Rihanna and Andre Agassi have been tabloid staples over recent weeks, Rihanna as she emerges from a media blackout following a beating at the hands of then-boyfriend Chris Brown and Agassi after admitting to using crystal meth during his storied tennis career.
Where the tabloids left off, the broadcast newsmagazines picked up over the weekend, with Rihanna and Agassi sitting for their first interviews in months.
Despite the earlier tabloid saturation, viewers were pretty interested in what they had to say.
Agassi's "60 Minutes" appearance boosted the CBS show to No. 5 for the week among total viewers, according to Nielsen, averaging 16.85 million, the best outing this season for the Sunday 7 p.m. show.
It also hit a season high among adults 18-49, averaging a 3.8 rating.
Diane Sawyer's chat with Rihanna boosted ABC's "20/20" to its best adults 18-49 rating since February, averaging a 2.8 rating. It was Friday's top-rated show and also posted the program's best 18-34 average, a 2.4, since December 2006.
It just proves once again that while newsmagazines aren't quite the hot commodity they were a decade ago, when seven of them ranked in the top 30 among households, they can still draw big audiences when they have buzzy guests.
Last week they certainly did.
Rihanna had stayed silent since her shocking beating at the hands of fellow pop star Brown last February. Until that point, they were music's golden couple, an attractive pair who kept a low profile and seemed to have few problems.
The tabloids pounced on the case, and it was a painful about-face for Rihanna, as she observed during the interview. "I went to sleep as Rihanna and woke up as Britney Spears," she said. "It was like, 'What, there are helicopters circling my house?'"
Agassi, on the other hand, had to expect the media firestorm that erupted last month after excerpts of his new autobiography leaked online. Among the revelations was the fact that the tennis star, one of just a handful men to win all four Grand Slams in his career, used crystal meth during the late 1990s.
The book also touches on his relationship with ex-wife Brooke Shields and his much-admired hair, which he now admits was a toupee.
He also sparked lots of tab chatter. "Andre Agassi Meth Head" screamed a recent headline in the National Enquirer. "Andre Agassi: I Used Crystal Meth" said one in People.
***
In broadcast ratings for the week ended Nov. 8:
Among adults 18-49, Fox was first with a 3.6 average rating and a 10 share, followed by CBS at 2.9/8, NBC at 2.8/8, ABC at 2.7/7, Univision at 1.5/4, CW at 1.1/3, Telemundo at 0.5/1, Telefutura at 0.4/1, Ion 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” 8.5; 2. Fox’s “World Series Game 6” 7.4; 3. Fox’s “World Series Game 5” 5.3; 4. ABC’s “V” 5.2; 5. ABC’s “Grey’s Anatomy” 5.1.
Top five English-language Big Five shows (total viewers): 1. Fox’s “World Series Game 6” 22.34 million; 2. NBC’s “Sunday Night Football” 21.88 million; 3. CBS’s “NCIS” 20.18 million; 4. Fox’s “World Series Game 5” 17.09 million; 5. CBS’s “60 Minutes” 16.85 million.
Top five time-shifted English-language Big Five shows (18-49s, by Live+7 playback, week ended Oct. 18): 1. Fox’s “House” 2.7 increase (up 42 percent); 2. ABC’s “Grey’s Anatomy” 2.6 increase (up 39 percent); 3. NBC’s “The Office” 2.3 increase (up 44 percent); 4. CBS’s “The Big Bang Theory” 1.8 increase (up 31 percent); 5. ABC’s “Desperate Housewives” 1.6 increase (up 30 percent).
Show on the rise: “Community,” NBC, Thursday 8 p.m. The comedy posted a 2.3 rating among viewers 18-49, up 10 percent from the previous week’s 2.1.
Show on the decline: “Desperate Housewives,” ABC, Sunday 9 p.m. “Housewives” slipped 12 percent among 18-49s week-to-week against the return of NBC’s “Sunday Night Football,” from a 5.0 rating to a 4.4.
