Prime-Time Ratings:
Thursday 10/11/07
The following results are based on the fast affiliate ratings (Live Plus Same Day data)
-Total Viewers:
CBS: 15.75 million, ABC: 12.75, NBC: 8.17, Fox: 6.88, CW: 3.99
-Adults 18-49:
ABC: 5.0 rating/13 share, CBS: 4.7/12, NBC: 3.7/10, Fox: 2.1/ 5, CW: 1.5/ 4
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Note: Any prior rating results are based on the final nationals. Also, since the level of DVR penetration has increased from 9 percent in early 2006-07 to approximately 20 percent at present, the overall results may be negatively impacted.
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-Yesterday’s Winners:
Survivor: China (CBS), CSI (CBS), Grey’s Anatomy (ABC), The Office (NBC), Without a Trace (CBS)
-Honorable Mention:
Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader? (Fox)
-Yesterday’s Losers:
Big Shots (ABC), ER (NBC)
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-Ratings Breakdown:
ABC and CBS remained in the winner’s circle on this third Thursday of the 2007-08 season, with CBS the most-watched network and ABC No. 1 among adults 18-49. Third overall was NBC, followed by Fox and the CW.
CBS’ still potent Survivor: China opened the evening first in both total viewers (14.00 million) and adults 18-49 (4.5 rating/13 share). ABC’s second-place Ugly Betty was also on the map, with 10.35 million viewers and a 3.5/10 among adults 18-49. But compared to one year earlier (Viewers: 13.95 million; A18-49: 4.3/12 on Thursday, Oct. 12, 2006) that was a loss of a hefty 3.60 million viewers and 19 percent in the demo. Comparably, Survivor: China was down by 1.84 million viewers and 18 percent among adults 18-49 from the Cook Islands edition one year earlier (Viewers: 15.84 million; A18-49: 5.5/15).
Also in the 8 p.m. hour was Fox sleeper Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader? (Viewers: #3, 8.16 million; A18-49: #4, 2.3/ 7), which remains a vast improvement over anything the network has aired here in years, NBC duo My Name is Earl (Viewers: #3, 7.74 million; A18-49: #3, 3.1/ 9) and 30 Rock (Viewers: #4, 6.61 million; A18-49: #3, 3.0/ 8), and the CW’s Smallville (Viewers: #5, 4.75 million; A18-49: #5, 1.9/ 5). While the NBC comedies are certainly not mass appeal hits, almost full adult 18-49 retention for 30 Rock out of My Name is Earl is a positive worth noting.
Leadership, as usual, was shared at 9 p.m. as follows:
Thursday 9 p.m.
CSI (CBS)
Viewers: 19.63 million (#1), A18-49: 6.0/14 (#2)
Grey’s Anatomy (ABC)
Viewers: 18.65 million (#2), A18-49: 7.7/18 (#1)
A one-hour edition of NBC’s competing The Office (Viewers: #3, 8.91 million; A18-49: #3, 4.7/11) got plenty of leverage among adults 18-49 despite facing the top two rated shows on television.
Also airing at 9 p.m. was Fox game show Don’t Forget the Lyrics (Viewers: #4, 5.60 million; A18-49: #4, 1.8/ 4), and the CW’s Supernatural (Viewers: #5, 3.23 million; A18-49: #5, 1.2/ 3), which managed to stay somewhat alive in the toughest hour in prime-time.
CBS’ veteran Without a Trace was first in the 10 p.m. hour in total viewers, but second behind ABC’s Big Shots among adults 18-49. Third overall was NBC’s needs-to-retire ER. Take a look:
Thursday 10 p.m.
Without a Trace (CBS)
Viewers: 13.63 million (#1), A18-49: 3.6/10 (#2)
Big Shots (ABC)
Viewers: 9.26 million (#2), A18-49: 3.9/11 (#1)
ER (NBC)
Viewers: 8.41 million (#3), A18-49: 3.4/ 9 (#3)
Big Shots remains in the loser’s circle despite the first-place finish among adults 18-49 because of a) poor retention out of Grey’s Anatomy of 50 percent in total viewers and 51 percent among adults 18-49, and b) a loss of audience in the second half hour of 3.02 million viewers (10.77 to 7.75 million) and 30 percent among adults 18-49 (4.6/12 to 3.2/ 9). Since part of the 10 p.m. half-hour included the last few minutes of Grey’s Anatomy, it is obvious this drama is a miss.
NBC, meanwhile, should be announcing the retirement of ER any day now.
Source: Nielsen Media Research data
