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Summer's surprise:
'Big Bang Theory'

Pulling big ratings following 'Two and a Half Men'

By Kevin Downey
Jul 15, 2009

CBS has a long history of quietly churning out shows that don't get much respect, certainly not if media coverage and gossip columns are any measure, but nonetheless turn into long-running hits.

Shows like “NCIS” and “JAG” come to mind.

Still, probably no one saw this coming: CBS’s sitcom “The Big Bang Theory,” about a group of nerdy guys and a hot girl, is turning into a bona fide hit in repeats this summer, holding onto virtually the entire audience in most demographics of its lead-in “Two and a Half Men,” last season’s No. 1 comedy on television.

In fact, a repeat last week ranked No. 6 among all primetime shows in adults 18-49, trailing only two episodes each of NBC’s “America’s Got Talent” and Fox’s “So You Think You Can Dance.” ABC’s “Wipeout” was No. 5.

“Bang” pulled a 2.8 rating in the demographic, tied with “Two and a Half Men” but slightly outperforming that show in total viewers in the demographic.

“Bang” also outperformed higher-profile summer originals last week, including ABC’s “The Bachelorette” and the season premiere of CBS’s reality stalwart “Big Brother.”

“Bang’s” strong performance bodes well for the show and CBS’s Monday comedy block this fall.

Beginning Sept. 21, “Bang” kicks off its third season on Mondays at 9:30 p.m., following “Men.”

So far this summer, it’s holding onto 85 percent of “Men’s” total audience, 96 percent of its 18-49 rating and 100 percent of its 18-34 rating.

***

In broadcast ratings for the week ended July 12:

Among adults 18-49, Fox was first with a 1.5 average rating and a 5 share, followed by CBS at 1.4/5, Univision, ABC and NBC at 1.3/4, Telemundo at 0.5/2, MyNetworkTV at 0.4/2, Telefutura at 0.4/1, CW at 0.3/1, Ion at 0.2/0 and Azteca at 0.1/0.
 
Among adults 18-34, Fox was first with a 1.5 average rating and a 6 share, followed by Univision at 1.4/5, ABC at 1.0/4, NBC and CBS at 0.9/3, Telemundo at 0.6/2, Telefutura at 0.5/1, MyNetworkTV 0.4/2, CW at 0.3/1 and Azteca at 0.1/0.

Among adults 25-54, CBS was first with a 2.0 rating and a 6 share, followed by NBC and Fox at 1.7/5, ABC at 1.6/5, Univision at 1.2/4, MyNetworkTV at 0.5/2, Telemundo and Telefutura at 0.4/1, CW at 0.3/1 and Azteca at 0.1/0.

Top five English-language Big Five shows (18-49s): 1. NBC’s “America’s Got Talent - Wednesday” 3.3; 2. NBC’s “America’s Got Talent - Tuesday” 3.0; Tie-3. ABC’s “Wipeout,” Fox’s “So You Think You Can Dance – Thursday” and “So You Think You Can Dance – Wednesday” 2.9.

Top five English-language Big Five shows (total viewers): 1. NBC’s “America’s Got Talent - Wednesday” 11.91 million; 2. CBS’s “NCIS” 11.00 million; 3. NBC’s “America’s Got Talent - Tuesday” 10.57 million; 4. CBS’s “Two and a Half Men” 9.41 million; 5. CBS’s “The Mentalist - Tuesday” 9.25 million.

Top five time-shifted English-language Big Five shows (18-49s, by Live+7 playback, week ended June 21): 1. Fox’s “So You Think You Can Dance - Wednesday” 1.67 million (up 36 percent); 2. Fox’s “So You Think You Can Dance - Thursday” 1.37 million (up 29 percent); 3. ABC’s “Wipeout” 935,000 (up 23 percent); 4. ABC’s “The Bachelorette” 912,000 (up 27 percent); 5. CBS’s “Crimetime Saturday” 714,000 (up 46 percent).

Show on the rise: “So You Think You Can Dance,” Fox, Thursday 9 p.m. The Thursday edition averaged a 2.9 rating among 18-49s, up 26 percent from a 2.3 the previous week.

Show on the decline: “Dateline,” NBC, Monday 10 p.m. The Monday episode took a 32 percent week-to-week hit among 18-49s, last week posting a 1.5 versus the previous week’s Michael Jackson-induced 2.2.