WEEKLY PRIMETIME AVERAGES BY NETWORK Ranked on Households
Week Ending November 8
Network
Households
People 2+
Adults 18-49
Rtg%
(000)
Shr
Rtg%
(000)
Shr
Rtg%
(000)
Shr
CBS
7.0
8000
11
3.8
11090
10
2.9
3840
8
FOX
6.5
7450
10
3.7
10690
9
3.6
4760
10
ABC
5.9
6820
10
3.2
9250
8
2.7
3550
7
NBC
5.1
5910
8
2.8
8230
7
2.8
3690
8
UNI
1.9
2240
3
1.3
3710
3
1.5
1960
4
CW
1.6
1790
2
0.8
2340
2
1.1
1460
3
ION
0.6
710
1
0.3
950
1
0.3
380
1
TEL
0.5
610
1
0.4
1030
1
0.5
630
1
TF
0.4
510
1
0.3
840
1
0.4
500
1
AZA
0.1
140
0
0.1
190
0
0.1
110
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 November 8
Network
Households
People 2+
Adults 18-49
Rtg%
(000)
Shr
Rtg%
(000)
Shr
Rtg%
(000)
Shr
CBS
7.5
8640
12
4.1
12080
11
3.2
4250
9
ABC
6.4
7380
10
3.4
10040
9
3.0
3990
8
FOX
6.1
6960
10
3.5
10130
9
3.7
4930
10
NBC
4.8
5560
8
2.6
7710
7
2.7
3540
7
UNI
1.9
2140
3
1.2
3600
3
1.4
1860
4
CW
1.7
1920
3
0.9
2510
2
1.2
1600
3
ION
0.6
640
1
0.3
820
1
0.2
320
1
TEL
0.5
610
1
0.4
1040
1
0.5
640
1
TF
0.4
500
1
0.3
860
1
0.4
520
1
AZA
0.1
140
0
0.1
210
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 November 8
#
PROGRAMS
Net
HOUSEHOLDS
PERSONS 2+
Rtg%
Shr
(000)
#
Rtg%
(000)
1
FOX WORLD SERIES GAME 6(S)
FOX
13.4
22
15418
1
7.6
22339
2
NBC SUNDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL
NBC
13.1
21
15041
2
7.5
21883
3
NCIS
CBS
12.2
19
14014
3
6.9
20183
4
DANCING WITH THE STARS
ABC
10.9
16
12539
7
5.7
16688
5
60 MINUTES
CBS
10.6
17
12135
6
5.8
16853
5
FOX WORLD SERIES GAME 5(S)
FOX
10.6
16
12145
4
5.9
17092
7
MENTALIST, THE
CBS
10.4
18
11948
8
5.6
16211
8
SUNDAY NIGHT NFL PRE-KICK
NBC
10.1
16
11608
4
5.9
17263
9
CSI
CBS
9.7
15
11136
9
5.3
15604
9
DANCING W/STARS RESULTS
ABC
9.7
15
11094
10
5.2
15051
9
NCIS: LOS ANGELES
CBS
9.7
15
11119
10
5.2
15286
12
GREY'S ANATOMY-THU 9PM
ABC
9.1
14
10414
13
4.8
13951
13
V
ABC
8.7
13
10028
12
4.9
14300
14
DESPERATE HOUSEWIVES
ABC
8.6
13
9861
14
4.7
13795
14
GOOD WIFE, THE
CBS
8.6
15
9900
16
4.4
12743
16
TWO AND A HALF MEN
CBS
8.4
12
9607
15
4.6
13509
17
CSI:
MIAMI
CBS
8.0
13
9145
18
4.3
12518
18
CRIMINAL MINDS
CBS
7.8
12
8976
18
4.3
12546
19
BIG BANG THEORY, THE
CBS
7.7
12
8878
16
4.4
12729
19
CSI: NY
CBS
7.7
13
8842
21
4.1
12000
21
SURVIVOR:
SAMOA
CBS
7.3
11
8342
18
4.3
12439
22
AMAZING RACE 15
CBS
6.9
10
7929
22
4.0
11617
22
FOOTBALL NT
AMERICA PT 3
NBC
6.9
11
7884
22
4.0
11715
24
CASTLE
ABC
6.4
11
7339
25
3.2
9428
25
BROTHERS & SISTERS
ABC
6.2
11
7160
26
3.1
9083
Source: Nielsen Media Research
TOP 25 PROGRAMS – BROADCAST Adults 18-49
Week Ending November 8
Rank
Program
Net
Rtg%
(000)
1
NBC SUNDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL
NBC
8.5
11122
2
FOX WORLD SERIES GAME 6(S)
FOX
7.4
9712
3
SUNDAY NIGHT NFL PRE-KICK
NBC
6.1
8067
4
FOX WORLD SERIES GAME 5(S)
FOX
5.3
6948
5
V
ABC
5.2
6806
6
GREY'S ANATOMY-THU 9PM
ABC
5.1
6660
7
BIG BANG THEORY, THE
CBS
4.7
6220
8
DESPERATE HOUSEWIVES
ABC
4.4
5815
8
FOOTBALL NT
AMERICA PT 3
