Broadcast recap
   
Homepage
Alternative media
Cable
Classifieds
Magazines
Media economy
New media
Newspapers
Out of Home
People
Rachel speaks!
Research
Television
TV Reviews
Media Economy Newsletter
Medialands
 
Monday
Tuesday
Wednesday
Thursday
Friday
Last week
Yearly Archives
 
About us
Subscribe
Advertise
Contact us
Write to the editor
Press releases
Post a classified




Cover Page
Send to a Friend
Print Version
Contact Us
Advertise
Post a Free Classified
For the Big Five,
one chilly summer

All see declines in adults 18-49, some of them steep

By Kevin Downey
Aug 5, 2009

The fall television season begins in less than two months, and the broadcast networks must be counting the days.

This is proving to be a tough summer for the Big Five, despite a handful of hit shows like NBC’s “America’s Got Talent” and ABC’s “The Bachelorette.”

Each of the networks is posting year-to-year declines.

Fox is doing the best, ranking No. 1, but it’s down 17 percent among adults 18-49 from last year for the period May 25 through this past Sunday, Aug. 2.

Fox has a 1.9 rating in the demo.

ABC and NBC are tied at No. 2, each with a 1.6 rating and each down 11 percent from the same time last summer.

CBS is No. 4 with a 1.5 rating yet it's down the least, just 6 percent from last summer in 18-49s, airing primarily repeats of shows like the sitcom “Two and a Half Men” that hold up well in reruns, versus the mix of originals and repeats airing on ABC, NBC, Fox and the CW.

The CW, which targets young women, is down 33 percent in adults 18-49, to a 0.4 rating.

Still, viewers aren’t steering clear of TV sets.

A few broadcast networks are doing well this summer, including the Spanish-language networks, which most weeks are seeing improved ratings, and MyNetworkTV, which is up 67 precent in 18-49s this summer, to a 0.5 rating, mainly on the strength of "Friday Night Smackdown."

***

In broadcast ratings for the week ended Aug. 2:

Among adults 18-49, Fox was first with a 1.8 average rating and a 6 share, followed by CBS at 1.5/5, NBC and ABC at 1.3/4, Univision at 1.2/4, MyNetworkTV at 0.5/2, CW at 0.5/1, Telefutura and Telemundo at 0.4/1, Ion at 0.2/1 and Azteca at 0.1/0.
 
Among adults 18-34, Fox was first with a 1.7 average rating and a 7 share, followed by Univision at 1.3/5, ABC at 1.1/4, CBS and NBC at 0.9/4, Telemundo and MyNetworkTV at 0.5/2, Telefutura and CW at 0.4/2 and Azteca at 0.0/0.

Among adults 25-54, CBS and Fox were first with a 2.0 average rating and a 6 share, followed by NBC at 1.7/5, ABC at 1.6/5, Univision at 1.1/3, MyNetworkTV at 0.6/2, CW at 0.5/1, Telemundo and Telefutura at 0.4/1, and Azteca at 0.1/0.

Top five English-language Big Five shows (18-49s): Tie-1. ABC’s “The Bachelorette” and NBC’s “America’s Got Talent-Tuesday” 3.5; 3. Fox’s “Hell’s Kitchen” 3.4; 4. Fox’s “So You Think You Can Dance - Wednesday” 3.0; Tie-5. ABC’s “The Bachelorette: After the Final Rose,” CBS’s “The Big Bang Theory” and NBC’s “America’s Got Talent – Wednesday” 2.8.

Top five English-language Big Five shows (total viewers): 1. NBC’s “America’s Got Talent - Tuesday” 13.24 million; 2. NBC’s “America’s Got Talent - Wednesday” 11.19 million; 3. ABC’s “The Bachelorette” 10.00 million; 4. CBS’s “NCIS” 9.73 million; 5. CBS’s “60 Minutes” 9.61 million.

Top five time-shifted English-language Big Five shows (18-49s, by Live+7 playback, week ended July 12): 1. Fox’s “So You Think You Can Dance - Wednesday” 1.76 million (up 38 percent); 2. Fox’s “So You Think You Can Dance - Thursday” 1.37 million (up 30 percent); 3. ABC’s “Wipeout” 1.07 million (up 24 percent); 4. ABC’s “The Bachelorette” 1.06 million (up 29 percent); 5. CBS’s “Big Brother-Sunday” 1.04 million (up 35 percent).

