medialifemagazine.com
'Undercover Boss' scores a touchdown
By Toni Fitzgerald
Feb 10, 2010 - 1:19:13 AM
Media people had low expectations for the premiere of "Undercover Boss," CBS's new show airing after the Super Bowl.
After all, no postgame show since "Grey's Anatomy" in 2006 had drawn more than 30 million viewers, despite record viewership for the last two games.
In a pregame poll of media buyers and planners, just 6 percent of Media Life readers thought "Boss" would top 30 million.
Boy were they wrong.
Buoyed by the biggest lead-in in television history, "Boss" became the third-most-watched post-Super Bowl program ever and the most-watched reality series debut in TV history.
"Boss" drew 38.6 million total viewers, behind only the 53 million who watched "Friends" in 1996 and the 45.4 million who stayed put for "Survivor II: The Australian Outback" in 2001.
It's tempting to credit "Boss's" big number solely to the huge Super Bowl audience. But that's not exactly true.
The show retained a greater percentage of its lead-in than the Super Bowl lead-outs the past three years, suggesting that many viewers liked what they saw.
"Boss" hung on to 36 percent of its 106.5 million lead-in. Last year's Super Bowl lead-out, "The Office," held a mere 23.2 percent.
The 2008 show, "House," held 29 percent of its 97.5 million lead-in. And 2007's "Criminal Minds" held onto 28 percent.
"Boss" may have performed better than those veteran shows because it was more accessible. Each of the past three post-Super Bowl programs had been on the air at least two seasons, which may have discouraged new viewers from watching because they did not want to be lost in an already-established storyline.
Whether "Boss" retains even half of that audience this Sunday, when the show moves to its regular 9 p.m. timeslot, remains to be seen. Following Sunday's big debut, CBS is suddenly pushing the show by rerunning the pilot Friday night at 9 p.m., where its drama "Medium" is often the top-rated program of the night.
Though few new shows have been launched to hit status behind the Super Bowl, there is a recent precedent for the Super Bowl boosting a veteran show. "Grey's," the last show to hold more than 30 percent of its Super Bowl audience, went from a solid hit to a monster one after the game.
***
In broadcast ratings for the week ended Feb. 7:
Among adults 18-49, CBS was first with an 8.5 average rating and a 22 share, followed by Fox at 3.2/8, ABC at 2.5/7, NBC at 1.5/4, 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.
Top five English-language Big Five shows (18-49s): 1. CBS’s “Super Bowl XLIV” 38.6; 2. CBS’s “Super Bowl XLIV Postgame” 29.1; 3. CBS’s “Undercover Boss” 16.2; 4. Fox’s “American Idol - Tuesday” 9.0; 5. Fox’s “American Idol – Wednesday” 7.8.
Top five English-language Big Five shows (total viewers): 1. CBS’s “Super Bowl XLIV” 106.48 million; 2. CBS’s “Super Bowl XLIV Postgame” 75.47 million; 3. CBS’s “Undercover Boss” 38.65 million; 4. Fox’s “American Idol - Tuesday” 24.71 million; 5. Fox’s “American Idol – Wednesday” 21.0 million.
Top five time-shifted English-language Big Five shows (18-49s, by Live+7 playback, week ended Jan. 17): 1. Fox’s “American Idol - Tuesday” 2.9 increase (up 23 percent); 2. Fox’s “American Idol - Wednesday” 2.9 increase (up 26 percent); 3. Fox’s “House” 2.4 increase (up 41 percent); 4. ABC’s “Grey’s Anatomy” 2.2 increase (up 35 percent); 5. CBS’s “The Big Bang Theory” 1.9 increase (up 28 percent).
Show on the rise: “Super Bowl XLIV” CBS, Sunday 6:30 p.m. The big game averaged 106.5 million total viewers, making it the most-watched TV program in U.S. history.