NBC
4.4
5757
8
TWO AND A HALF MEN
CBS
4.4
5844
11
NCIS
CBS
4.3
5625
12
FAMILY GUY
FOX
4.1
5413
12
OFFICE
NBC
4.1
5334
14
60 MINUTES
CBS
3.8
5005
15
FAMILY GUY SP-11/8 8P(S)
FOX
3.7
4824
15
SURVIVOR:
SAMOA
CBS
3.7
4828
17
CSI:
MIAMI
CBS
3.6
4748
17
MENTALIST, THE
CBS
3.6
4739
17
NCIS: LOS ANGELES
CBS
3.6
4711
20
AMAZING RACE 15
CBS
3.5
4574
20
BIGGEST LOSER 8
NBC
3.5
4607
20
CSI
CBS
3.5
4644
20
HOW I MET YOUR MOTHER
CBS
3.5
4646
20
MODERN FAMILY
ABC
3.5
4601
25
CRIMINAL MINDS
CBS
3.4
4468
25
DANCING WITH THE STARS
ABC
3.4
4418
25
PRIVATE PRACTICE
ABC
3.4
4505
25
SETH MACFAR SP-11/8 8:30P(S)
FOX
3.4
4485
Source: Nielsen Media Research
SPANISH-LANGUAGE TELEVISION (WEEKLY COLLAPSED) Ranked on Households
Week Ending November 1
#
PROGRAMS
Net
Rtg
P2+ (000)
1
SORTILEGIO M-F
UNI
20.8
4594
2
EN NOMBRE DEL AMOR M-F
UNI
17.5
3830
3
DON FRANCISCO PRESENTA WE
UNI
14.6
2887
4
AQUI Y AHORA TUE
UNI
14.4
3142
5
GANCHO AL CORAZON M-F
UNI
13.6
2913
6
ROSA DE GUADALUPE THU-FRI
UNI
12.2
2689
7
CRISTINA MON
UNI
10.8
2098
8
VIVA EL SUENO SUN
UNI
10.6
2209
9
SABADO GIGANTE SAT
UNI
10.0
1989
10
QUIEN TIENE RAZON? EE SUN
UNI
9.0
1611
11
FAMILIA P. LUCHE SAT
UNI
7.9
1568
12
MARIA TODOS ANGELES SUN
UNI
7.8
1727
13
MAS SABE EL DIABLO M-F
TEL
6.0
1306
14
BETTY LA FEA M-F
TF
5.2
1129
15
CINE DE LAS ESTREL SUN
TF
4.5
1160
15
VECINOS M-F
TF
4.5
1031
17
12 CORAZONES M-F
TEL
4.4
852
17
VICTORINOS M-F
TEL
4.4
1034
19
CINE MILLONARIO
TEL
4.0
937
19
NINOS RICOS M-F
TEL
4.0
872
21
CINE DE LAS ESTRELLAS M-F
TF
3.6
786
22
VEREDICTO FINAL M-F
TF
3.5
628
23
CINE MILLONARIO 11/1(S)-11/01/2009
TEL
3.4
761
24
CINE DE LAS ESTREL SAT
TF
2.7
566
25
FUTBOL LIGA MEX SAT
TF
2.6
505
Source: Nielsen Media Research
HISPANIC ENGLISH-LANGUAGE VIEWING Ranked on Households
Week Ending November 1
#
PROGRAMS
Net
Rtg
P2+(000)
1
FOX WORLD SERIES GAME 4(S)-11/01/2009
FOX
12.4
2417
2
FOX WORLD SERIES GAME 2(S)-10/29/2009
FOX
10.5
2023
3
FOX WORLD SERIES GAME 1(S)-10/28/2009
FOX
10.2
2024
4
FOX WORLD SERIES GAME 3(S)-10/31/2009
FOX
8.6
1715
5
FOX WORLD SERIES GM4-PRE(S)-11/01/2009
FOX
8.2
1645
6
OT, THE
FOX
5.7
1106
7
DANCING WITH THE STARS
ABC
4.9
894
8
DESPERATE HOUSEWIVES
ABC
3.9
707
9
FOX WORLD SERIES GM3-PRE(S)-10/31/2009
FOX
3.7
686
9
GREY'S ANATOMY-THU 9PM
ABC
3.7
643
Source: Nielsen Media Research
AFRICAN AMERICAN AUDIENCE ESTIMATES Ranked on Households
Week Ending November 1
#
PROGRAMS
Net
Rtg
P2+(000)
1
OT, THE
FOX
11.7
2258
2
FOX WORLD SERIES GAME 4
FOX
11.7
2151
3
FOX WORLD SERIES GM4-PRE
FOX
10.3
1929
4
FOX WORLD SERIES GAME 2
FOX
9.3
1681
5
FOX WORLD SERIES GAME 1
FOX
9.2
1616
6
CSI:
MIAMI
CBS
8.1
1524
7
DANCING WITH THE STARS
ABC
8.0
1409
8
FOX WORLD SERIES GAME 3
FOX
7.8
1392
9
CSI: NY
CBS
7.8
1529
10
GREY'S ANATOMY-THU 9PM
ABC
7.5
1359
* Ratings based on 13.65 million African American TV homes.
Source: Nielsen Media Research
TOP 20 NETWORK SPORTS PROGRAMS Ranked on Households
Week Ending November 1
