Ultimate night
for Ultimate Fighting debut
One-round UFC bout averages 5.7 million viewers on Fox
By Toni Fitzgerald
Nov 16, 2011
 |
| Dos Santos (right) makes quick work of Cain Velasquez, knocking him out in the first round |
It was one of the most anti-climactic bouts in Ultimate Fighting Championship history, lasting barely over a minute.
But Junior Dos Santos’ first-round knockout of Cain Velasquez Saturday night was a real winner for the sport, which was making its debut on Fox.
Fox averaged 5.7 million total viewers for the 9 p.m. bout, according to Nielsen, making it the most-watched fight on any network since HBO drew 7 million for its 2003 Lennox Lewis-Vitali Klitschko matchup.
It also marked the highest-rated UFC bout ever, drawing a 3.0 rating among adults 18-49.
The fight did especially well among men 18-34 and men 18-49, a desirable target audience for advertisers. Fox averaged a 4.3 in men 18-34 and a 4.0 in men 18-49, out-rating all but one college football telecast this season among men 18-34.
It seemed to validate Fox's decision to air the controversial sport, which has been criticized for the brutality of the bouts.
Mixed martial arts is essentially an anything-goes format, and so fights can be bloody and graphic.
But UFC has been pushing toward legitimacy for years, first with a long-running package of cable shows on Spike that included a reality show that produced a number of fighters.
Now, with the presence on Fox, that legitimacy seems even closer. Next year the network will air four more fights, and Saturday's broadcast included a primer on the sport for those who weren't familiar with it, a clear sign that UFC was trying to draw in new fans.
Fox has to be happy, too. The 3.0 rating was well above the 1.8 the network has averaged on Saturday nights this year, largely with "Cops" and reruns, and the strong numbers came against a highly anticipated college football game on ABC, Oregon-Stanford, that also drew good numbers.
***
In broadcast ratings for the week ended Nov. 13:
Among adults 18-49, Fox was first for the week with a 3.0 average rating and an 8 share, followed by ABC at 2.8/7, CBS at 2.6/7, NBC at 2.4/6, Univision at 1.6/4, CW at 0.8/2, Telemundo at 0.5/1, ION at 0.3/1, TeleFutura at 0.2/1 and Azteca and Estrella at 0.1/0.
Top five English-language Big Five shows (18-49s): 1. NBC's "Sunday Night Football" 8.1; 2. CBS's "The Big Bang Theory" 5.3; 3. CBS's "Two and a Half Men" 5.2; 4. ABC's "CMA Awards" 4.8; 5. Fox's "The OT" 4.7.
Top five English-language Big Five shows (total viewers): 1. NBC's "Sunday Night Football" 20.92 million; 2. CBS's "NCIS" 20.38 million; 3. ABC's "Dancing with the Stars" 18.16 million; 4. ABC's "CMA Awards" 16.40 million; 5. CBS's "The Big Bang Theory" 15.89 million.
Top five time-shifted English-language Big Five shows (18-49s, by Live+SD versus Live+7 playback, week ended Oct. 30): 1. ABC's "Grey's Anatomy" 1.6 increase (up 43.2 percent); 2. CBS's "The Big Bang Theory" 1.6 increase (up 34.8 percent); 3. CBS's "Two and a Half Men" 1.5 increase (up 27.3 percent); 4. NBC's "The Office" 1.4 increase (up 48.3 percent); 5. CBS's "The Mentalist" 1.2 increase (up 48.0 percent).
Show on the rise: CBS's "Two and a Half Men," Monday 9 p.m. The comedy posted a 5.2 rating among 18-49s, up 11 percent from a 4.7 the previous wee.
Show on the decline: ABC's "Extreme Makeover: Home Edition," Friday 8 p.m. The reality competition slipped badly week-to-week, falling 42 percent from a 1.2 rating to a 0.7.
