|
|
Stay out of the mud
But a stuntless May could put it No. 4 in 18-49s
By Toni Fitzgerald
After the February sweeps, during which CBS finished first in both households and viewers, the network was quick to point out that it did not resort to stunts and specials to goose its ratings, instead keeping its regular schedule for the most part intact.
CBS is following this strategy again during the May sweeps, when it likely will once again finish No. 1 among households.
But it could cost the network the No. 3 spot among adults 18-49 for both the season and the sweeps.
Young adults love those cheesy specials and supersized episodes. And if CBS, the only network to stay out of the Michael Jackson marathon in February, refuses to dumb down, its 18-49 ratings won’t pump up.
ABC and CBS tied for third among 18-49s in the first full week of the May sweeps, a full ratings point behind leader NBC (4.3) and .9 behind No. 2 Fox (4.2).
ABC and CBS are now tied for No. 3 season-to-date among 18-49s. While this represents a comeback for ABC, which is currently .2 ahead of its cumulative season rating at this time last year, CBS has slid.
Last year during this week, the network’s season-to-date 18-49 average was 3.9. Now it’s 3.8, not a horrible drop, but .4 behind No. 2 Fox.
CBS, though, seems unconcerned. Whereas ABC has been more than happy to use any tactic to pull 18-49s back, including a sweeps “Extreme Makeover,” a “Home Improvement” clip show and a rash of reality programs that were mostly failures, CBS is sticking to its original scheduling.
Its sweeps programming includes a 45-minute finale for “Everybody Loves Raymond” and moving the “Survivor: Amazon” finale from Thursday to Sunday night.
The upcoming “Hitler” miniseries is a gamble, but not of the sort that history-adverse young adults will likely respond to.
Perhaps CBS is wise to distance itself from the ratings brawl for 18-49s. After all, the network knows where it excels and that’s among older viewers. Lowering itself to Fox’s level of pandering to young adults, a la a doggie beauty contest, wouldn’t be dignified.
Then again, finishing behind ABC in 18-49s might be more of an embarrassment. CBS only has two mega draws among young adults: the two “CSI” series and “Survivor.”
“Raymond” is beloved by 18-49s, but CBS's other Monday sitcoms aren’t overwhelming popular among 18-34s, forget 18-24s.
Sunday CBS staged one of its major ratings stunts, the Lucille Ball biopic “Lucy.” But ABC stunted right back with “Home Improvement” and a two-hour “Alias” finale.
“Alias” outdelivered “Lucy” by 21 percent among young adults with a 4.8 average 18-49 rating. The series attracted its best 18-34 rating in five months, managing to tie two episodes of NBC’s more potent “Law & Order: Criminal Intent” in that demo during the two hours.
CBS can still pass ABC in the season-to-date network rankings. While its Monday sitcoms tend to skew toward 25-54s rather than 18-34s, the “Raymond” wedding finale will draw big numbers.
And moving “Survivor” away from NBC’s lethal supersized “Friends” Thursday nights through the end of sweeps was a smart move.
Though Fox plays to the same demographic that night, this “Survivor” has inspired more buzz than any edition in at least the past year and a half.
NBC’s “America’s Most Talented Kid” finished with a 3.2 18-49 rating in Friday’s two-hour season, and possibly series, finale Friday.
The show dipped in viewership throughout its run, although Friday isn’t the best night for TV sampling in general. The night has been problematic for the network all year, with “Providence” getting axed last fall and midseason replacement “Mister Sterling” highly doubtful for renewal.
As place-fillers go, “Kid” didn’t stink. But if the network wants a show that will actually pull in viewers, instead of simply sedate them, “Kid” won’t return next season. If it does, only a Friday or Saturday midseason slot would seem likely.
NBC finished ahead of Fox by. 1 in the weekly 18-49 averages. The season finale of “Third Watch” and strong performances by four episodes of the various “Law & Order” shows, all of which averaged a 4.8 or better, helped push last week’s No. 2 ahead.
Saturday’s return of “Hunter,” though, wasn’t much of a help. NBC decided to bring back the late ‘80s staple after a successful TV movie earlier this season.
But Saturday at 8 p.m. “Hunter” finished fourth in its slot, behind even CBS’s “Price is Right” special.