Show on the rise: “The Bachelorette,” ABC, Monday 8 p.m. The season finale drew a 3.5 rating among viewers 18-49, a season high and up 25 percent from the previous week’s 2.8.

Show on the decline: “More to Love,” Fox, Tuesday 9 p.m. The heavyset dating show averaged a 1.9 rating among 18-49s, off 42 percent from the 3.3 “Hell’s Kitchen” posted in the timeslot the previous week.



WEEKLY PRIMETIME AVERAGES BY NETWORK
 Ranked on Households
Week Ending August 2

Network

Households

People 2+

Adults 18-49

Rtg%

(000)

Shr

Rtg%

(000)

Shr

Rtg%

(000)

Shr

CBS

4.1

4700

8

2.2

6240

6

1.5

1920

5

NBC

3.2

3720

6

1.7

5070

5

1.3

1700

4

FOX

2.9

3350

5

1.6

4760

5

1.8

2370

6

ABC

2.9

3330

5

1.5

4440

5

1.3

1780

4

UNI

1.5

1740

3

1.0

2930

3

1.2

1550

4

MNT

1.0

1120

2

0.5

1570

2

0.5

680

2

CW

0.8

870

1

0.4

1150

1

0.5

600

1

TEL

0.5

550

1

0.3

970

1

0.4

580

1

TF

0.5

520

1

0.3

880

1

0.4

500

1

ION

0.4

440

1

0.2

570

1

0.2

250

1

AZA

0.1

100

0

0.0

140

0

0.1

70

0

* Each rating point is equivalent to 1. 145 million homes

Source: Nielsen Media Research 

 

SEASON-TO-DATE PRIMETIME AVERAGES BY NETWORK
Ranked on Households
Week Ending August 2

Network

Households

People 2+

Adults 18-49

Rtg%

(000)

Shr

Rtg%

(000)

Shr

Rtg%

(000)

Shr

CBS

6.4

7290

11

3.5

10100

9

2.6

3380

7

FOX

4.9

5640

8

2.8

8230

7

3.0

3940

9

ABC

4.8

5530

8

2.6

7570

7

2.4

3150

7

NBC

4.3

4890

7

2.4

6830

6

2.3

3030

7

UNI

1.9

2160

3

1.3

3750

3

1.5

1960

4

CW

1.1

1270

2

0.6

1650

1

0.7

910

2

MNT

1.0

1130

2

0.5

1590

1

0.5

690

2

TEL

0.6

670

1

0.4

1160

1

0.5

680

1

ION

0.4

480

1

0.2

630

1

0.2

210

0

TF

0.4

410

1

0.2

690

1

0.3

410

1

AZA

0.1

120

0

0.1

180

0

0.1

110

0

* Each rating point is equivalent to 1. 145 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 August 2

#

PROGRAMS

Net

HOUSEHOLDS

PERSONS 2+

Rtg%

Shr

(000)

#

Rtg%

(000)

1

AMERICA 'S GOT TALENT-TUE

NBC

7.9

13

9101

1

4.6

13245

2

AMERICA GOT TALENT-WED 9P

NBC

6.6

11

7504

2

3.9

11188

3

BACHELORETTE, THE

ABC

6.5

11

7489

3

3.4

10001

4

NCIS

CBS

6.4

11

7307

3

3.4

9731

5

60 MINUTES

CBS

6.2

12

7149

5

3.3

9609

6

MENTALIST, THE

CBS

5.8

10

6599

7

3.0

8733

7

TWO AND A HALF MEN

CBS

5.7

9

6518

6

3.1

9065

8

BACHELORETTE:AFTER ROSE(S)