WEEKLY PRIMETIME AVERAGES BY NETWORK
 Ranked on Households
Week Ending July 12

Network

Households

People 2+

Adults 18-49

Rtg%

(000)

Shr

Rtg%

(000)

Shr

Rtg%

(000)

Shr

CBS

4.3

4890

8

2.2

6460

7

1.4

1910

5

NBC

3.1

3570

6

1.7

4790

5

1.3

1710

4

ABC

2.9

3270

5

1.5

4320

4

1.3

1740

4

FOX

2.7

3150

5

1.5

4370

5

1.5

2040

5

UNI

1.7

1900

3

1.1

3190

3

1.3

1700

4

MNT

0.9

1050

2

0.5

1450

2

0.4

580

2

CW

0.6

680

1

0.3

880

1

0.3

440

1

TEL

0.5

630

1

0.4

1140

1

0.5

620

2

TF

0.5

570

1

0.3

950

1

0.4

570

1

ION

0.4

460

1

0.2

600

1

0.2

200

0

AZA

0.1

130

0

0.1

190

0

0.1

110

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 July 12

Network

Households

People 2+

Adults 18-49

Rtg%

(000)

Shr

Rtg%

(000)

Shr

Rtg%

(000)

Shr

CBS

6.5

7480

11

3.6

10380

9

2.6

3490

7

FOX

5.0

5770

8

2.9

8430

8

3.1

4040

9

ABC

5.0

5700

8

2.7

7810

7

2.5

3260

7

NBC

4.3

4960

7

2.4

6950

6

2.4

3120

7

UNI

1.9

2190

3

1.3

3800

3

1.5

1980

4

CW

1.1

1300

2

0.6

1700

1

0.7

940

2

MNT

1.0

1140

2

0.5

1590

1

0.5

690

2

TEL

0.6

680

1

0.4

1180

1

0.5

680

1

ION

0.4

490

1

0.2

630

1

0.2

210

0

TF

0.3

400

1

0.2

680

1

0.3

400

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 July 12

#

PROGRAMS

Net

HOUSEHOLDS

PERSONS 2+

Rtg%

Shr

(000)

#

Rtg%

(000)

1

AMERICA GOT TALENT-WED 9P

NBC

7.2

12

8211

1

4.1

11907

1

NCIS

CBS

7.2

13

8207

2

3.8

10998

3

AMERICA 'S GOT TALENT-TUE

NBC

6.2

10

7151

3

3.6

10570

3

MENTALIST, THE - TUESDAY

CBS

6.2

10

7109

4

3.2

9247

5

PRIMETIME: FAMILY SECRETS

ABC

6.0

10

6866

6

3.0

8657

5

TWO AND A HALF MEN

CBS

6.0

10

6862

4

3.2

9411

7

60 MINUTES

CBS

5.9

12

6724

6

3.0

8769

8

CSI: MIAMI

CBS

5.7

10

6561

6

3.0

8761

9

MENTALIST, THE

CBS

5.5

10

6241

10

2.8

8258

10

BACHELORETTE, THE

ABC

5.3

9

6030

12

2.7

7708

10

BIG BANG THEORY, THE

CBS

5.3

9

6041

9

2.9

8342

12

CSI

CBS

5.1

9

5872

14

2.6

7662

13

CSI: NY

CBS

4.9

9

5570

16

2.5

7254

13

SO YOU THINK CN DANCE-THU

FOX

4.9

9

5565

12

2.7

7885

15

CRIMINAL MINDS

CBS

4.8

8

5481

16

2.5

7144

16

SO YOU THINK CN DANCE-WED

FOX

4.7

8

5398

14

2.6

7589

17

WIPEOUT

ABC

4.5

9

5194

10

2.8

8193

18

BIG BROTHER 11-THU

CBS

4.4

8

5043

18

2.3

6587

19

AMERICA GOT TALENT-WED 8P

NBC

4.1

8

4725

19

2.2

6322

19

DATELINE NBC 7/7(S)

NBC

4.1

7

4643

19

2.2

6296

19

PRIMETIME: CRIME

ABC

4.1

7

4716

22

2.1

6069

22

20/20 SP EDITION-7/7(S)

ABC

4.0

7

4628

24

2.0

5742

22

WITHOUT A TRACE

CBS

4.0

7

4539

22

2.1

6093

24

BIG BROTHER 11-SUN

CBS

3.9

7

4482

19

2.2

6288

25

48 HOURS MYSTERY TUESDAY

CBS

3.8

7

4340

28

1.9

5374

25

COLD CASE

CBS

3.8

7

4353

24

2.0

5764

Source: Nielsen Media Research

TOP 25 PROGRAMS – BROADCAST
Adults 18-49
Week Ending July 12

Rank

Program

Net

Rtg%

(000)

1

AMERICA GOT TALENT-WED 9P

NBC

3.3

4417

2

AMERICA 'S GOT TALENT-TUE

NBC

3.0

4010

3

SO YOU THINK CN DANCE-THU

FOX

2.9

3780

3

SO YOU THINK CN DANCE-WED

FOX

2.9

3797

3

WIPEOUT

ABC

2.9

3798

6

BIG BANG THEORY, THE

CBS

2.8

3675

6

TWO AND A HALF MEN

CBS

2.8

3641

8

BACHELORETTE, THE

ABC

2.6

3393

8

PRIMETIME: FAMILY SECRETS

ABC

2.6

3401

10

BIG BROTHER 11-THU

CBS

2.3

3014

10

DATELINE NBC 7/7(S)