For Fox, the hyped “Malcolm in the Middle” birth episode averaged a 5.3 to win its 9 p.m. Sunday time slot and was the network’s highest-rated show of the night. But lead-out “Oliver Beene” fumbled 25 percent of “Malcolm’s” audience.
|
PRIMETIME AVERAGES BY NETWORK |
|||||||||
|
Network |
Households |
People 2+ |
Adults 18-49 |
||||||
|
Rtg% |
(000) |
Shr |
Rtg% |
(000) |
Shr |
Rtg% |
(000) |
Shr |
|
|
ABC |
5.7 |
6030 |
9 |
3.2 |
8660 |
9 |
3.3 |
4260 |
9 |
|
CBS |
8.0 |
8510 |
13 |
4.3 |
11800 |
12 |
3.3 |
4310 |
10 |
|
NBC |
7.7 |
8240 |
13 |
4.2 |
11410 |
11 |
4.3 |
5530 |
12 |
|
FOX |
5.9 |
6330 |
10 |
3.6 |
9740 |
10 |
4.2 |
5400 |
12 |
|
PAX |
0.7 |
800 |
1 |
0.4 |
1090 |
1 |
0.3 |
340 |
1 |
|
UPN |
2.2 |
2350 |
4 |
1.2 |
3350 |
3 |
1.5 |
1870 |
4 |
|
WB |
2.6 |
2830 |
4 |
1.5 |
4100 |
4 |
1.8 |
2360 |
5 |
|
* Each rating point is equivalent to 1.067 million homes
|
|||||||||
|
SEASON-TO-DATE PRIMETIME AVERAGES BY NETWORK |
|||||||||
|
Network |
Households |
People 2+ |
Adults 18-49 |
||||||
|
Rtg% |
(000) |
Shr |
Rtg% |
(000) |
Shr |
Rtg% |
(000) |
Shr |
|
|
ABC |
6.3 |
6770 |
10 |
3.7 |
10040 |
10 |
3.8 |
4900 |
10 |
|
CBS |
8.2 |
8790 |
13 |
4.6 |
12500 |
12 |
3.8 |
4940 |
10 |
|
NBC |
7.7 |
8230 |
13 |
4.3 |
11660 |
11 |
4.5 |
5740 |
12 |
|
FOX |
6.0 |
6400 |
10 |
3.6 |
9820 |
9 |
4.2 |
5430 |
11 |
|
PAX |
0.8 |
890 |
1 |
0.4 |
1180 |
1 |
0.3 |
370 |
1 |
|
UPN |
2.3 |
2400 |
4 |
1.3 |
3530 |
3 |
1.5 |
1910 |
4 |
|
WB |
2.6 |
2750 |
4 |
1.5 |
4070 |
4 |
1.8 |
2260 |
5 |
|
* Each rating point is equivalent to 1.067 million homes |
|||||||||
|
NETWORK TV |
||||||||
|
# |
PROGRAMS |
Net |
HOUSEHOLDS |
PERSONS 2+ |
||||
|
Rtg% |
Shr |
(000) |
RANK |
Rtg% |
(000) |
|||
|
1 |
CSI |
CBS |
14.6 |
22 |
15627 |
1 |
8.3 |
22668 |
|
2 |
E.R. |
NBC |
13.1 |
22 |
14019 |
4 |
7.2 |
19549 |
|
3 |
FRIENDS |
NBC |
12.8 |
21 |
13615 |
5 |
7.0 |
19030 |
|
4 |
AMERICAN IDOL-TUESDAY |
FOX |
12.4 |
20 |
13179 |
2 |
7.5 |
20366 |
|
5 |
LAW AND ORDER |
NBC |
12.1 |
20 |
12943 |
6 |
6.7 |
18093 |
|
6 |
EVERYBODY LOVES RAYMOND |
CBS |
11.9 |
18 |
12660 |
7 |
6.6 |
17925 |
|
7 |
AMERICAN IDOL-WEDNESDAY |
FOX |
11.8 |
19 |
12604 |
3 |
7.4 |
20159 |
|
8 |
CSI: MIAMI |
CBS |
11.6 |
19 |
12373 |
9 |
6.3 |
17182 |
|
8 |
FRIENDS 5/1(S) |
NBC |
11.6 |
18 |
12347 |
9 |
6.3 |
17179 |
|
10 |
WILL & GRACE |
NBC |
11.2 |