|
WEEKLY PRIMETIME AVERAGES BY NETWORK
Ranked on Households
Week Ending Nov. 13 |
|
Network
|
Households
|
People 2+
|
Adults 18-49
|
|
Rtg%
|
(000)
|
Shr
|
Rtg%
|
(000)
|
Shr
|
Rtg%
|
(000)
|
Shr
|
|
CBS |
6.8 |
7770 |
11 |
3.7 |
10780 |
9 |
2.6 |
3260 |
7 |
|
ABC |
6.6 |
7580 |
11 |
3.6 |
10320 |
9 |
2.8 |
3520 |
7 |
|
FOX |
4.6 |
5310 |
7 |
2.7 |
7780 |
6 |
3.0 |
3900 |
8 |
|
NBC |
4.3 |
4930 |
7 |
2.3 |
6800 |
6 |
2.4 |
3020 |
6 |
|
UNI |
2.0 |
2280 |
3 |
1.3 |
3790 |
3 |
1.6 |
2000 |
4 |
|
CW |
1.2 |
1340 |
2 |
0.6 |
1780 |
1 |
0.8 |
970 |
2 |
|
ION |
0.7 |
770 |
1 |
0.3 |
990 |
1 |
0.3 |
390 |
1 |
|
TEL |
0.6 |
720 |
1 |
0.4 |
1130 |
1 |
0.5 |
590 |
1 |
|
TF |
0.3 |
310 |
0 |
0.2 |
500 |
0 |
0.2 |
270 |
1 |
|
ETV |
0.1 |
150 |
0 |
0.1 |
230 |
0 |
0.1 |
120 |
0 |
|
AZA |
0.1 |
120 |
0 |
0.1 |
190 |
0 |
0.1 |
80 |
0 |
|
*
Each rating point is equivalent to 1 percent or
1. 147
million homes
Note: Viewing estimates include same day (3 a.m.-3 a.m.) DVR playback.
Source: Nielsen
|
|
SEASON-TO-DATE PRIMETIME AVERAGES BY NETWORK
Ranked on Households
Week Ending Nov. 13 |
|
Network
|
Households
|
People 2+
|
Adults 18-49
|
|
Rtg%
|
(000)
|
Shr
|
Rtg%
|
(000)
|
Shr
|
Rtg%
|
(000)
|
Shr
|
|
CBS |
8.1 |
9320 |
13 |
4.5 |
12970 |
11 |
3.4 |
4380 |
9 |
|
ABC |
6.4 |
7360 |
10 |
3.4 |
9900 |
9 |
2.8 |
3610 |
8 |
|
FOX |
5.9 |
6770 |
9 |
3.4 |
9870 |
9 |
3.5 |
4470 |
10 |
|
NBC |
4.6 |
5330 |
7 |
2.5 |
7310 |
6 |
2.6 |
3280 |
7 |
|
UNI |
1.9 |
2210 |
3 |
1.3 |
3630 |
3 |
1.5 |
1980 |
4 |
|
CW |
1.4 |
1640 |
2 |
0.7 |
2140 |
2 |
1.0 |
1230 |
3 |
|
ION |
0.7 |
750 |
1 |
0.3 |
950 |
1 |
0.3 |
360 |
1 |
|
TEL |
0.6 |
730 |
1 |
0.4 |
1110 |
1 |
0.5 |
590 |
1 |
|
TF |
0.3 |
310 |
0 |
0.2 |
460 |
0 |
0.2 |
270 |
1 |
|
ETV |
0.1 |
140 |
0 |
0.1 |
210 |
0 |
0.1 |
110 |
0 |
|
AZA |
0.1 |
130 |
0 |
0.1 |
210 |
0 |
0.1 |
100 |
0 |
|
*
Each rating point is equivalent to one percent or
1. 147
million homes
Note: Season-to-date estimates are a weighted average and Live+7 data, except for the most recent two weeks which are based Live+SD viewing.
Source: Nielsen |
|
TOP 25 PROGRAMS – BROADCAST
Ranked on Households
Week Ending Nov. 13 |
|
# |
PROGRAMS |
Net |
HOUSEHOLDS |
PERSONS 2+ |
|
Rtg% |
Shr |
(000) |
# |
Rtg% |
(000) |
|
1 |
NBC SUNDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL |
NBC |
12.9 |
20 |
14832 |
1 |
7.2 |
20918 |
|
2 |
NCIS |
CBS |
12.6 |
19 |
14483 |
2 |
7.0 |
20378 |
|
3 |
DANCING WITH THE STARS |
ABC |
11.9 |
17 |
13632 |
3 |
6.3 |
18157 |
|
4 |
DANCING W/STARS RESULTS |
ABC |
10.0 |
15 |
11459 |
8 |
5.2 |
15073 |
|
4 |
SUNDAY NIGHT NFL PRE-KICK |
NBC |
10.0 |
15 |
11495 |
5 |
5.6 |
16229 |
|
6 |
CMA AWARDS(S) |
