This is the earliest the network has taken the lead
By Toni Fitzgerald Oct 28, 2009
It's time to declare Fox's fall woes officially behind it. The network has moved into first place for the season days before the start of the World Series, which should only solidify its position.
It's the earliest the network has taken over first place, after years of fall struggle, and it marks just the second time it's done so during fourth quarter, the other time being 2004, when the Boston Red Sox won the World Series.
Through the first five weeks of the season, Fox is averaging a 3.4 adults 18-49 rating and 9 share, a tick ahead of previous leader CBS at 3.3/9.
ABC is third at 3.0/8, NBC fourth at 2.7/8 and Univision fifth at 1.4/4. The CW is sixth at 1.2/3.
Certainly Fox owes part of its lead to baseball, with the recently concluded American League Championship Series jumping 38 percent over last year in 18-49s and game six averaging a 5.2, placing fifth for the week in the demo.
But Fox would be in the mix without baseball, too. The ALCS had just one game in the weekly top 15.
Instead, it's shows like "House," up 21 percent season to date with a 5.7 rating, and "Glee," up 83 percent over last year's Wednesday 9 p.m. timeslot occupants, that are accounting for the bulk of Fox's improvement.
The network has only one dud night, Fridays, where its shows finish last in their timeslot. Its ratings are up Monday, Wednesday, Thursday and Saturday compared to last year, while Sundays are flat.
That's in stark contrast to the other Big Four networks, all of which are down on at least four nights per week.
If ratings for the World Series, which starts tonight, are high enough, Fox has a chance of winning the sweeps period, which kicks off Thursday.
The network has won two of the first five weeks of the season, with ABC winning one and CBS two.
With "Dollhouse," "Brothers" and "'Til Death," Fox's low-rated Friday night shows, booted off the schedule during sweeps in favor of reruns that will likely pull better numbers, it should at the very least place second or third.
***
In broadcast ratings for the week ended Oct. 25:
Among adults 18-49, Fox was first with a 3.5 average rating and a 10 share, followed by CBS at 2.7/8, ABC at 2.6/7, NBC at 2.5/7, Univision at 1.4/4, CW at 0.9/2, Telemundo at 0.5/1, Telefutura at 0.4/1, Ion at 0.3/1 and Azteca at 0.1/0.
Among adults 18-34, Fox was first with a 3.1 average rating and a 10 share, followed by NBC and ABC at 2.1/7, CBS at 1.8/6, Univision at 1.5/5, CW at 1.1/3, Telemundo at 0.6/2, Telefutura at 0.4/1 and Azteca at 0.1/0.
Among adults 25-54, Fox was first with a 3.9 average rating and a 10 share, followed by CBS at 3.6/9, ABC at 3.2/8, NBC at 2.8/7, Univision at 1.3/3, CW at 0.8/2, Telemundo at 0.5/1, Telefutura at 0.3/1 and Azteca at 0.1/0.
Top five English-language Big Five shows (18-49s): 1. NBC’s “Sunday Night Football” 5.9; 2. Fox’s “The OT” 5.7; Tie-3. ABC’s “Grey’s Anatomy” and CBS’s “The Big Bang Theory” 5.3; 5. Fox’s “ALCS Game 6” 5.2.
Top five English-language Big Five shows (total viewers): 1. CBS’s “NCIS” 21.25 million; 2. ABC’s “Dancing with the Stars” 16.82 million; 3. CBS’s “NCIS: Los Angeles” 16.48 million; 4. Fox’s “ALCS Game 6” 15.48 million; 5. Fox’s “The OT” 15.07 million.
Top five time-shifted English-language Big Five shows (18-49s, by Live+7 playback, week ended Oct. 4): 1. Fox’s “House” 2.8 increase (up 39 percent); 2. ABC’s “Grey’s Anatomy” 2.5 increase (up 33 percent); 3. NBC’s “The Office” 2.1 increase (up 43 percent); 4. CBS’s “The Big Bang Theory” 1.7 increase (up 28 percent); 5. ABC’s “FlashForward” 1.6 increase (up 35 percent).
Show on the rise: “NCIS: Los Angeles,” CBS, Tuesday 9 p.m. The first-year spinoff jumped 11 percent week to week among 18-49s, from a 3.5 rating to a 3.9.
Show on the decline: “The Jay Leno Show,” NBC, Wednesday 10 p.m. The Wednesday edition averaged a 1.5 rating among 18-49s, down 17 percent from a 1.8 the previous week.