17 |
11999 |
9 |
6.3 |
17145 |
|
11 |
SURVIVOR: AMAZON |
CBS |
10.8 |
18 |
11514 |
8 |
6.5 |
17650 |
|
12 |
LAW AND ORDER:CI-10PM |
NBC |
9.8 |
16 |
10488 |
12 |
5.3 |
14460 |
|
13 |
LAW AND ORDER:CRIM INTENT |
NBC |
9.6 |
15 |
10279 |
12 |
5.3 |
14292 |
|
13 |
STILL STANDING |
CBS |
9.6 |
14 |
10218 |
12 |
5.3 |
14412 |
|
15 |
JUDGING AMY |
CBS |
9.5 |
15 |
10111 |
19 |
4.8 |
13146 |
|
15 |
LAW AND ORDER:SVU |
NBC |
9.5 |
17 |
10174 |
15 |
5.1 |
13966 |
|
17 |
JAG |
CBS |
9.1 |
14 |
9687 |
17 |
5.0 |
13628 |
|
18 |
WEST WING |
NBC |
8.8 |
13 |
9411 |
19 |
4.8 |
13178 |
|
19 |
BACHELOR, THE |
ABC |
8.7 |
13 |
9269 |
18 |
4.9 |
13280 |
|
19 |
WITHOUT A TRACE |
CBS |
8.7 |
15 |
9255 |
23 |
4.6 |
12643 |
|
21 |
CBS SUNDAY MOVIE |
CBS |
8.6 |
14 |
9181 |
21 |
4.7 |
12910 |
|
22 |
GUARDIAN, THE |
CBS |
8.4 |
13 |
8985 |
28 |
4.4 |
12053 |
|
22 |
THIRD WATCH |
NBC |
8.4 |
12 |
8912 |
21 |
4.7 |
12764 |
|
24 |
60 MINUTES |
CBS |
8.2 |
15 |
8791 |
28 |
4.4 |
11882 |
|
24 |
YES, DEAR |
CBS |
8.2 |
13 |
8781 |
23 |
4.6 |
12418 |
|
Source: Nielsen Media Research |
||||||||
|
TOP 30 PROGRAMS - BROADCAST TV |
||||
| # |
PROGRAMS |
Net |
Rtg% |
In Millions |
|
1 |
AMERICAN IDOL-TUESDAY |
FOX |
9.7 |
12.52 |
|
2 |
ER |
NBC |
9.0 |
11.64 |
|
2 |
AMERICAN IDOL-WEDNESDAY |
FOX |
9.0 |
11.64 |
|
4 |
FRIENDS |
NBC |
8.9 |
11.44 |
|
5 |
WILL & GRACE |
NBC |
8.5 |
10.91 |
|
6 |
CSI |
CBS |
8.4 |
10.82 |
|
7 |
FRIENDS 5/1 |
NBC |
8.0 |
10.27 |
|
8 |
SURVIVOR: AMAZON |
CBS |
6.5 |
8.31 |
|
9 |
BACHELOR, THE |
ABC |
6.4 |
8.30 |
|
9 |
LAW & ORDER |
NBC |
6.4 |
8.30 |
|
9 |
BERNIE MAC |
FOX |
6.4 |
8.28 |
|
12 |
CSI: MIAMI |
CBS |
6.3 |
8.14 |
|
13 |
EVERYBODY LOVES RAYMOND |
CBS |
5.9 |
7.53 |
|
14 |
24 |
FOX |
5.8 |
7.41 |
|
15 |
WANDA AT LARGE |
FOX |
5.3 |
6.81 |
|
15 |
SIMPSONS SP |
FOX |
5.3 |
6.88 |
|
15 |
MALCOLM IN THE MIDDLE |
FOX |
5.3 |
6.79 |
|
15 |
LAW & ORDER: CI-10 PM |
NBC |
5.3 |
6.79 |
|
19 |
EXTREME MAKEOVER-WED |
ABC |
5.2 |
6.72 |
|
19 |
FEAR FACTOR |
NBC |
5.2 |
6.67 |
|
21 |
LAW & ORDER: CRIM INTENT |
NBC |
5.1 |
6.59 |
|
22 |
THIRD WATCH |
NBC |
5.0 |
6.40 |
|
23 |
SIMPSONS |
FOX |
4.9 |
6.35 |
|
24 |
ALIAS |
ABC |
4.8 |
6.15 |
|
24 |
STILL STANDING |
CBS |
4.8 |
6.14 |
|
24 |
LAW & ORDER: SVU |
NBC |
4.8 |
6.18 |
|
27 |
WEST WING |
NBC |
4.5 |
5.83 |
|
28 |
NYPD BLUE |
ABC |
4.4 |
5.70 |