ABC |
9.9 |
15 |
11364 |
4 |
5.7 |
16396 |
|
7 |
NCIS: LOS ANGELES |
CBS |
9.7 |
15 |
11136 |
7 |
5.4 |
15658 |
|
8 |
BIG BANG THEORY, THE |
CBS |
9.5 |
15 |
10859 |
6 |
5.5 |
15885 |
|
9 |
TWO AND A HALF MEN |
CBS |
8.9 |
13 |
10224 |
9 |
5.1 |
14707 |
|
10 |
60 MINUTES |
CBS |
8.4 |
13 |
9615 |
10 |
4.5 |
13074 |
|
11 |
UNFORGETTABLE |
CBS |
7.7 |
13 |
8862 |
14 |
4.0 |
11718 |
|
12 |
GREY'S ANATOMY |
ABC |
7.5 |
11 |
8616 |
16 |
3.9 |
11295 |
|
13 |
CASTLE |
ABC |
7.4 |
12 |
8484 |
21 |
3.8 |
11072 |
|
14 |
MIKE & MOLLY |
CBS |
7.3 |
11 |
8368 |
11 |
4.1 |
11933 |
|
15 |
FOOTBALL NT AMERICA PT 3 |
NBC |
7.2 |
11 |
8315 |
11 |
4.1 |
11822 |
|
15 |
OT, THE |
FOX |
7.2 |
11 |
8289 |
11 |
4.1 |
11800 |
|
17 |
CRIMINAL MINDS |
CBS |
7.1 |
11 |
8147 |
16 |
3.9 |
11359 |
|
18 |
2 BROKE GIRLS |
CBS |
7.0 |
10 |
7982 |
16 |
3.9 |
11428 |
|
18 |
BLUE BLOODS |
CBS |
7.0 |
13 |
8059 |
16 |
3.9 |
11299 |
|
20 |
RULES OF ENGAGEMENT |
CBS |
6.9 |
11 |
7894 |
14 |
4.0 |
11570 |
|
21 |
HAWAII FIVE-0 |
CBS |
6.7 |
11 |
7706 |
23 |
3.6 |
10318 |
|
22 |
ONCE UPON A TIME |
ABC |
6.6 |
10 |
7617 |
16 |
3.9 |
11359 |
|
23 |
CSI |
CBS |
6.5 |
11 |
7485 |
24 |
3.5 |
10159 |
|
23 |
GOOD WIFE, THE |
CBS |
6.5 |
10 |
7438 |
24 |
3.5 |
10242 |
|
23 |
MENTALIST, THE |
CBS |
6.5 |
11 |
7405 |
24 |
3.5 |
10084 |
|
23 |
SURVIVOR: SOUTH PACIFIC |
CBS |
6.5 |
10 |
7451 |
22 |
3.7 |
10802 |
|
Source: Nielsen |
|
TOP 25 PROGRAMS – BROADCAST
Adults 18-49
Week Ending Nov. 13 |
|
Rank |
Program |
Net |
Rtg% |
(000) |
|
1 |
NBC SUNDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL |
NBC |
8.1 |
10368 |
|
2 |
SUNDAY NIGHT NFL PRE-KICK |
NBC |
5.8 |
7384 |
|
3 |
BIG BANG THEORY, THE |
CBS |
5.3 |
6768 |
|
4 |
TWO AND A HALF MEN |
CBS |
5.2 |
6709 |
|
5 |
CMA AWARDS(S) |
ABC |
4.8 |
6114 |
|
6 |
OT, THE |
FOX |
4.7 |
6070 |
|
7 |
2 BROKE GIRLS |
CBS |
4.6 |
5835 |
|
8 |
HOW I MET YOUR MOTHER |
CBS |
4.4 |
5627 |
|
9 |
MIKE & MOLLY |
CBS |
4.2 |
5329 |
|
10 |
GREY'S ANATOMY |
ABC |
4.1 |
5243 |
|
10 |
NCIS |
CBS |
4.1 |
5184 |
|
12 |
FOOTBALL NT AMERICA PT 3 |
NBC |
4.0 |
5164 |
|
13 |
ONCE UPON A TIME |
ABC |
3.8 |
4896 |
|
13 |
X-FACTOR-WED |
FOX |
3.8 |
4821 |
|
15 |
NEW GIRL |
FOX |
3.5 |
4469 |
|
15 |
RULES OF ENGAGEMENT |
CBS |
3.5 |
4525 |
|
17 |
CRIMINAL MINDS |
CBS |
3.4 |
4383 |
|
17 |
DANCING WITH THE STARS |
ABC |
3.4 |
4338 |
|
17 |
NCIS: LOS ANGELES |
CBS |
3.4 |
4337 |
|
17 |
SIMPSONS |
FOX |
3.4 |
4393 |
|
21 |
X-FACTOR-THU |
FOX |
3.3 |
4202 |
|
22 |
SURVIVOR: SOUTH PACIFIC |
CBS |
3.2 |
4136 |
|
23 |
FAMILY GUY |
FOX |
3.1 |
3952 |
|
23 |
GLEE |
FOX |
3.1 |
3990 |
|
23 |
HAWAII FIVE-0 |
CBS |
3.1 |
3954 |
|
Source: Nielsen |
|