WEEKLY PRIMETIME AVERAGES BY NETWORK Ranked on Households
Week Ending October 25
Network
Households
People 2+
Adults 18-49
Rtg%
(000)
Shr
Rtg%
(000)
Shr
Rtg%
(000)
Shr
CBS
6.8
7780
11
3.7
10740
10
2.7
3580
8
FOX
6.3
7270
10
3.5
10280
9
3.5
4670
10
ABC
5.9
6730
10
3.1
9060
8
2.6
3430
7
NBC
4.6
5240
8
2.5
7240
6
2.5
3230
7
UNI
1.8
2100
3
1.2
3530
3
1.4
1810
4
CW
1.3
1550
2
0.7
1950
2
0.9
1180
2
ION
0.6
690
1
0.3
880
1
0.3
360
1
TEL
0.5
610
1
0.4
1060
1
0.5
670
1
TF
0.4
460
1
0.3
790
1
0.4
490
1
AZA
0.1
140
0
0.1
200
0
0.1
120
0
*Each rating point is equivalent to 1. 149 million homes
Source: Nielsen Media Research
SEASON-TO-DATE PRIMETIME AVERAGES BY NETWORK Ranked on Households
Week Ending October 25
Network
Households
People 2+
Adults 18-49
Rtg%
(000)
Shr
Rtg%
(000)
Shr
Rtg%
(000)
Shr
CBS
7.7
8790
13
4.2
12300
11
3.3
4360
9
ABC
6.4
7340
10
3.4
9960
9
3.0
3950
8
FOX
5.2
5960
8
3.0
8700
8
3.4
4470
9
NBC
4.9
5660
8
2.7
7820
7
2.7
3610
8
UNI
1.9
2150
3
1.2
3640
3
1.4
1880
4
CW
1.6
1880
3
0.8
2440
2
1.2
1550
3
ION
0.5
610
1
0.3
780
1
0.2
310
1
TEL
0.5
610
1
0.4
1050
1
0.5
650
1
TF
0.4
500
1
0.3
860
1
0.4
520
1
AZA
0.1
140
0
0.1
200
0
0.1
130
0
*Each rating point is equivalent to 1. 149 million homes
Note: Season-to-date estimates are a weighted average of pre-TSV and Live+SD data.
Source: Nielsen Media Research
TOP 25 PROGRAMS – BROADCAST Ranked on Households
Week Ending October 25
#
PROGRAMS
Net
HOUSEHOLDS
PERSONS 2+
Rtg%
Shr
(000)
#
Rtg%
(000)
1
NCIS
CBS
13.0
21
14913
1
7.3
21253
2
DANCING WITH THE STARS
ABC
11.0
17
12679
2
5.8
16824
3
NCIS: LOS ANGELES
CBS
10.2
16
11678
3
5.6
16481
4
GREY'S ANATOMY-THU 9PM
ABC
9.8
15
11209
5
5.2
15062
5
DANCING W/STARS RESULTS
ABC
9.7
15
11097
7
5.1
14918
6
FOX MLB ALCS GAME 6(S)
FOX
9.3
15
10735
4
5.3
15481
7
NBC SUNDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL
NBC
9.1
15
10452
7
5.1
14975
8
CRIMINAL MINDS
CBS
9.0
14
10284
9
4.9
14268
8
DESPERATE HOUSEWIVES
ABC
9.0
14
10293
9
4.9
14183
8
OT, THE
FOX
9.0
15
10343
5
5.2
15066
11
GOOD WIFE, THE
CBS
8.8
15
10166
14
4.5
13258
12
TWO AND A HALF MEN
CBS
8.6
13
9910
11
4.8
14072
13
CSI:
MIAMI
CBS
8.5
14
9791
14
4.5
13163
14
CSI: NY
CBS
8.4
14
9669
14
4.5
13008
14
FOX MLB ALCS GAME 6 PRE(S)
FOX
8.4
14
9605
12
4.7
13709
16
60 MINUTES
CBS
8.1
13
9250
18
4.3
12473
16
BIG BANG THEORY, THE
CBS
8.1
12
9286
13
4.6
13472
18
FOX MLB ALCS GAME 5(S)
FOX
7.6
13
8708
19
4.1
11851
18
MENTALIST, THE
CBS
7.6
13
8744
20
4.0
11788
18
SURVIVOR:
SAMOA
CBS
7.6
12
8773
17
4.4
12899
21
BROTHERS & SISTERS
ABC
6.8
11
7791
27
3.4
9969
22
FOX MLB ALCS GAME 4(S)
FOX
6.7
11
7670
24
3.5
10303
22
PRIVATE PRACTICE
ABC
6.7
11
7653
27
3.4
9928
24
HOUSE
FOX
6.6
10
7566
20
4.0
11651
25
CASTLE
ABC
6.5
11
7522
31
3.3
9688
25
CSI
CBS
6.5
10
7494
24
3.5
10142
Source: Nielsen Media Research
TOP 25 PROGRAMS – BROADCAST Adults 18-49
Week Ending October 25
Rank
Program
Net
Rtg%
(000)
1
NBC SUNDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL
NBC
5.9
7767
2
OT, THE
FOX
5.7
7502
3
BIG BANG THEORY, THE
CBS