|
28 |
YES, DEAR |
CBS |
4.4 |
5.60 |
|
28 |
WITHOUT A TRACE |
CBS |
4.4 |
5.70 |
|
Source: ABC Networks, based on data from Nielsen Media Research |
||||
|
CABLE
TV |
|||||
|
BASIC CABLE |
|||||
|
# |
PROGRAM NAME |
NET |
Households |
Persons 2+ |
|
|
(000) |
Rtg% |
(000) |
|||
|
1 |
WWE ENTERTAINMENT (WWE RAW ZONE) |
TNN |
3539 |
3.3 |
5166 |
|
2 |
NBA PLAYOFFS (TIMBERWOLVES/LAKERS) |
TNT |
3389 |
3.2 |
4626 |
|
3 |
NBA PLAYOFFS (LAKERS/TIMBERWOLVES) |
TNT |
3284 |
3.1 |
4337 |
|
4 |
SPONGEBOB |
NICK |
3036 |
2.8 |
4471 |
|
5 |
THE OREILLY FACTOR |
FOXNC |
3005 |
2.8 |
3856 |
|
6 |
SPONGEBOB |
NICK |
2957 |
2.8 |
4391 |
|
7 |
SPONGEBOB |
NICK |
2931 |
2.7 |
4200 |
|
8 |
THE OREILLY FACTOR |
FOXNC |
2897 |
2.7 |
3924 |
|
9 |
WWE ENTERTAINMENT (WWE RAW) |
TNN |
2861 |
2.7 |
4225 |
|
10 |
FAIRLY ODD PARENTS |
NICK |
2834 |
2.7 |
4163 |
|
11 |
THE OREILLY FACTOR |
FOXNC |
2808 |
2.6 |
3582 |
|
12 |
MOVIE, USA ORIGINAL EVENT (HELEN OF TROY PT. 2) |
USA |
2667 |
2.5 |
3931 |
|
13 |
S JIMMY NEUTRON EGG PIRE |
NICK |
2644 |
2.5 |
4008 |
|
14 |
NFL DRAFT L |
ESPN |
2601 |
2.4 |
3308 |
|
15 |
SR/POW PC-GA(S)-04/22 |
FOXNC |
2582 |
2.4 |
3402 |
|
PAY CABLE |
|||||
|
# |
PROGRAM NAME |
NET |
Households |
Persons 2+ |
|
|
(000) |
Rtg% |
(000) |
|||
|
1 |
SIX FEET UNDER |
HBO |
3288 |
3.1 |
4623 |
|
2 |
HBO BAD: JIROV VS. TONEY (POST) |
HBO |
2491 |
2.3 |
3375 |
|
3 |
HBO BAD: JIROV VS. TONEY (JIROV VS. TONEY) |
HBO |
2364 |
2.2 |
3315 |
|
4 |
SOPRANOS, THE |
HBO |
2288 |
2.1 |
3243 |
|
5 |
SCOOBY-DOO-04/26 |
HBO |
2074 |
1.9 |
3408 |
|
Total U.S. ratings and household projections are based on
106.7 million TV homes. |
|||||
|
SYNDICATION |
||||
|
# |
PROGRAMS |
Syndicator |
Households |
|
|
US Rtg% |
(000) |
|||
|
1 |
WHEEL OF FORTUNE |
KIN |
8.0 |
8551 |
|
2 |
JEOPARDY |
KIN |
6.5 |
6923 |
|
3 |
SEINFELD (AT) |
SPT |
6.3 |
6672 |
|
4 |
FRIENDS-SYN (AT) |
WB |
6.0 |
6386 |
|
5 |
EVRY LVS RAYMOND-SYN (AT) |
KIN |
5.8 |
6175 |
|
6 |
SEINFELD-WKND (AT) |
SPT |
5.2 |
5520 |
|
6 |
ENTERTAINMENT TONIGHT(AT) |
PRM |
5.2 |
5513 |
|
8 |
OPRAH WINFREY SHOW (AT) |
KIN |
5.0 |
5294 |
|
9 |
JUDGE JUDY (AT) |
PRM |
4.5 |
4818 |
|
9 |
DR. PHIL SHOW |
KIN |
4.5 |
4787 |
|
Source: Nielsen Media Research |
||||
|
SPANISH-LANGUAGE TELEVISION |
||||
|
# |
PROGRAMS |
Net |
NHTI* |
Projection |
|
1 |
ENTRE EL AMOR Y ODIO TUE |