NBC

2.3

3004

12

FAMILY GUY

FOX

2.1

2802

13

BIG BROTHER 11-SUN

CBS

2.0

2645

13

CSI: MIAMI

CBS

2.0

2651

13

MANANA PARA SIEMPRE MON

UNI

2.0

2644

13

NCIS

CBS

2.0

2595

13

PRIMETIME: CRIME

ABC

2.0

2607

18

MANANA PARA SIEMPRE TUE

UNI

1.9

2456

18

MANANA PARA SIEMPRE WED

UNI

1.9

2518

18

RULES OF ENGAGEMENT

CBS

1.9

2511

18

SIMPSONS-SUN 9:30P

FOX

1.9

2566

22

20/20 SP EDITION-7/7(S)

ABC

1.8

2407

22

COPA ORO 2009 12 UNI(S)

UNI

1.8

2356

22

HOW I MET YOUR MOTHER

CBS

1.8

2434

22

MENTALIST, THE - TUESDAY

CBS

1.8

2330

22

SIMPSONS

FOX

1.8

2345

Source: Nielsen Media Research

  

SPANISH-LANGUAGE TELEVISION (WEEKLY COLLAPSED)
Ranked on Households
Week Ending July 5

#

PROGRAMS

Net

Rtg

P2+ (000)

1

MANANA PARA SIEMPRE M-F

UNI

20.6

4580

2

CUIDADO CON EL ANGEL M-F

UNI

17.8

3802

3

AQUI Y AHORA TUE

UNI

14.7

3064

3

CRISTINA MON

UNI

14.7

2986

5

DON FRANCISCO PRESENTA WE

UNI

14.5

2972

6

MUJERES ASESINAS THU

UNI

12.7

2767

7

ROSA DE GUADALUPE THU-FRI

UNI

12.2

2767

8

COPA ORO 2009 6 UNI(S)-07/05/2009

UNI

12.0

2730

9

GANCHO AL CORAZON M-F

UNI

11.7

2407

10

TECATE PR DEPORTES 09 7/5(S)-07/05/2009

UNI

8.6

1789

11

CINE MILLONARIO

TEL

7.7

1809

12

SABADO GIGANTE SAT

UNI

7.4

1520

13

ROSTRO DE ANALIA M-F

TEL

5.3

1204

14

COPA ORO 2009 2 TF(S)-07/03/2009

TF

4.8

1124

14

BETTY LA FEA M-F

TF

4.8

1028

16

VICTORINOS M-F

TEL

4.4

1130

17

CINE DE LAS ESTREL SUN 2

TF

4.1

938

18

MAS SABE EL DIABLO M-F

TEL

3.7

795

19

JUEGO DE ORO SAT

UNI

3.4

766

19

COPA ORO 2009 4 TF(S)-07/04/2009

TF

3.4

746

21

CINE DE LAS ESTRELLAS M-F

TF

3.3

672

21

CINE DE LAS ESTREL SUN

TF

3.3

782

21

12 CORAZONES M-F

TEL

3.3

614

24

VEREDICTO FINAL M-F

TF

3.2

602

24

CELEB DIA INDEPENDENCIA 4(S)-07/04/2009

TEL

3.2

793

Source: Nielsen Media Research

 

HISPANIC ENGLISH-LANGUAGE VIEWING
Ranked on Households
Week Ending July 5

#

PROGRAMS

Net

Rtg

P2+(000)

1

AMERICA 'S GOT TALENT-TUE

NBC

4.2

802

2

AMERICA GOT TALENT-WED 9P

NBC

3.6

636

3

SIMPSONS SP-7/5 9:30P(S)-07/05/2009

FOX

2.8

543

3

AMERICA 'S GT TLNT 8P 6/30(S)-06/30/2009

NBC

2.8

526

5

DATELINE NBC-MON

NBC

2.6

398

5

CSI: MIAMI

CBS

2.6

455

5

WIPEOUT

ABC

2.6

559

8

48 HOURS MYSTERY TUESDAY

CBS

2.5

495

9

20/20-FRI SP-7/3(S)-07/03/2009

ABC

2.4

362

10

MENTALIST, THE - TUESDAY

CBS

2.3

512

10

NCIS

CBS

2.3

470

Source: Nielsen Media Research

 

AFRICAN AMERICAN AUDIENCE ESTIMATES
Ranked on Households
Week Ending July 5

#

PROGRAMS

Net

Rtg

P2+(000)

1

48 HOURS MYSTERY TUESDAY

CBS

7.2

1273

2

AMERICA 'S GOT TALENT-TUE

NBC

6.7

1305

3

CSI: MIAMI

CBS

6.3

1170

4

CSI: NY

CBS

6.2

1005

5

NCIS

CBS

5.8

1064

6

CRIMINAL MINDS

CBS

5.7

875

7

LAW AND ORDER:SVU

NBC

5.6

977

7

DATELINE NBC-MON

NBC

5.6

958

9

LAW AND ORDER:CRIM INTENT

NBC

5.4

930

9

DATELINE FRI 7/3

NBC

5.4

960

* 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 5

#

PROGRAMS

Net

Episode

Households

Persons 2+

US Rtg%

Shr

(000)

(000)

1

AT&T NATIONAL-SUN-07/05/2009

CBS