ABC

5.4

9

6178

10

2.8

7986

9

AMERICA GOT TALENT-TUE 8P

NBC

5.3

9

6030

7

3.0

8559

9

CSI: MIAMI

CBS

5.3

9

6086

10

2.8

8131

11

BIG BANG THEORY, THE

CBS

5.2

8

5964

9

2.9

8478

11

CSI

CBS

5.2

9

5980

12

2.7

7820

13

LAW AND ORDER:SVU

NBC

4.9

9

5666

15

2.5

7241

14

SO YOU THINK CN DANCE-THU

FOX

4.7

8

5421

14

2.6

7595

14

SO YOU THINK CN DANCE-WED

FOX

4.7

8

5326

12

2.7

7810

16

CSI: NY

CBS

4.5

8

5108

17

2.3

6651

16

WITHOUT A TRACE

CBS

4.5

8

5112

17

2.3

6580

18

COLD CASE

CBS

4.3

7

4944

17

2.3

6627

18

CRIMINAL MINDS

CBS

4.3

7

4967

22

2.2

6430

20

BIG BROTHER 11-SUN

CBS

4.2

8

4824

17

2.3

6765

21

AMERICA GOT TALENT-WED 8P

NBC

4.1

7

4663

22

2.2

6257

21

BIG BROTHER 11-THU

CBS

4.1

8

4644

22

2.2

6459

21

HELL'S KITCHEN

FOX

4.1

7

4703

16

2.4

7036

24

DATELINE FRI

NBC

3.9

8

4447

27

2.0

5813

24

DATING IN THE DARK

ABC

3.9

7

4438

25

2.1

6006

Source: Nielsen Media Research

TOP 25 PROGRAMS – BROADCAST
Adults 18-49
Week Ending August 2

Rank

Program

Net

Rtg%

(000)

1

AMERICA 'S GOT TALENT-TUE

NBC

3.5

4639

1

BACHELORETTE, THE

ABC

3.5

4568

3

HELL'S KITCHEN

FOX

3.4

4450

4

SO YOU THINK CN DANCE-WED

FOX

3.0

3962

5

AMERICA GOT TALENT-WED 9P

NBC

2.8

3683

5

BACHELORETTE:AFTER ROSE(S)

ABC

2.8

3696

5

BIG BANG THEORY, THE

CBS

2.8

3761

8

TWO AND A HALF MEN

CBS

2.7

3536

9

SO YOU THINK CN DANCE-THU

FOX

2.6

3476

10

DATING IN THE DARK

ABC

2.4

3197

11

AMERICA GOT TALENT-TUE 8P

NBC

2.2

2892

11

BIG BROTHER 11-SUN

CBS

2.2

2868

11

FAMILY GUY

FOX

2.2

2961

11

WIPEOUT

ABC

2.2

2912

15

BIG BROTHER 11-THU

CBS

2.1

2776

15

BIG BROTHER 11-TUE

CBS

2.1

2799

15

LAW AND ORDER:SVU

NBC

2.1

2805

15

MANANA PARA SIEMPRE THU

UNI

2.1

2719

15

MANANA PARA SIEMPRE TUE

UNI

2.1

2730

15

SIMPSONS-SUN 9:30P

FOX

2.1

2778

21

CSI: MIAMI

CBS

2.0

2647

21

MANANA PARA SIEMPRE MON

UNI

2.0

2590

23

MANANA PARA SIEMPRE WED

UNI

1.9

2549

23

MENTALIST, THE

CBS

1.9

2498

23

MORE TO LOVE

FOX

1.9

2473

23

SIMPSONS-SUN 8:30P

FOX

1.9

2542

Source: Nielsen Media Research

  

SPANISH-LANGUAGE TELEVISION (WEEKLY COLLAPSED)
Ranked on Households
Week Ending July 26

#

PROGRAMS

Net

Rtg

P2+ (000)