Show on the decline: “Fringe” Fox, Thursday 9 p.m. “Fringed” slipped 13 percent week-to-week versus original competition on the other broadcast networks, going from a 3.0 18-49 rating to a 2.6.
|
WEEKLY PRIMETIME AVERAGES BY NETWORK
Ranked on Households
Week Ending February 7 |
|
Network
|
Households
|
People 2+
|
Adults 18-49
|
|
Rtg%
|
(000)
|
Shr
|
Rtg%
|
(000)
|
Shr
|
Rtg%
|
(000)
|
Shr
|
|
CBS
|
13.0
|
14960
|
21
|
9.0
|
26180
|
22
|
8.5
|
11220
|
22
|
|
FOX
|
5.2
|
5980
|
8
|
3.1
|
9100
|
7
|
3.2
|
4200
|
8
|
|
ABC
|
4.4
|
5020
|
7
|
2.4
|
7000
|
6
|
2.5
|
3240
|
7
|
|
NBC
|
3.1
|
3520
|
5
|
1.6
|
4740
|
4
|
1.5
|
2000
|
4
|
|
UNI
|
1.8
|
2070
|
3
|
1.2
|
3650
|
3
|
1.4
|
1890
|
4
|
|
CW
|
1.2
|
1440
|
2
|
0.7
|
1920
|
2
|
0.9
|
1140
|
2
|
|
ION
|
0.7
|
800
|
1
|
0.4
|
1060
|
1
|
0.3
|
440
|
1
|
|
TEL
|
0.5
|
610
|
1
|
0.4
|
1060
|
1
|
0.5
|
640
|
1
|
|
TF
|
0.5
|
540
|
1
|
0.3
|
1010
|
1
|
0.4
|
550
|
1
|
|
AZA
|
0.1
|
120
|
0
|
0.1
|
160
|
0
|
0.1
|
80
|
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 February 7 |
|
Network
|
Households
|
People 2+
|
Adults 18-49
|
|
Rtg%
|
(000)
|
Shr
|
Rtg%
|
(000)
|
Shr
|
Rtg%
|
(000)
|
Shr
|
|
CBS
|
7.6
|
8730
|
12
|
4.3
|
12560
|
11
|
3.4
|
4470
|
9
|
|
FOX
|
5.8
|
6640
|
9
|
3.4
|
9870
|
8
|
3.6
|
4790
|
10
|
|
ABC
|
5.5
|
6330
|
9
|
3.0
|
8770
|
8
|
2.7
|
3570
|
7
|
|
NBC
|
4.7
|
5350
|
8
|
2.6
|
7480
|
7
|
2.6
|
3370
|
7
|
|
UNI
|
1.8
|
2060
|
3
|
1.2
|
3510
|
3
|
1.4
|
1780
|
4
|
|
CW
|
1.3
|
1530
|
2
|
0.7
|
2030
|
2
|
0.9
|
1250
|
3
|
|
ION
|
0.7
|
770
|
1
|
0.3
|
1020
|
1
|
0.3
|
400
|
1
|
|
TEL
|
0.5
|
610
|
1
|
0.4
|
1050
|
1
|
0.5
|
630
|
1
|
|
TF
|
0.5
|
530
|
1
|
0.3
|
960
|
1
|
0.4
|
560
|
1
|
|
AZA
|
0.1
|
140
|
0
|
0.1
|
210
|
0
|
0.1
|
120
|
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 February 7 |
|
# |
PROGRAMS |
Net |
HOUSEHOLDS |
PERSONS 2+ |
|
Rtg% |
Shr |
(000) |
# |
Rtg% |
(000) |
|
1
|
SUPER BOWL XLIV(S)
|
CBS
|
45.0
|
68
|
51728
|
1
|
36.5
|
106476
|
|
2
|
SUPER BOWL XLIV POST GAME(S)
|
CBS
|
33.0
|
51
|
37896
|
2
|
25.8
|
75474
|
|
3
|
UNDERCOVER BOSS
|
CBS
|
19.1
|
32
|
21910
|
3
|
13.2
|
38654
|
|
4
|
AMERICAN IDOL-TUESDAY
|
FOX
|
13.4
|
20
|
15410
|
4
|
8.5
|
24705
|
|
5
|
AMERICAN IDOL-WEDNESDAY
|
FOX
|
11.9
|
19
|
