/Viewer Growth(+)/Erosion(-)
Night A18-49 +/- Viewers +/-
=========================================================
Week 22:
--------
Monday:       A: +10% V:  +9% final
Tuesday:      A:  -1% V: +10% final
Wednesday:    A: -15% V: -10% prelim
Thursday:     A: -13% V:  -8% prelim

Week-to-Date: A:  -5%  V: even