1

COPA ORO 2009 24 UNI(S)-07/23/2009

UNI

21.6

5086

2

MANANA PARA SIEMPRE M-F

UNI

18.9

4156

3

AQUI Y AHORA TUE

UNI

16.4

3284

4

CRISTINA MON

UNI

15.8

3193

5

EN NOMBRE DEL AMOR MON

UNI

15.4

3183

6

EN NOMBRE DEL AMOR M-F

UNI

14.8

3173

7

DON FRANCISCO PRESENTA WE

UNI

13.7

2696

8

GANCHO AL CORAZON M-F

UNI

11.9

2512

9

ROSA DE GUADALUPE THU-FRI

UNI

11.1

2436

10

SABADO GIGANTE SAT

UNI

9.0

1688

11

COPA ORO 2009 23 TF(S)-07/23/2009

TF

8.3

1793

12

QUIEN TIENE RAZON? EE SUN

UNI

7.3

1433

13

CINE MILLONARIO

TEL

6.8

1528

14

ZONA DE GUERRA D PDR 7/26(S)-07/26/2009

UNI

6.7

1295

15

HAZME REIR MILLONARIO SUN

UNI

6.4

1320

16

BETTY LA FEA M-F

TF

5.7

1222

17

VICTORINOS M-F

TEL

4.6

1187

18

CINE DE LAS ESTREL SAT 2

TF

4.5

985

19

NINOS RICOS M-F

TEL

4.2

957

20

MAS SABE EL DIABLO M-F

TEL

4.0

799

21

CINE DE LAS ESTREL SUN 2

TF

3.9

807

21

12 CORAZONES M-F

TEL

3.9

736

23

CINE DE LAS ESTREL SAT

TF

3.6

854

24

CINE DE LAS ESTRELLAS M-THU

TF

3.4

719

24

JUEGO DE ORO SAT

UNI

3.4

610

24

ROMPIENDO LOS LIMITES THR

TF

3.4

675

Source: Nielsen Media Research

 

HISPANIC ENGLISH-LANGUAGE VIEWING
Ranked on Households
Week Ending July 26

#

PROGRAMS

Net

Rtg

P2+(000)

1

AMERICA 'S GOT TALENT-TUE

NBC

4.7

799

2

AMERICA GOT TALENT-WED 9P

NBC

3.8

783

3

WIPEOUT

ABC

2.7

646

4

AMW: AMERICA FIGHTS BACK

FOX

2.6

515

4

HELL'S KITCHEN SP-7/21 9P(S)-07/21/2009

FOX

2.6

479

4

MENTALIST, THE

CBS

2.6

504

7

SO YOU THINK CN DANCE-WED

FOX

2.5

454

8

SO YOU THINK CN DANCE-THU

FOX

2.4

491

9

AMERICA GOT TALENT-TUE 8P

NBC

2.3

407

10

BIG BANG THEORY, THE

CBS

2.2

411

10

CSI: MIAMI

CBS

2.2

413

10

PRIMETIME: FAMILY SECRETS

ABC

2.2

401

10

WWE FRIDAY NIGHT SMACKDWN

MNT

2.2

546

Source: Nielsen Media Research

 

AFRICAN AMERICAN AUDIENCE ESTIMATES
Ranked on Households
Week Ending July 26

#

PROGRAMS

Net

Rtg

P2+(000)

1

AMERICA 'S GOT TALENT-TUE

NBC

7.9

1500

2

CSI: MIAMI

CBS

6.2

1071

3

LAW AND ORDER:SVU

NBC

6.1

1099

4

AMERICA GOT TALENT-TUE 8P

NBC

5.5

1016

4

CSI: NY

CBS

5.5

981

6

SO YOU THINK CN DANCE-WED

FOX

5.3

946

7

MENTALIST, THE

CBS

5.2

950

8

NCIS

CBS

5.2

832

9

SO YOU THINK CN DANCE-THU

FOX

4.9

900

10

BIG BANG THEORY, THE

CBS

4.6

719

* Ratings based on 13.65 million African American TV homes.
Source: Nielsen Media Research

 

TOP 25 NETWORK SPORTS PROGRAMS
Ranked on Households

Week ending July 26

#

PROGRAMS

Net

Episode

Households

Persons 2+

US Rtg%

Shr

(000)

(000)

1

COPA ORO 2009 24 UNI-07/23/2009

UNI

COSTA RICA VS MEXICO

2.5

5

2894

5278

2

COPA ORO 2009 25 UNI-07/26/2009

UNI

USA VS MEXICO

2.3

6

2685

5384

3

FOX SATURDAY BASEBALL-07/25/2009

FOX

VARIOUS TEAMS AND TIMES

1.9

5

2166

2862

4

WWE FRIDAY NIGHT SMACKDWN-07/24/2009

MNT

 

1.8

4

2043

3084

5

SENIOR OPEN CHAMP-SUN-07/26/2009

ABC

 

1

3

1121

1399

6

COPA ORO 2009 23 TF-07/23/2009

TF

HONDURAS VS USA

1

2

1113

1876

7

CANADIAN OPEN-SUN-RAIN-07/26/2009

CBS

 

0.7

2

771

988

8

SENIOR OPEN CHAMP-SAT-07/25/2009

ABC

 

0.6

2

685

804

9

POKER AFTER DARK MO-SAT-07/24/2009

NBC

 

0.6

3

642

682

10

CANADIAN OPEN-SAT-RAIN-07/25/2009

CBS

 

0.6

2

726

851

11

POKER AFTER DARK MO-SAT-07/25/2009

NBC