13668
|
5
|
7.2
|
20999
|
|
6
|
NCIS
|
CBS
|
11.5
|
17
|
13177
|
6
|
6.6
|
19234
|
|
7
|
NCIS: LOS ANGELES
|
CBS
|
10.0
|
15
|
11484
|
8
|
5.6
|
16422
|
|
8
|
TWO AND A HALF MEN
|
CBS
|
9.9
|
15
|
11366
|
7
|
5.7
|
16506
|
|
9
|
MENTALIST, THE
|
CBS
|
9.3
|
16
|
10692
|
10
|
5.0
|
14682
|
|
10
|
CRIMINAL MINDS
|
CBS
|
9.1
|
14
|
10441
|
10
|
5.0
|
14745
|
|
10
|
BIG BANG THEORY, THE
|
CBS
|
9.1
|
14
|
10477
|
9
|
5.3
|
15506
|
|
12
|
CSI
|
CBS
|
8.8
|
14
|
10136
|
10
|
5.0
|
14491
|
|
12
|
CSI: NY
|
CBS
|
8.8
|
16
|
10141
|
13
|
4.8
|
14158
|
|
14
|
CSI:
MIAMI
|
CBS
|
8.5
|
15
|
9785
|
14
|
4.6
|
13440
|
|
15
|
GOOD WIFE, THE
|
CBS
|
8.4
|
14
|
9653
|
16
|
4.4
|
12808
|
|
16
|
GREY'S ANATOMY-THU 9PM
|
ABC
|
8.1
|
13
|
9331
|
17
|
4.3
|
12549
|
|
17
|
HOUSE
|
FOX
|
7.8
|
12
|
9013
|
14
|
4.6
|
13378
|
|
18
|
BONES
|
FOX
|
7.4
|
12
|
8514
|
18
|
4.2
|
12372
|
|
18
|
BACHELOR, THE
|
ABC
|
7.4
|
11
|
8550
|
20
|
4.0
|
11734
|
|
20
|
SUPER BOWL GREAT COMMRCLS(S)
|
CBS
|
6.8
|
11
|
7824
|
21
|
3.8
|
10990
|
|
21
|
LOST
|
ABC
|
6.7
|
11
|
7692
|
19
|
4.1
|
12090
|
|
22
|
PRIVATE PRACTICE
|
ABC
|
6.2
|
11
|
7176
|
24
|
3.2
|
9254
|
|
23
|
24
|
FOX
|
5.9
|
9
|
6789
|
22
|
3.4
|
9957
|
|
23
|
20/20-FRI
|
ABC
|
5.9
|
11
|
6823
|
31
|
3.0
|
8663
|
|
25
|
LOST-8PM
|
ABC
|
5.8
|
9
|
6721
|
22
|
3.4
|
9965
|
|
25
|
HOW I MET YOUR MOTHER
|
CBS
|
5.8
|
9
|
6619
|
24
|
3.2
|
9281
|
|
25
|
BIGGEST LOSER 9
|
NBC
|
5.8
|
9
|
6611
|
24
|
3.2
|
9481
|
|
25
|
NUMB3RS
|
CBS
|
5.8
|
10
|
6685
|
27
|
3.1
|
9144
|
|
Source: Nielsen Media Research |
|
TOP 25 PROGRAMS – BROADCAST
Adults 18-49
Week Ending February 7 |
|
Rank |
Program |
Net |
Rtg% |
(000) |
|
1
|
SUPER BOWL XLIV(S)
|
CBS
|
38.6
|
50820
|
|
2
|
SUPER BOWL XLIV POST GAME(S)
|
CBS
|
29.1
|
38353
|
|
3
|
UNDERCOVER BOSS
|
CBS
|
16.2
|
21318
|
|
4
|
AMERICAN IDOL-TUESDAY
|
FOX
|
9.0
|
11808
|
|
5
|
AMERICAN IDOL-WEDNESDAY
|
FOX
|
7.8
|
10199
|
|
6
|
LOST
|
ABC
|
5.5
|
7301
|
|
7
|
BIG BANG THEORY, THE
|
CBS
|
5.4
|
7165
|
|
8
|
TWO AND A HALF MEN
|
CBS
|
5.1
|
6679
|
|
9
|
HOUSE
|
FOX
|
4.8
|
6353
|
|
10
|
GREY'S ANATOMY-THU 9PM
|
ABC
|
4.5
|
5906
|
|
11
|
NCIS
|
CBS
|
4.3
|
5644
|
|
12
|
LOST-8PM
|
ABC
|
4.1
|
5445
|
|
12
|
BACHELOR, THE
|
ABC
|
4.1
|
5442
|
|
14
|
MODERN FAMILY