5.3
6908
3
GREY'S ANATOMY-THU 9PM
ABC
5.3
7038
5
FOX MLB ALCS GAME 6(S)
FOX
5.2
6805
6
TWO AND A HALF MEN
CBS
4.8
6292
7
DESPERATE HOUSEWIVES
ABC
4.7
6163
7
FOX MLB ALCS GAME 6 PRE(S)
FOX
4.7
6148
7
NCIS
CBS
4.7
6239
10
HOUSE
FOX
4.5
5957
11
OFFICE
NBC
4.4
5734
12
SURVIVOR:
SAMOA
CBS
4.0
5320
13
BIGGEST LOSER 8
NBC
3.9
5181
13
CSI:
MIAMI
CBS
3.9
5075
13
NCIS: LOS ANGELES
CBS
3.9
5163
16
CRIMINAL MINDS
CBS
3.8
4988
17
FOX MLB ALCS GAME 5(S)
FOX
3.7
4913
17
PRIVATE PRACTICE
ABC
3.7
4823
17
SUNDAY NIGHT NFL PRE-KICK
NBC
3.7
4918
20
DANCING WITH THE STARS
ABC
3.6
4729
21
AMAZING RACE 15
CBS
3.4
4512
21
DANCING W/STARS RESULTS
ABC
3.4
4408
21
FOX MLB ALCS GAME 4(S)
FOX
3.4
4427
21
HOW I MET YOUR MOTHER
CBS
3.4
4439
21
MODERN FAMILY
ABC
3.4
4449
Source: Nielsen Media Research
SPANISH-LANGUAGE TELEVISION (WEEKLY COLLAPSED) Ranked on Households
Week Ending October 18
#
PROGRAMS
Net
Rtg
P2+ (000)
1
SORTILEGIO M-F
UNI
19.4
4358
2
EN NOMBRE DEL AMOR M-F
UNI
17.7
3965
3
CRISTINA MON
UNI
17.4
3636
4
AQUI Y AHORA TUE
UNI
15.1
3003
5
DON FRANCISCO PRESENTA WE
UNI
13.9
2748
6
GANCHO AL CORAZON M-F
UNI
13.5
2962
7
ROSA DE GUADALUPE THU-FRI
UNI
12.0
2740
8
VIVA EL SUENO SUN
UNI
11.3
2381
9
SABADO GIGANTE SAT
UNI
11.2
2394
10
RUMBO AL MUNDIAL 10/14(S)-10/14/2009
TEL
10.8
2460
11
QUIEN TIENE RAZON? EE SUN
UNI
9.6
1833
12
FAMILIA P. LUCHE SAT
UNI
7.2
1596
13
MARIA TODOS ANGELES SUN
UNI
6.5
1432
14
MAS SABE EL DIABLO M-F
TEL
5.8
1219
15
BETTY LA FEA M-F
TF
5.6
1254
16
CINE NUESTRO SUN
TEL
5.4
1346
17
VECINOS THR
TF
4.6
1049
18
VICTORINOS M-F
TEL
4.5
1026
19
VECINOS FRI
TF
4.3
996
20
VECINOS WED
TF
4.2
1092
20
CINE DE LAS ESTRELLAS M-THU
TF
4.2
937
22
JUNTO AL TRI 10/14(S)-10/14/2009
TEL
4.1
859
23
VECINOS TUE
TF
4.0
932
23
NINOS RICOS M-F
TEL
4.0
867
25
VECINOS MON
TF
3.9
928
1
SORTILEGIO M-F
UNI
19.4
4358
Source: Nielsen Media Research
HISPANIC ENGLISH-LANGUAGE VIEWING Ranked on Households
Week Ending October 18
#
PROGRAMS
Net
Rtg
P2+(000)
1
FOX MLB ALCS GAME 2(S)-10/17/2009
FOX
6.3
1160
2
NBC SUNDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL
NBC
5.5
1068
3
FOX MLB ALCS GAME 1(S)-10/16/2009
FOX
5.4
1006
4
CLEVELAND
FOX
4.9
1044
5
FAMILY GUY
FOX
4.8
1015
5
SIMPSONS
FOX
4.8
1146
7
DANCING WITH THE STARS
ABC
4.6
887
7
GREY'S ANATOMY-THU 9PM
ABC
4.6
825
9
DANCING W/STARS RESULTS
ABC
4.3
803
10
AMERICAN DAD
FOX
4.1
861
Source: Nielsen Media Research
AFRICAN AMERICAN AUDIENCE ESTIMATES Ranked on Households
Week Ending October 18
#
PROGRAMS
Net
Rtg
P2+(000)
1
NBC SUNDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL
NBC
14.2
2775
2
CSI:
MIAMI
CBS
9.6
1834
3
CSI: NY
CBS
9.3
1677
4
NCIS: LOS ANGELES
CBS
9.3
1650
5
SUNDAY NIGHT NFL PRE-KICK
NBC
8.7
1690
6
GOOD WIFE, THE
CBS
8.6
1540
7
NCIS
CBS
8.6
1533
8
DANCING WITH THE STARS
ABC
8.5
1456
9
60 MINUTES
CBS
8.4
1525
10
GREY'S ANATOMY-THU 9PM
ABC
8.0
1376
* Ratings based on 13.65 million African American TV homes.
Source: Nielsen Media Research
TOP 20 NETWORK SPORTS PROGRAMS Ranked on Households
Week Ending October 18