SPANISH-LANGUAGE TELEVISION
Ranked on Households
Week Ending Nov. 6 |
|
# |
PROGRAMS |
Net |
Rtg |
P2+ (000) |
|
1 |
FUERZA DEL DESTINO M-F |
UNI |
18.7 |
4350 |
|
2 |
MIRA QUIEN BAILA 2 SUN |
UNI |
17.1 |
3758 |
|
3 |
FAMILIA CON SUERTE M-F |
UNI |
16.1 |
3970 |
|
4 |
CUANDO ME ENAMORO M-F |
UNI |
12.3 |
2610 |
|
5 |
SAL Y PIMIENTA SUN |
UNI |
12.2 |
2432 |
|
6 |
SABADO GIGANTE SAT |
UNI |
11.3 |
2299 |
|
7 |
DON FRANCISCO PRESENTA MO |
UNI |
10.5 |
2146 |
|
8 |
AQUI Y AHORA TUE |
UNI |
10.3 |
2261 |
|
9 |
PROTAGONISTAS T-F |
UNI |
8.9 |
2034 |
|
10 |
ROSA DE GUADALUPE SUN |
UNI |
8.8 |
1945 |
|
11 |
C. CERRADO-ED. ESTELAR M-F |
TEL |
7.4 |
1467 |
|
12 |
CASA DE AL LADO M-F |
TEL |
6.9 |
1452 |
|
13 |
HORA PICO SAT |
UNI |
6.3 |
1258 |
|
14 |
MI CORAZON INSISTE M-F |
TEL |
5.4 |
1092 |
|
15 |
FLOR SALVAJE M-F |
TEL |
5.2 |
1093 |
|
16 |
CINE DE LAS ESTREL SUN |
TF |
4.5 |
1234 |
|
17 |
PA'LANTE CON CRISTINA |
TEL |
3.9 |
828 |
|
18 |
FUTBOL ESTELAR II |
TEL |
3.5 |
854 |
|
19 |
CINE DE LAS ESTREL SUN 2 |
TF |
3.2 |
730 |
|
20 |
MARAV MUNDO DE DISNEY |
TEL |
2.9 |
862 |
|
21 |
FLM SAT 2 |
AZA |
2.2 |
491 |
|
22 |
CORREO DE INOCENTES M-F |
TF |
2.2 |
452 |
|
23 |
ULTIMO MATRIMONIO FLZ M-F |
TF |
1.9 |
356 |
|
24 |
RETO DE MUJER M-F |
TF |
1.8 |
347 |
|
25 |
ALARMA TV - M-F 10P |
ETV |
1.7 |
409 |
|
Source: Nielsen |
|
HISPANIC ENGLISH-LANGUAGE VIEWING
Ranked on Households
Week Ending Nov. 6 |
|
# |
PROGRAMS |
Net |
Rtg |
P2+(000) |
|
1 |
NBC SUNDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL |
NBC |
7.6 |
1699 |
|
2 |
DANCING W/STARS RESULTS |
ABC |
5.8 |
1110 |
|
3 |
SUNDAY NIGHT NFL PRE-KICK |
NBC |
5.6 |
1272 |
|
4 |
DANCING WITH THE STARS |
ABC |
5.4 |
1041 |
|
4 |
OT, THE |
FOX |
5.4 |
1221 |
|
6 |
X-FACTOR-WED |
FOX |
4.7 |
1030 |
|
7 |
HOME DEPOT PRIME CLG FTBL(S)-11/05/2011 |
CBS |
4.5 |
921 |
|
8 |
X-FACTOR-THU |
FOX |
4.3 |
883 |
|
9 |
FOOTBALL NT AMERICA PT 3 |
NBC |
4.2 |
979 |
|
9 |
MODERN FAMILY |
ABC |
4.2 |
872 |
|
Source: Nielsen |
|
AFRICAN AMERICAN AUDIENCE ESTIMATES
Ranked on Households
Week Ending Nov. 6 |
|
# |
PROGRAMS |
Net |
Rtg |
P2+(000) |
|
1 |
NBC SUNDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL |
NBC |
18.5 |
3649 |
|
2 |
HOME DEPOT PRIME CLG FTBL |
CBS |
14.7 |
2871 |
|
3 |
SUNDAY NIGHT NFL PRE-KICK |
NBC |
14.7 |
2861 |
|
4 |
OT, THE |
FOX |
11.7 |
2378 |
|
5 |
X-FACTOR-WED |
FOX |
11.0 |
2252 |
|
6 |
FOOTBALL NT AMERICA PT 3 |
NBC |
10.9 |
2103 |
|
7 |
X-FACTOR-THU |
FOX |
10.2 |
2213 |
|
8 |
UNFORGETTABLE |
CBS |
8.3 |
1477 |
|
9 |
DANCING W/STARS RESULTS |
ABC |
8.2 |
1572 |
|
10 |
BLUE BLOODS |
CBS |
8.0 |
1608 |
|
* Ratings based on 13.65 million African American TV homes.