|
ABC
|
3.9
|
5184
|
|
15
|
OFFICE
|
NBC
|
3.8
|
5032
|
|
15
|
CRIMINAL MINDS
|
CBS
|
3.8
|
5052
|
|
15
|
KITCHEN NGHTMR SP-2/2 9P(S)
|
FOX
|
3.8
|
5011
|
|
18
|
HOW I MET YOUR MOTHER
|
CBS
|
3.7
|
4809
|
|
18
|
BIGGEST LOSER 9
|
NBC
|
3.7
|
4896
|
|
18
|
CSI:
MIAMI
|
CBS
|
3.7
|
4835
|
|
21
|
NCIS: LOS ANGELES
|
CBS
|
3.6
|
4732
|
|
22
|
CSI: NY
|
CBS
|
3.4
|
4508
|
|
23
|
BONES
|
FOX
|
3.3
|
4379
|
|
23
|
MENTALIST, THE
|
CBS
|
3.3
|
4295
|
|
23
|
PRIVATE PRACTICE
|
ABC
|
3.3
|
4402
|
|
Source: Nielsen Media Research |
|
SPANISH-LANGUAGE TELEVISION (WEEKLY COLLAPSED)
Ranked on Households
Week Ending January 31 |
|
# |
PROGRAMS |
Net |
Rtg |
P2+ (000) |
|
1
|
SORTILEGIO M-F
|
UNI
|
22.6
|
5351
|
|
2
|
MUJERES ASESINAS 2 THU
|
UNI
|
18.5
|
4319
|
|
3
|
EN NOMBRE DEL AMOR M-F
|
UNI
|
18.0
|
4007
|
|
4
|
HASTA DINERO SEPARE M-F
|
UNI
|
16.0
|
3710
|
|
5
|
AQUI Y AHORA TUE
|
UNI
|
15.0
|
3158
|
|
6
|
CRISTINA MON
|
UNI
|
14.0
|
2933
|
|
7
|
DON FRANCISCO PRESENTA WE
|
UNI
|
13.3
|
2505
|
|
8
|
ROSA
DE GUADALUPE THU-FRI
|
UNI
|
12.4
|
2894
|
|
9
|
SABADO GIGANTE SAT
|
UNI
|
12.1
|
2517
|
|
10
|
INTIMAMENTE 1/30(S)-01/30/2010
|
UNI
|
10.5
|
2150
|
|
10
|
PREMIOS OYE 10 1/31(S)-01/31/2010
|
UNI
|
10.5
|
2117
|
|
12
|
PREMIOS OYE 10 A AZUL1/31(S)-01/31/2010
|
UNI
|
7.9
|
1580
|
|
13
|
MAS SABE EL DIABLO M-F
|
TEL
|
6.7
|
1421
|
|
14
|
CINE MILLONARIO
|
TEL
|
6.0
|
1473
|
|
15
|
VECINOS M-F
|
TF
|
5.3
|
1353
|
|
16
|
PERRO AMOR R
|
TEL
|
5.0
|
1081
|
|
17
|
PERRO AMOR T
|
TEL
|
4.9
|
999
|
|
18
|
PERRO AMOR M
|
TEL
|
4.7
|
1035
|
|
19
|
PERRO AMOR F
|
TEL
|
4.4
|
967
|
|
20
|
CINE MILLONARIO 1/31(S)-01/31/2010
|
TEL
|
4.2
|
952
|
|
21
|
CINE DE LAS ESTREL SUN
|
TF
|
4.1
|
1119
|
|
21
|
CINE DE LAS ESTRELLAS M-F
|
TF
|
4.1
|
908
|
|
23
|
FUTBOL ESTELAR II
|
TEL
|
3.9
|
890
|
|
24
|
12 CORAZONES M-F
|
TEL
|
3.8
|
804
|
|
25
|
CINE DE IMPACTO II
|
TEL
|
3.7
|
863
|
|
25
|
VEREDICTO FINAL M-F
|
TF
|
3.7
|
693
|
|
Source: Nielsen Media Research |
|
HISPANIC ENGLISH-LANGUAGE VIEWING
Ranked on Households
Week Ending January 31 |
|
# |
PROGRAMS |
Net |
Rtg |
P2+(000) |
|
1
|
GRAMMY AWARDS(S)-01/31/2010
|
CBS
|
11.3
|
2561
|
|
2
|
AMERICAN IDOL-TUESDAY
|
FOX
|
7.9
|
1629
|
|
3
|
AMERICAN IDOL-WEDNESDAY
|
FOX
|
7.4
|
| |
