Flix strengthen CBS's lead in households

CBS's 'Going Home'

Flix strengthen CBS's
lead in households

'Murder at 75 Birch' was fifth most-watched show

By Kevin Downey

    While CBS has made headway in the advertiser coveted target of adults 18-49 this summer, it has done so while holding its considerable lead in the less-glamorous household ratings.
    That gives the network little more than bragging rights as the No. 1 network.
    But being No. 1 in any major demo is about as good as it’s going to get in the languid days of summer. That is, especially since none of the networks have any chance of weakening NBC’s dominance of the 18-49 target.
    CBS’s lead comes largely from the formula of a mix of reality shows and newsmagazines that all the big-three networks are using during the repeat-heavy summer.
    But last week it was also the result of two widely-watched TV movies.
    Successful movies are something of an oxymoron in the summer on the broadcast networks, but it’s a strategy that has worked for CBS. And, perhaps even more impressively, the network alone has been able to roll out movies that also attract a decent 18-49 audience.
    Last Wednesday, CBS’s "Murder at 75 Birch" tied for No. 5 as the most-watched show on any network, with 11.3 million viewers.
    The 1999 movie, which starred Melissa Gilbert and was based on a true story, managed to rank a respectable No. 31 in the 18-49 demo too.
    On Sunday, the movie, "Going Home" was No. 26 with 8.1 million viewers.
    That movie, however, did not fare as well among 18-49s–it ranked No. 77–and mirrored the weak performance of movies on the other networks.
    "Top Gun," on NBC, as one example, ranked a low No. 81 among viewers and only No. 67 among adults 18-49. ABC’s "Kingpin" ranked No. 69 in viewers and No. 65 among 18-49s.
    While those movies suffered, "Murder at 75 Birch," along with shows like "60 Minutes" and "48 Hours," pushed CBS to the top last week with a 6.1 household rating and 11 share.
    ABC was in a distant second place with a 5.3/10. NBC had a 5.2/10, Fox had a 3.4/6, UPN had a 1.9/3, and the WB had a 1.7/3.
    CBS came in second in the 18-49 demo with a 2.5.
    NBC continued its uninterrupted summer winning streak in that demo with a 3.0.
    ABC had a 2.4. Fox, which fell 20 percent from the previous week’s MLB All-Star Game, had a 2.3. UPN had a 1.2 and the WB had a 0.9.
    Meanwhile on the other networks, reality shows continued to outperform attempts at original summer series, especially in the 18-49 demo.
    NBC’s "Fear Factor" and "Weakest Link" were the top-rated shows in the demo.
    ABC had one episode of "Millionaire" in the top-five, and even CBS had some success with two episodes of "Big Brother 2" that fell in the top-20.
    But each of the networks had its problems with new shows or shows returning after a prolonged absence.
    ABC’s game show, "You Don’t Know Jack," ranked a dismal No. 62, with a 2.2 adult 18-49 rating. Its drama, "The Beast," continued to stumble at No. 91.
    CBS’s "That’s Life," which will not be back in the fall, landed with a thud at No. 77.
    NBC’s "Mysterious Ways," which is normally seen on Pax, ranked No. 83 and came in fourth place in its time slot.
    Fox’s "Night Visions" was at No. 67 last week, and its "Dark Angel," the James Cameron-produced drama, continued its struggle in its new Friday slot by stumbling in at No. 89. That show lost roughly 36 percent of its lead-in rating from "Police Videos."

PRIMETIME AVERAGES BY NETWORK RANKED ON HOUSEHOLDS Week Ending July 22, 2001
	HOUSEHOLDS			PERSONS 2+			ADULTS 18-49
Net	Rtg %	(000)	SHR	Rtg %	(000)	SHR	Rtg %	(000)	SHR
CBS	6.1	6250	11	3.2	8400	10	2.5	3060	8
ABC	5.3	5440	10	2.8	7420	9	2.4	3000	8
NBC	5.2	5310	10	2.8	7280	8	3.0	3690	10
FOX	3.4	3440	6	1.9	5020	6	2.3	2870	8
UPN	1.9	1910	3	1.1	2760	3	1.2	1440	4
WB	1.7	1700	3	0.9	2290	3	0.9	1180	3
PAX	0.9	900	2	0.5	1260	1	0.4	450	1
Source: Nielsen Media Research

SEASON-TO-DATE PRIMETIME AVERAGES BY NETWORK RANKED ON HOUSEHOLDS Oct. 2, 2000 through July 22, 2001 (Regular season ended May 23)
	HOUSEHOLDS			PERSONS 2+			ADULTS 18-49
Net	Rtg %	(000)	SHR	Rtg %	(000)	SHR	Rtg %	(000)	SHR
CBS	8.1	8240	14	4.5	11670	12	3.7	4590	10
ABC	7.7	7900	13	4.4	11450	12	4.0	5020	11
NBC	7.5	7700	13	4.2	10980	11	4.5	5640	13
FOX	5.6	5770	9	3.4	8810	9	4.1	5050	11
UPN	2.4	2420	4	1.4	3620	4	1.5	1910	4
WB	2.4	2420	4	1.3	3490	3	1.5	1870	4
PAX	0.9	960	2	0.5	1360	1	0.4	460	1
Source: Nielsen Media Research