Source: Nielsen |
|
TOP 20 NETWORK SPORTS PROGRAMS
Ranked on Viewers
Week Ending Nov. 6 |
|
# |
PROGRAMS |
Net |
Episode |
Households |
Persons 2+ |
|
US
Rtg% |
(000) |
(000) |
|
1 |
FOX NFL SUNDAY-NATIONAL-11/06/2011 |
FOX |
VARIOUS TEAMS AND TIMES |
16.7 |
19208 |
28213 |
|
2 |
FOX NFL SUNDAY-PST GN-NAT-11/06/2011 |
FOX |
VARIOUS TEAMS AND TIMES |
13.8 |
15885 |
24576 |
|
3 |
NBC SUNDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL-11/06/2011 |
NBC |
BALTIMORE AT PITTSBURGH |
13.3 |
15204 |
22121 |
|
4 |
HOME DEPOT PRIME CLG FTBL-11/05/2011 |
CBS |
LSU AT ALABAMA |
11.5 |
13134 |
20011 |
|
5 |
CBS NFL SINGLE-11/06/2011 |
CBS |
VARIOUS TEAMS AND TIMES |
9.8 |
11263 |
16160 |
|
6 |
FOX NFL SUNDAY-REGIONAL-11/06/2011 |
FOX |
VARIOUS TEAMS AND TIMES |
8.6 |
9911 |
14194 |
|
7 |
ABC COLLEGE FTBL GM-LATE-11/05/2011 |
ABC |
VARIOUS TEAMS AND TIMES |
4.2 |
4847 |
6502 |
|
8 |
SAT NIGHT FOOTBALL-11/05/2011 |
ABC |
KS ST AT OK ST/N DM AT WK FRST |
1.8 |
2122 |
3058 |
|
9 |
HOME DEPOT CLLG FOOTBALL2-11/05/2011 |
CBS |
ARMY AT AIR FORCE |
1.1 |
1268 |
1577 |
|
10 |
BREEDER'S CUP CHALLENGE-11/05/2011 |
ABC |
|
0.9 |
1031 |
1263 |
|
11 |
NBC SKATING SPECIAL 11/6-11/06/2011 |
NBC |
TRIBUTE TO BEATLES |
0.8 |
932 |
1187 |
|
12 |
ISU GP FIG SKATING 11/5-11/05/2011 |
NBC |
CANADA |
0.7 |
765 |
952 |
|
13 |
FUTBOL ESTELAR II-11/05/2011 |
TEL |
CHIVAS VS PACHUCA |
0.4 |
506 |
883 |
|
14 |
NBC SPORTS SPL 11/6-11/06/2011 |
NBC |
NYC MARATHON |
0.5 |
581 |
706 |
|
15 |
LIGA MEX DE FUTBOL SAT-03-11/05/2011 |
TF |
SAN LUIS VS TOLUCA |
0.3 |
292 |
516 |
|
16 |
FLM SAT 2-11/05/2011 |
AZA |
CRUZ AZUL VS AMERICA |
0.3 |
304 |
495 |
|
17 |
FLM FRI 1-11/04/2011 |
AZA |
MONARCAS VS JAGUARES |
0.2 |
217 |
346 |
|
18 |
LIGA MEX DE FUTBOL SAT-02-11/05/2011 |
TF |
SANTOS VS ATLAS |
0.2 |
203 |
328 |
|
19 |
FUTBOL ESTELAR-11/05/2011 |
TEL |
MONTERREY VS ATLANTE |
0.2 |
179 |
283 |
|
20 |
FUTBOL TELEMUNDO-11/06/2011 |
TEL |
UNAM VS TIJUANA |
0.2 |
200 |
280 |
|
Source: Nielsen |
|
|
|