UNI |
25.1 |
2447 |
|
1 |
ENTRE EL AMOR Y ODIO MON |
UNI |
25.1 |
2440 |
|
3 |
ENTRE EL AMOR Y ODIO WED |
UNI |
24.4 |
2370 |
|
4 |
ENTRE EL AMOR Y ODIO THU |
UNI |
24.0 |
2340 |
|
5 |
ENTRE EL AMOR Y ODIO FRI |
UNI |
21.9 |
2127 |
|
6 |
VIAS DEL AMOR WED |
UNI |
21.5 |
2094 |
|
7 |
VIAS DEL AMOR MON |
UNI |
21.2 |
2064 |
|
7 |
VIAS DEL AMOR TUE |
UNI |
21.2 |
2064 |
|
9 |
VIAS DEL AMOR THU |
UNI |
20.9 |
2038 |
|
10 |
CRISTINA-MON |
UNI |
20.8 |
2024 |
|
11 |
VIAS DEL AMOR FRI |
UNI |
19.1 |
1859 |
|
12 |
GATA SALVAJE-MON |
UNI |
18.6 |
1807 |
|
13 |
GATA SALVAJE-WED |
UNI |
18.2 |
1771 |
|
14 |
GATA SALVAJE-THU |
UNI |
18.0 |
1755 |
|
15 |
CASOS VIDA R: ED. ESP FRI |
UNI |
17.7 |
1722 |
|
15 |
GATA SALVAJE-TUE |
UNI |
17.7 |
1720 |
|
17 |
AQUI Y AHORA-THU |
UNI |
16.6 |
1616 |
|
18 |
DON FRANCISCO PRESENTA-WE |
UNI |
16.1 |
1569 |
|
19 |
VER PARA CREER-TUE |
UNI |
15.5 |
1511 |
|
20 |
GATA SALVAJE-FRI |
UNI |
15.2 |
1477 |
|
* Nielsen Hispanic Television Index; ratings based on
9.73 million Hispanic TV homes. |
||||
|
NETWORK SPORTS |
|||||||
|
NETWORK TV |
Net |
Episode |
Households |
Persons 2+ |
|||
|
# |
PROGRAMS |
US Rtg% |
Shr |
(000) |
(000) |
||
|
1 |
FOX NASCAR WINSTON CUP |
FOX |
AUTOCLUB 500 PRES BY UPS |
5.3 |
13 |
5633 |
8279 |
|
2 |
NBA PLAYOFFS ON ABC-SUN 1 |
ABC |
MINNESOTA AT LA LAKERS |
4.9 |
12 |
5205 |
7009 |
|
3 |
WWE SMACKDOWN! |
UPN |
3.1 |
5 |
3277 |
4640 |
|
|
4 |
SHELL HOUSTON OPEN |
CBS |
2.4 |
6 |
2583 |
3234 |
|
|
5 |
SHELL HOUSTON OPEN |
CBS |
2.2 |
6 |
2364 |
2808 |
|
|
6 |
FOX NASCAR BUSCH SERIES |
FOX |
PRES. BY YAMAHA |
2.0 |
5 |
2146 |
2782 |
|
7 |
LIBERTY LEGEND GOLF |
ABC |
1.3 |
4 |
1347 |
1649 |
|
|
8 |
CBS SPORTS SPECTACULAR |
CBS |
NAT'L CHEER & DANCE CHMPSHP |
1.3 |
4 |
1426 |
1695 |
|
9 |
NBC SPORTS SPECIAL 4/26(S) |
NBC |
PENN RELAYS |
1.3 |
4 |
1421 |
1580 |
|
10 |
NHL PLAYOFFS ON ABC-SAT 3(S) |
ABC |
TMPA BY AT NW JRSY/ANAH AT DAL |
1.1 |
3 |
1136 |
1561 |
|
11 |
LIBERTY LEGEND GOLF-SAT(S) |
ABC |
0.9 |
3 |
998 |
1307 |
|
|
12 |
NBC ARENA FOOTBALL |
NBC |
VARIOUS TEAMS AND TIMES |
0.6 |
2 |
649 |
854 |
|
13 |
WUSA |
PAX |
ATLANTA AT WASHINGTON |
0.1 |
0 |
84 |
<< |
|
Source: Nielsen Media Research |
|||||||
May 7, 2003© 2003 Media Life
-Toni Fitzgerald is a staff writer for Media Life.
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