NETWORK TV RANKED ON HOUSEHOLDS Week Ending July 22, 2001
			HOUSEHOLDS			PERSONS 2+
#	PROGRAMS	Net	Rtg%	Shr	(000)	#	Rtg%	(000)
1	MILLIONAIRE- TUE	ABC	9.7	18	9911	1	5.3	13938
2	MILLIONAIRE- SUN	ABC	9.1	15	9250	2	5.1	13276
3	MILLIONAIRE- THU	ABC	8.9	15	9093	4	4.7	12388
4	CBS WEDNESDAY MOVIE ("Murder at 75 Birch")	CBS	8.3	15	8497	5	4.3	11328
5	60 MINUTES	CBS	8.2	17	8360	5	4.3	11371
6	MILLIONAIRE- FRI	ABC	8.1	16	8228	9	4.2	11043
7	FEAR FACTOR	NBC	8.0	14	8193	3	4.9	12757
8	EVERYBODY LOVES RAYMOND	CBS	7.8	13	8007	9	4.2	11062
9	CSI	CBS	7.5	13	7689	5	4.3	11134
9	LAW AND ORDER	NBC	7.5	13	7680	11	3.9	10185
9	WEAKEST LINK	NBC	7.5	12	7643	5	4.3	11261
12	60 MINUTES II	CBS	7.4	14	7583	12	3.8	10078
13	60 MINUTES II-SPC(S)	CBS	7.2	12	7326	13	3.7	9583
13	DATELINE NBC-TUE	NBC	7.2	13	7362	13	3.7	9709
15	20/20-FRI	ABC	7.0	14	7202	17	3.5	9189
15	48 HOURS- THURSDAY	CBS	7.0	13	7148	13	3.7	9627
15	BECKER	CBS	7.0	11	7115	13	3.7	9561
18	DATELINE NBC-MON	NBC	6.9	12	7043	17	3.5	9215
19	FRIENDS	NBC	6.5	13	6621	20	3.3	8698
20	LAW AND ORDER:SVU	NBC	6.4	12	6531	20	3.3	8569
21	BIG BROTHER II	CBS	6.3	12	6437	19	3.4	8795
22	48 HOURS- MONDAY	CBS	6.2	10	6303	23	3.2	8344
23	DHARMA & GREG	ABC	6.1	10	6211	20	3.3	8710
23	E.R.	NBC	6.1	11	6184	25	3.1	8192
25	BIG BROTHER II-TUE	CBS	5.8	11	5964	23	3.2	8309
25	CBS SUNDAY MOVIE ("Going Home")	CBS	5.8	10	5954	25	3.1	8136
25	FRASIER	NBC	5.8	10	5894	27	3.0	7739
Source: Nielsen Media Research

CABLE TV RANKED ON HOUSEHOLDS Week Ending July 15
BASIC CABLE
			House- holds	House- holds	Persons 2+
#	PROGRAM NAME	Net	(000)	Rtg %	(000)
1	TNT ORIGINAL(S) -07/15/2001	TNT	4600	4.5	6923
2	HOME RUN DERBY	ESPN	4261	4.2	6120
3	WWF ENTERTAINMENT	TNN	4123	4.0	6952
4	WWF ENTERTAINMENT	TNN	3545	3.5	5904
5	SUNDAY MOVIE I (THE PERFECT WIFE)	LIF	3059	3.0	3631
6	TBS PRIME MOVIE (PRETTY WOMAN)	TBS	3048	3.0	4422
7	WHEN DINOSAURS ROAMED AME(S)-07/15/2001	DISC	2939	2.9	5030
8	SUNDAY MOVIE II (IN MY SISTERS SHADOW)	LIF	2912	2.8	3267
9	ANY DAY NOW	LIF	2547	2.5	3137
10	SUNDAY MOVIE (MT:DECEIVED BY TRUST)	LIF	2448	2.4	2825
11	STRONG MEDICINE	LIF	2416	2.4	2930
12	MLB SPECIAL (LEGENDS/ CELEBRITY SOFTBALL)	ESPN	2319	2.3	3166
13	HEY ARNOLD	NICK	2311	2.3	3330
14	TNT ORIGINAL(S) -07/15/2001	TNT	2291	2.2	3151
15	HEY ARNOLD	NICK	2254	2.2	3281
PAY CABLE
			House- holds	House- holds	Persons 2+
#	PROGRAM NAME	Net	(000)	Rtg %	(000)
1	SEX AND THE CITY(S)-07/15/2001	HBO	3702	3.6	5368
2	SIX FEET UNDER	HBO	3588	3.5	5325
3	PERFECT STORM, THE	HBO	3374	3.3	5249
4	ARLISS(S)-07/15/2001	HBO	2281	2.2	3062
5	SEX AND THE CITY(S)-07/11/2001	HBO	1968	1.9	2615
Total U.S. ratings and household projections are based on 102.2 million TV homes. For inclusion in the rankings, telecasts must be promoted as distinct programs and must be of 5 minutes minimum duration. Source: Nielsen Media Research

SYNDICATION RANKED ON HOUSEHOLDS Week Ending July 8
			Households	Households
#	PROGRAM NAME	Syndicator	Rtg %	(000)
1	WHEEL OF FORTUNE	KIN	7.5	7620
2	JEOPARDY	KIN	6.6	6734
3	OPRAH WINFREY SHOW (AT)	KIN	5.2	5276
4	SEINFELD-WKND	CTS	5.0	5066
5	ENTERTAINMENT TONIGHT(AT)	PRM	4.9	4985
6	JUDGE JUDY (AT)	PRM	4.7	4800
7	FRIENDS-SYN (AT)	WB	4.4	4460
8	FRASIER-SYN (AT)	PRM	4.2	4332
8	WHEEL OF FORTUNE WKND	KIN	4.2	4301
10	SEINFELD	CTS	3.8	3932
Source: Nielsen Media Research

-Kevin Downey is a staff writer for Media Life.

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